Tony Gilroy, whose professional first act saw him pen the first four Jason Bourne films and pick up a Best Director nomination for 2007’s Michael Clayton, might be more familiar to audiences today as the writer behind Star Wars film Rogue One and creator of the wildly ambitious and Emmy-winning prequel series Andor.
But Gilroy has repeatedly stated that he’s much more interested in focusing on original stories than taking another trip to “A Galaxy Far, Far Away,” a fact proven by Behemoth!, his appropriately titled new beast of a movie. Working from his own script and directing for the first time since 2012’s The Bourne Legacy, the film follows fellow Star Wars alum Pedro Pascal as a cellist trying to make sense of his complicated past—a story that is at its best when it lets the music do the talking.
What Is ‘Behemoth!’ About?
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Image via Searchlight PicturesBehemoth! follows Alex Serian (Pascal), a one-time cello prodigy who left behind a promising orchestra career in Chicago to pursue work as a film-scoring musician in Los Angeles. However, this wasn’t just a typical career move; Alex had multiple motives for this sudden shift, and almost all of them tie to several members of his fractured family. Now, Alex has to uncover the truth behind some of his life’s greatest mysteries, all while balancing working as a musician for several cinematic projects.
I’m deliberately keeping the major plot details around Behemoth! vague, as Gilroy’s latest is one that’s best experienced completely blind. All I’ll say is that Alex’s story is always a fascinating one, and the film trusts its audience to connect the dots in a lot of interesting and organic ways, rather than spelling out each character’s every thought and intention.
Some of that dot-connecting occurs because, similarly to something like Alejandro G. Iñárritu‘s 21 Grams, Behemoth! takes a refreshingly non-linear approach to Alex’s hectic adventure through Los Angeles. For roughly the first half of the movie, Behemoth! relies on flashbacks to Alex’s past, usually while the central character is working in an orchestra. Gilroy makes some very clever decisions here to have small details denote when in the timeline a scene takes place, rather than boldly declaring the locale and year.
These flashbacks also present the brilliant opportunity to have Alex literally compose the music accompanying key scenes in his own life. It even gives the movie the chance to play around with genre as Alex works on everything from a Bourne-like action thriller to a sweeping romance. You may almost wish there were more scenes like this spread throughout the movie; while the quieter scenes are still solid, they’re not as investing as those moments that really relish in Behemoth!‘s sights and sounds.
‘Behemoth!’s Secret Weapon: Nine Composers
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Yes, you read that right. Behemoth! boasts not one, not two, but nine composers that the film credits as “The Behemoth! Collective.” And these aren’t just any random assortment of musical prodigies either, but huge names in the industry lincluding Alan Silvestri, Michael Giacchino, and Henry Jackman, among others. One could argue that having nine total composers is a bit overkill, but in a movie that is essentially a love letter to how the music for all your favorite movies is made, having such a diverse array of sounds on hand really helps flesh out Alex’s world.
As Alex, Pedro Pascal gets a much-needed break from the Star Wars galaxy and the MCU to remind everyone just how good of an actor he really is. From a physicality standpoint, Pascal puts in the work to at least give the impression that he’s playing the cello — and even if experts of the instrument have some notes on how accurately he seems to play it, Pascal sells it well enough for those who would be none the wiser (i.e. me). Pascal also does an excellent job working with the film’s minimal dialogue and visual storytelling; we as an audience can always tell what he’s feeling when he’s feeling it, right before the film tells us why.
Where Behemoth! hits a few rogue chords is in its side characters — some are great companions in Alex’s journey, while others aren’t given a whole lot to do. The biggest examples of the latter are Olivia Wilde and Will Arnett‘s characters, both of whom take up a sizable amount of screentime and are pleasant enough to watch. However, it feels like the movie is slowly building up to something interesting happening with them, only for it to end with a gag that kind of feels like a waste of time.
‘Behemoth!’ Is a Beautiful, Entertaining Tribute to the Sound of the Movies
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While Behemoth!‘s supporting cast are the film’s biggest weakness, the musical strengths of Tony Gilroy’s latest film make it one of his best. Anybody who spends their work days listening to musical scores from their favorite films will find so much to love here, as it is essentially one giant love letter to film scoring and the profound, often overlooked impact it has on all your favorite movies. But it doesn’t just succeed as a tribute: Behemoth! is also just a damn good movie in its own right, with a fantastic central character, a bold and refreshing non-linear format, some great visual storytelling. and a refusal to talk down to its audience. It’s a near-pitch perfect entry in Tony Gilroy’s filmography.
Behemoth! screened at the 2026 Newport Beach Film Festival and will premiere in theaters on December 4, 2026.
Behemoth!
Bold, Intelligent, and Musically Wonderful
- Behemoth!’s non-linear approach to its narrative is a winning combination.
- One of Pedro Pascal’s best performances.
- Brilliant decisions made with the film’s music.
- Tony Gilroy employs many great visual storytelling tricks.
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