Title – Steve (2025)

Director – Tim Mielants (Small Things Like These)

Cast – Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Emily Watson

Plot – Overseeing a reform school full of dysfunctional teenage boys, Steve (Murphy) battles to keep on top of internal and external pressures across an event filled 24hrs.  

“If 1996 Shy could say anything to 1990 Shy, what would he say?”

Review by Eddie on 04/02/2026

An awards baiting Netflix original that re-teams Oscar winner Cillian Murphy with his Small Things Like These director Tim Mielants, Steve is a well-performed and sporadically brilliant adaptation of Max Porter’s book Shy but there’s a missing ingredient not found here that stops this intense drama in its tracks.

Taking place across an event-filled 24 hours in Murphy’s reform college principal Steve’s life as the passion he has for his work clashes with his own mental health struggles, those of his students and his future employment, Steve is an undeniably tense experience at times but there’s also an aimlessness to a lot of what’s happening throughout Mielant’s quickfire 90 minute feature.

Set in the 90’s and filmed at times under the guise of a documentary crew that are working in the reform school on the same day as Steve is taking place narratively, there’s a lot happening here, broken up into time segments event but while Murphy is as strong as you’d expect as a man under pressure and the story finds some nice moments to spend with Jay Lycurgo’s troubled teen Shy, Steve can’t seem to nail a strong central hook to make all its solid components gel together to create something special.

There’s a few inventive moments from a creativity side of things, especially a standout drone filmed scene that pulses inside and out during a particularly important portion of the film but otherwise things here all feel rather cookie-cutter, unable to be glossed over or enhanced by a strong ensemble cast or some weighty subject matters that all feel as though they’ve been explored in a much deeper and in more memorable fashions over recent months and years.

Produced in collaboration with Murphy’s own Big Things Films, a company the esteemed actor is keen to dedicate more time to moving forward, it’s clear Steve comes from the right place and it’s great to see Murphy staying true to his roots as an indie performer despite his raging Oppenheimer success but there won’t be many recalling Steve in the months to come as it gets drowned out by far more memorable and boundary pushing awards worthy products.

Final Say –

A solid if unremarkable Netflix original that was undoubtedly angling towards an awards season run, Steve is home to some solid acting turns and intriguing possibilities but the whole piece of the puzzle never comes together in a significant way here, marking Steve down as an adequate but unremarkable experience.

3 heavy backpacks out of 5