In the Company of Men is a 1997 independent drama film directed by Neil LaBute and starring Aaron Eckhart and Matt Malloy. The film follows two male executives, Chad and Howard, who plan to take revenge on the women who have wronged them by playing a cruel and heartless game of emotional manipulation. The two men travel to a new city on business and meet a deaf woman named Christine in the office they are working at. Howard is struggling emotionally after being dumped by his girlfriend, while Chad is a misogynist who enjoys manipulating women for his own amusement.
Chad convinces Howard to seduce Christine, gain her trust, and then purposefully break her heart to prove that women are ultimately weak and incapable of standing up for themselves. The two men take Christine out on dates and pretend to be interested in her, gaining her trust and affection. However, as they continue to play their game, their feelings start to become entangled with their cruel intentions, and Chad becomes more ruthless in his desire to hurt Christine.
Despite the film's controversial subject matter, In the Company of Men was well-received by critics and won several awards at film festivals. It has been widely praised for its raw, unflinching portrayal of toxic masculinity and misogyny in the workplace, and for its incisive commentary on the ways in which men use power to manipulate and dominate women.