Stranglehold: Ashley Benson Robs Her Own Club
Motivated by the wants and needs of their new infant daughter, an Arkansas couple lured by financial hardship convinces themselves that the only way to improve their lot in life is to rob the club where the wife works in the 2026 crime comedy “Stranglehold.” Euphoric highs and desperate lows consume Bailey (Ashley Benson) and Tim (Jake Lacy), who, as an added complication to Tim’s post-Army adjustment and Bailey’s resentment for her financial and social reality, also sets in motion a chain of events that compounds the negative and adverse effects that crime has on society. As the “classic crime comedy” strategy of “Hubie Halloween” unfolds, a newly liberated Bailey sets off to make her plan a reality. Tim works to find creative ways to get away with the crime. However, in the process, they create a contrived situation for themselves and others that threatens to unravel. “Stranglehold” comes to VOD and digital platforms October 2, 2026 and has a 1 hour and 45 minute running time.
Once they realize the means to rob the club, they know they’re crossing a line. Reality television personality and actor, Clark Duke, explains the dilemma best when he says “Crime doesn’t pay” and “Just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should.” Finally, “Stranglehold” shifts gears to let Bailey take center stage and break the lore of “making your own luck” with her interpretation of stealing from the club.
For the segment of the audience searching for entertainment using “movierulz” terminology, the film will become available legally on VOD and digital platforms starting Oct. 2.

Jake Lacy Plays Bailey’s Army Veteran Husband
Jake Lacy plays Tim, Bailey’s partner and husband, in the robbery.
In the official synopsis, it’s mentioned that Tim is ex-military. It provides more context to the couple. It seems that Tim has a completely different experience and a different context than Bailey, and yet their plan seems to have little to no planning and execution.
Relationships in the movie seem to be the key focus.
Unlike other robbery movies where the protagonists are affluent people trying to be wealthy, Bailey and Tim are not that, and they aren’t portrayed as cunning to become wealthy. They are normal people, who are parents, and feel trapped by the circumstances in their life and feel despair for their kid’s future, and make an impulsive decision which blows up in their face.
The Handsome Family’s absurd yet poignant story focuses on this anxious financial situation, the turmoil in many people’s lives, and the choice they make to add chaos and destruction in their lives.
People may feel compassion for the choices they make, but the way they go about it becomes the chaos that disrupts their life and others.
Ashley Benson Heads Large Crime-Comedy Cast
Ashley Benson plays Bailey, and Jake Lacy plays Tim.
Justin Long plays Junior, and Ron Perlman plays Roger. Elle King, David Arquette, Chris Redd, Brian Posehn, Chandler Duke, and others make up the ensemble.
Judging by the size of the cast, the robbery puts Bailey and Tim in contact with even more people than they had anticipated.
Stranglehold wants to focus on what happens after people make one destructive, impulsive decision. The movie seems less interested in the construction of an intricate heist plan.
This gives supporting characters plenty of opportunities to complicate the situation.
The result, across current listings, is described as a combination of comedy, crime, action and thriller rather than a serious robbery drama.
Clark Duke directs and shares writing credits with his brother Chandler and Billington Garrett for Stranglehold.
This is Duke’s second feature film as a director following his 2020 crime film, Arkansas, in which he stars and directs Liam Hemsworth, Vince Vaughn and John Malkovich.
Stranglehold is also set in the Southern crime world, like Arkansas, but has a more comedic edge.
The Arkansas setting is important to the story because the filmmakers are interested in economic frustration and frustration with the lack of opportunity in a small Southern town as compared to the criminal world of a large city.
This disconnect makes the sudden windfall of money look attractive.
For people finding the film using terms such as movierulz 2025, it’s important to point out Stranglehold is released in 2026, so older or incorrect dates may appear online.
Bailey and Tim want to give their baby daughter a good Christmas and provide a better future. This makes their robbery have a strange kind of holiday spirit.
This sets up the contrast between what Bailey and Tim want and what is expected of them during the holiday season.
Social media shows Bailey what is expected of her.
People feel pressure to provide for their family during Christmas. Financial problems make it harder and sometimes feel impossible.
The robbery becomes their misguided plan to provide for their family.
Instead of improving their financial situation, the plan pulls them more into the criminal world.
This is why Stranglehold (the movie) becomes appropriate. Bailey and Tim believe they are taking control to improve their financial situation. In reality, they are making choices which limit their options.
Stranglehold arrives on digital October 2.
On October 2, 2026, Quiver Distribution will release Stranglehold to VOD and digital platforms.
According to Apple TV, Stranglehold is 1 hour and 45 minutes long. The main cast is said to be Ashley Benson, Jake Lacy, and Justin Long.
The movie starts out simple. Bailey and Tim are a struggling couple. They decide to rob Bailey’s place of work to improve their situation. They quickly learn that committing the crime is the easy part.
The movie is directed by Clark Duke and has a cast of Benson, Lacy, Long, Perlman and others. The movie shows the desperation of being in a negative financial situation and the crimes that people are willing to commit in the Southern United States.






