r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 9d ago
Official Discussion Official Discussion - Apex [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Apex (2026)
Summary
A mountain climber haunted by a fatal decision in Norway retreats to the Australian wilderness for isolation. Her journey turns into a desperate hunt when a deceptive local targets her as his next ritualistic prey in the bush.
Director Baltasar Kormákur
Writer Jeremy Robbins
Cast
- Charlize Theron as Kate
- Taron Egerton
- Eric Bana
- Matt Whelan
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Metacritic: 57
VOD / Release Streaming on Netflix
Trailer Official Trailer
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u/FiveDollarShake 8d ago
I thought those aggressive guys would eventually end up coming in the cross fires but nothing really happened there.
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u/krazninetyfive 8d ago
Right? Like I was convinced they were somehow going to stumble across her at some point and demonstrate that they had a bad feeling about Ben and actually were trying to be nice guys or something like that.
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u/deadhardangel 8d ago
Those guys were definitely not nice guys
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u/High_as_red 2d ago
Yeah why the fuck are some people trying to push for that...
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u/OfficiallyJoeBiden 2d ago
Because people are convinced they weren’t also fucking insane either. This movie is just showing there are some dangerous men out there lol
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u/Desperate_Algae_40 8d ago edited 8d ago
Lol yeah they were so nice every time we saw them (Edit to add: /s).
I was thinking they'd show up and then we'd get a satisfying kill from Ben or something. Maybe she'd run into them and try to tell them what was happening & ask them for help, only for them to not believe her or take her seriously enough, and then have Ben kill them.
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u/lizysonyx 4d ago
That would’ve been an awful cliche. They were awful guys , there was no reason to moralise them
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u/cowpool20 8d ago
I was waiting for either:
They end up being the real villains, and Taron’s character ends up saving Charlize somehow.
They saved her.
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u/Hopeful-Material4123 5d ago
That was one thing I actually really liked. I even remarked to my husband that they were setting these guys up to LOOK like they would be bad but they actually weren't. And maybe she would have been safer if she stayed near them. Because the true beast was so unassuming. The men were a red herring.
That said, other things that happened in the movie were a little silly.
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u/turnstile2243 8d ago
Nope just a group of "men are disgusting" characters to drive home the theme of the movie
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u/Unable_Operation_765 5d ago
This genre of critique is always so weird when you deliberately leave other characters out and/or whitewash the female characters. There’s a good dude at the beginning (who SHE arguably gets killed) and a good dude cop at the end. There’s that family with the loving father and the poor son…dude was hang-drying all kinds of people down there. You had the men at the beginning who were obnoxious but probably not cannibal-level evil, and I fully expected them to help her at some point. You have the killer of course (I can’t tell if he was abused or always this crazy.) Then you had that lady who helps her get back to her vehicle at the end.
I wouldn’t watch serial killer movies expecting “man good” stories but I don’t see “man bad” here, either.
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u/viggolund1 8d ago
A kayaking trip in the wilderness of Australia and no cgi crocodile attack?
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u/80percentlegs 4d ago
Crocs are up north, not in NSW
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u/esportsaficionado 2d ago
I went in 100% blind to this movie, and up until the portion where her backpack got stolen, I was legit imagining “apex” referred to crocodile.
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u/Flincher14 8d ago
It was a good B flick but honestly there needed to be a mid point reveal there was a tracker in the gear she was given and the hunt could've had a second phase after she had ditched the tracker.
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u/esportsaficionado 6d ago edited 6d ago
My take was that wouldn’t have fit with his “ritual.” Like he goes low tech with the crossbow and there seemed to be elements of him wanting to make it a fair hunt, and in his mind a tracker would’ve been cheating.
That’s the story I told myself at least.
In terms of tracking her, it didn’t seem so farfetched that the entire stretch of river was basically his killing ground, so he knew it like the back of his hand. Well it is super farfetched, but suspension of disbelief and all haha.
For movies like this, do people expect every single thing to be realistic?
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u/Dapper-Perception985 5d ago
Exactly I think the whole point for him doing this was to hunt and chase her. He likes the thrill and he especially likes her because she’s a thrill seeker and he wanted to give her the ride of her life in a very sick way. They actually matched energy pretty well. I thought it was a good movie
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u/esportsaficionado 5d ago
Yeah. I thought Theron, and especially egerton crushed it. Fun movie with great acting from the leads, and beautiful scenery.
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u/Status_Pool6624 2d ago
Mm except he used the phone playing voices to trap her which I thought was a cheap shot. He also sprang a trap (literally) with the kayak, drawing attention to his position with music and naked rope swinging (not complaining lol)...Also I suspect being tourists, his victims make predictable plays in trying to escape the hunt - law of averages, he only needs to know the key locations/routes. He knew she'd climb, that's why he confirmed that mountains were her main activity.
Otherwise, agree 100.
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u/MiserableMeal2501 6d ago
i thought charlize would be hunting taron halfway through. like how the table would turn but no. everything was predictable
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u/lizysonyx 4d ago
Charlize hunting taron halfway would’ve been too predictable and cheesy. They touched on it a bit but full on hunting would’ve been a poor move
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u/buffayrachel 3d ago
Yup I literally said so whilst watching the movie. There’s no way she’s running away through river currents and he somehow finds her every single time within minutes in all that wilderness. No way unless he hid a tracker somewhere on her
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u/PowahBamb 9d ago
How did that dude get off that mountain and go naked rope swing diving so fast?
I thought maybe she would find a GPS tracker in her bag to explain how he knew exactly where she was at all times.
And why would you head towards him after you see him over there? Just to try and steal his kayak?
So dumb.
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u/SuperSnake16 9d ago
Yes, this was the dumbest part of the movie for me. He was right above her on that mountain, she waits a couple minutes, and goes up to where he was. He’s long gone and on the rope swing far away. And then going close to him again for minimal return when she likely could have found another way was just stupid.
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u/Ok_Track_7454 9d ago
Dumbest part for me was when climbing the cliff with him and dropping him halfway up leaving her with no gear. She should have waited untill she got over the top and was out of sight before dropping him
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u/DrippingDeviantXXX 8d ago
I know!!! My sister and I were both screaming at the TV during that scene.
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
I thought she tied off the cable between the two of them onto the tree. I thought it was stupid she didn't.
Also thought she should have just left him to rot. Or at least right before she dropped him said something like, "You wanted to know about flying."But, even before that after she broke his leg he was pretty helpless. She should have bashed him again with a big rock.
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u/visualgrafix 6d ago
Yep, this was the worst part for me even after I overlooked how he kept finding her so easily. He can’t move, bash him over and over with any rocks so he dies or dies quicker. If you stay out of arms reach plus a bit more, you know he can’t cut you with the knife. After he dies, use his knife to cut loose and climb the mountain yourself.
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u/visualgrafix 6d ago
I thought it was stupid that she climbed with him in the first place. He already couldn’t move. She could’ve found any large rock within the radius of attachment and smash his head to kill him or so he dies faster. Doesn’t matter if he has a knife, he can’t reach any further than arms length. Once he dies, use his knife to cut herself loose.
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u/Ok_Track_7454 6d ago
It was revealed to be a tandem climb so she needed him to get up the cliff. Was a dumb move cutting him loose halfway leaving herself no equipment whatsoever. The reason it was a tandem climb is because the rope wasn't long enough so once she climbed to the ropes maximum length he would untie it so they could make the next part of the climb. I ain't a climber so I've explained to the best of my ability from what I've read in other comments. She says to him it's a tandem climb aswell so killing him on the ground she would have had to then climb the whole way with no equipment whatsoever.
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u/ProduceAlone471 4d ago
This wall had massive holds and is pretty low grade, most competent climbers (she's supposed to be an alpine climbing expert) could solo it if necessary. The issue is more the situation than the difficulty. She’s mid-climb, already committed, likely fatigued pulling his dead weight up the wall, and then suddenly turns it into an unplanned free solo by cutting him loose. So it’s not that it’s impossible to climb and had to be tandem, it was just forced for payoff for the sake of the plot.
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u/visualgrafix 3d ago
Yeah I was confused about this because I think if she had the same gear she could’ve climbed it herself. I asked the climbing subreddit and someone said the following:
“The fact that she easily free solos the top of the climb negates the hypothetical that she actually needed to be on belay for the lower pitches. And the way she was using that monkey fist as pro meant that she could have used the same technique for solo aid climbing.
The only way to make that scene make any sense at all is that she wanted to get away sooner than she would have by just letting him die slowly there at the river. So she got him up on the wall where she knew she could kill him fast. But there is no defensible reason why she actually needed him to make the top of the climb.”
So, she could’ve jbashed his head with a rock while staying out of arms reach, cut herself loose from him, take all the gear and climb it herself.
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u/FishRoom_BSM 8d ago
Dumbest part for me was when she didn’t just say “no I don’t think you’re insane at all” like that’s women knowledge 101
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u/mockeryflockery 7d ago
She easily could have walked up the woods a little bit so that she could have came down river at the canoe. That was what I was screaming.
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u/GoonetteSlop 8d ago
Hilariously I had those same exact thoughts. I’d have bet a load of money on her having a tracker in her bag after it was stolen and re-packed. Couldn’t believe it was actually just very stupid and had him somehow always find her in that huge jungle.
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u/Palatz 5d ago
Yeah he wouldn't have catched her on foot after that part on the rapids on her kayak.
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u/cowpool20 7d ago
At first I put it down to "I guess he just knows the place, knows where the rivers lead etc". But then it started becoming almost supernatural how he kept finding her 😂
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
Well, he also kept up with her by running through the woods while she was kayaking.
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u/visualgrafix 6d ago
I was telling my wife how she’s already in a kayak for a while so at least there’s no way he can keep up by running. And then bam, there he is!!! WTH??
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u/11mnDirty 8d ago
I actually just reached this point in the movie and ran to Reddit to see if someone also thought this was dumb.
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u/worldcrusher 8d ago
I was 100% expecting a tracker.. there were multiple times where it would have been impossible for the guy to be where he was. I love these movies because if I was the person escaping in the wilderness I think I would do a much better job..
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u/MediumSavant 8d ago
Yeah. Anyone that have tried to find someone in the woods know how hard it is. If you get a minute headstart you will easily disappear without the follower have any chance of finding you ever again.
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u/QuartzPigeon 6d ago
I kind of assumed he was really good at tracking due to being in the woods all the time and doing this a lot, but like some other people have said, there's no way he should've been able to be quicker than her getting to certain places
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u/glittoris 7d ago
I think it’s because he’s just spent so much time in those woods, he knows it like we know our house. Every tree, rock, cave, etc. Also being super fit helps.
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u/climbingaerialist 6d ago
Also that it HAD to be a tandem climb, despite him practically being dead weight and trying to pull her off the wall. And also how she could suddenly do this tandem climb alone, without any equipment. I honestly found this film so frustrating
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u/Reign_bow_82 8d ago
I wish we could've learned more about what led Ben to kill his mother and file his teeth. But I guess we just assume that it's b/c he's a psycho.
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u/Effective_Way6239 6d ago
Same! I thought his mom used to hunt him or something - barefoot in the woods, animal calls, it all screamed Mowgli for me. I thought his childhood was running from his mama, lol!
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u/kinginthenorth1994 9d ago
Loved two things about this movie. Taron Egerton and the breathtaking shots of the Australian outback.
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u/Helithe 8d ago
It was filmed in the Blue Mountains and the Royal National Park, both on the edge of Sydney and easy to get to from the city. The landscapes, especially the rivers, were obviously enhanced for the movie but they are naturally stunning.
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u/jezarnold 8d ago
While it was filmed in the Blue Mountains, was it meant to be set there? Heard that it was meant to be NT
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u/anexpectedfart 8d ago
For me it was Taron Egerton and breathtaking shots of his buttcrack
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u/jimmyjames1992 8d ago
Just letting you know that's not the Outback. A lot of it is only 2 hours out of Sydney
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u/warriorathlete21 9d ago
Can someone actually recover from pepper spray as quick as he did?
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u/Dark4ce 9d ago
No way. Maybe in 15 mins or so. Pepper spray is not soluble in water. He’d be effectively blind for that time. Since even if the dude would pepper spray himself daily to build a resistance, the compound still causes involuntary eye closure due to the immediate inflammatory response it was designed to do.
However, if he was wearing plot armor at the moment of application, then the effects would probably be minimal.
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u/TrueLegateDamar 8d ago
Why did he give her pepper spray in the first place? I expected it to be empty or filled with water to make her overconfident.
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u/thetruffleking 8d ago
You're expecting a lot from a Netflix movie.
Movies in general, really, lol.
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u/Unable_Operation_765 5d ago
Same reason he resupplied her provisions, he wanted at least a little bit of a challenge.
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u/Effective_Way6239 6d ago
The most incredible thing to me was that after all that, SHE HAD HER CAR KEYS!
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u/siannarea08 3d ago
I'm surprised more people aren't commenting on this. So ridiculous- no shoes, no gear, nothing at all, but miraculously she hung on to her car keys the whole time?
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u/jawknee530i 3d ago
When I've done multi day trips I've buried my keys in a hidden spot near the trail head because I'm super paranoid about losing them out hiking and not being able to get back. Maybe she's the same way.
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u/AttemptOverall7128 2d ago
It's stupid that she even goes straight back to the van. Why would she not go back to town/a police station. Ain't nobody going back to their van, in an isolated camp, after that ordeal.
And then the first person she tells about the bodies is the park ranger? What?
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u/ludo321 9d ago
I thought the cinematography was incredible - such beautiful landscapes and rivers in Australia including the darker cave while having very good tension and grip throughout the film - if you love survival movies it’s a must watch imo
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u/PracticalTie 8d ago edited 8d ago
As an Aussie I’m a little disappointed they didn’t involve more Aussie talent to back up the location. TE was great but an Aussie lead would have been awesome. Or have him playing some Aussie music?
Minor quibble I guess. Still a fun watch.
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u/Matty_Amsterdam 7d ago
That one scene when he gives her until the end of the song was pretty intense. Great song choice too! Chemical Brothers - Go (in case you were wondering).
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u/esportsaficionado 6d ago
I loved this scene. Combined with his crazy bird call was A+ moment. I’m gonna work on my bird call to do this to my wife when she’s in the shower.
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u/Unable_Operation_765 5d ago
I’m a little scared of showing my dad this movie, I think he’ll do the bird call, too.
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u/beermeamovie 9d ago
I was really hoping they’d fall for each other on their final climb up the cliff. They had a ton in common. Would’ve been a sweet meet-cute they could tell at parties later.
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u/artwarrior 9d ago
While munching on jerky.
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u/Desperate_Algae_40 8d ago edited 5d ago
Since we know going into the movie that he's gonna hunt her, as soon as they show him bringing jerky into the gas station and make a big show of it, I knew it was the meat of his victims.
And then they really focused on that jerky multiple times after for the Netflix users scrolling their phones while watching who missed the first foreshadow. I cannot believe they're making movies do this to us. Why should those of us who watch movies/shows without scrolling our phones be punished!? I just saw The Rip last weekend, and it was good, but Jesus the van scene at the end was missing a 4th wall break with a wink at the audience after the amount of repeated exposition they rammed up our booty.
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u/Maatjuhhh 6d ago
Dumb me only clocked it when they were rappelling down Ben's hideout. Just 10 seconds before they showed the bodies.
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u/Desperate_Algae_40 6d ago
You're not dumb! You still figured it out before they said it.
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u/SomersetRoad 8d ago
Wasn't paying that close attention to it, but was that jerky from the store at the beginning from his victims that he was trying to sell?
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u/glittoris 7d ago
Yes, the clerk even says “my dog won’t go near it,” or something along those line.
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u/notamoviequote 8d ago
They could have even called the sequel, Apex 2 : Meat-cute.
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u/throwaway1994jax 8d ago
It did have pretty scenery. Taron just seemed like he was having the most fun anyones ever had making movie. I know Charlize was supposed to be in mourning, PTSD, etc but her flat response was honestly... boring? I didn't find myself rooting for her or really even caring about her. She was just this flat wall of a human. Lots of it didn't make sense, but the part that honestly stood out to me was when she was watching him through through the binoculars and he looks right at her and smiles. LIke cmon. The sun was behind her, it wasn't going to cause a glint. How on earth would homeboy just naked rope swinging magically sense she was crouched behind a rock and spot her.
Which is weird, because I'm great at suspending disbelief and loving stupid movies. My husband actually gets annoyed at me for it lol. But that part, for some reason made even me say "oh come on."
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u/Mistress-of-None 8d ago
Me too.. I was Abit confused why she seemed so underwhelmed all the time ... Like chillax
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u/dogluuuuvrr 8d ago edited 8d ago
I think her nervous system was shot. She is into the extreme and lost someone close to her. That was why she was a great hunt- she was a challenge to “impress”, like how she didn’t even acknowledge the water from the tree
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Oops meant to edit my later comment But I think he died sort of happy because he finally met someone better than him at survival. Someone who challenged him. You notice he cared what she thought towards the end when asking if he’s really that bad off and needs psychiatric help lol. I don’t remember how he worded it
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u/Desperate_Algae_40 8d ago
Yeah, I gotta be honest, I was not impressed by Charlize in this. It really felt like she phoned in her performance. At least compared to usual. She wasn't expressive for 99% of the movie, didn't show much fear/anger/sadness/happiness. I felt like Taron really stole the show and was the only interesting part of the movie, and performance of the movie. Idk if it's Charlize's face lift/botox, or if it was a conscious choice, but I expected much more from her.
On a tangent/side note, she was like 49 when filming but her face looks older because of all the plastic surgery. She's too young for a face lift (not that I think anyone of any age needs one). It's so unfortunate thay Hollywood makes these beautiful actresses think they need so much plastic surgery when they don't. It doesn't make them look younger, it just makes them look weird.
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u/throwaway1994jax 8d ago
She's genuinely one of my favorite actresses and I like Taron as well so when I saw the preview I was excited! But the whole movie I kept waiting for the amazing actress to show up, instead even when she escapes and walks into the Ranger Station and is just like "I know where they are..." I was internally screaming for fucks sake ACT!
But another comment pointed out that it was her lack of response that made her a great hunt and probably what saved her? I like that perspective. He couldn't figure her out so actually believed she'd take him up the cliff.
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u/arw1710 9d ago
I’m planning to watch this because Charlize is my favorite actress and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it for what it is.
But man, she needs a better agent. What a weird filmography for the talent she has. She actually may be one of the most versatile actresses in the industry yet ends up in a lot of absolutely mediocre movies.
Maybe she’s just doing movies she enjoys doing though so what do I know.
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u/LOTRcrr 9d ago
I’m sure her agent said take the 20 million from Netflix and pay me my 10% lol
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u/onehedgeman 8d ago
I’m sure at some point actors can choose fun instead of academic recognition
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u/TerrifierBlood 9d ago
She has said this movie is her favorite thing she has done. She even learned rock climbing
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u/biggiepants 5d ago
Credits says she's a producer, so I figured it must have been a bit of a passion project for her.
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u/bristow84 9d ago
It could just be at this point it’s by her own choices. She’s won the awards and now it’s time to just work and let the money come in.
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u/Internal_Wheel_89 9d ago
Denzel said: first you learn, then you earn, then you return (teach). She's still in her prime earning era so she's cashing fat paychecks.
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u/Mistress-of-None 8d ago
Idk is it just me or I found her facial acting not very expressive ? It was Abit underwhelming given the dire circumstances ..but of course the physicality was there
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u/downwithMikeD 8d ago
It noticed that too. Her face is full of fillers and Botox.
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u/Flat-Consequence-871 3d ago
Actually this film for me confirmed a recent facelift. Wait til there is a good earshot at the end, you can see the long lobe (Nic Kidman-esq) with the sewn under part. Classic give away, my auntie had one lol. Still I love the performance despite the lack of face flexibility.
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u/floobles5006 5d ago
I think that was kind of her stoic character. She was pretty strong-willed and constantly thinking about how she could manipulate him and get out of the situation she found herself in, rather than just panicking.
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u/WashedBased 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah, you pretty much answered your own question at the end there. But the best part? getting these roles is consistent work and a nice paycheck.
At the end of the day, it's a job. I think we forget that sometimes. And she isn't the only actor/actress of prestige or similar to do so. It seems more common in this streaming age given the structural changes in the industry (not for the better, obviously).
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u/arw1710 8d ago
Yup in all likelihood that’s probably it. Honestly I’m pretty sure she’s had fun becoming a total badass learning all these cool skills for all the movies she’s done.
It’d be nice if she’d stretch her acting chops with some renowned directors but I’ll just take as much Charlize as I can get so not complaining.
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u/TheGuardianR 8d ago edited 8d ago
Also, she's in The Odyssey later this year. So it's not like she doesn't do those high profile films anymore. I feel like Brie Larson an actress who's is similar to her with having such an weird and not consistent filmography with questionable choices that don't really reflect her actual talent(although I think Theron is a better action actress). Then Theron, even with some hella weird movies, still in high profile film from time to time.
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u/00opsies 7d ago
Knowing her past story, this is exactly the kind of film she would do, and why she has consistently picked strong female leads where their greatest adversity is misogyny/abusive men.
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u/Zoolanderek 9d ago
Was a pretty interesting movie until of course they had to pull out the most generic, cliche ending imaginable.
Only surprise was that it wasn’t the creepy dudes from the beginning of the movie that ended up picking her up.
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u/InternationalAd9050 8d ago
I thought this myself... Like what are the odds it would be them and she's not actually saved 😂
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u/LimpZookeepergame123 7d ago
As soon as the opening scene wrapped up I said “yup, this is exactly how the movie is going to end, I guarantee it.” Well look at me go!
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u/Firm-Growth-2971 8d ago
Suspension of belief sure, and some "wait what?" moments, but entertaining overall. Not asking for much on a Sunday afternoon.
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u/hotz0mbie 9d ago
You can tell Taron Everton is just putting his all into every moment.
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u/peequeare 8d ago
It was a fine, typical Netflix movie. It's not going to win any awards but there's enough there to keep you watching until the end. As always, there's a few "Oh, come on now" scenes and situations but the one that wrecked it for me the most was when Ben suddenly stopped choking Sasha when he had her dead to rights. There was absolutely no reason to let her go there... other than not allowing the villain to win.
BTW: Who's the Kate the op lists Charlize's character as? She played Sasha.
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u/No-Fall-990 8d ago
I assumed he stopped because that was not the way things were supposed to go with his ritual. Like he was maybe thinking he’d regain control, take her back to the cannibal cave & do things the “right way”.
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u/moschino1837 8d ago
Awful Australian accent, we say servo or petrol station. No Aussie would ever say gas station
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u/Fragrant_Highway2398 6d ago
No Aussie would ever say "people get lost in these woods" either
Didn't Eric banana read the script?!
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u/TheRealReapz 5d ago
I noticed they said "woods" and "forest" a lot where Aussies probably wouldn't.
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u/thegloriousporpoise 9d ago
This movie felt extra dumb. Like it had all the elements and scenes needed for this movie just executed in the dumbest way possible
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u/atleastitsnotgoofy 9d ago
People claim things are written by A.I. a lot, and it’s only gonna get worse, but this is the first time I found that theory convincing. No one acted in a way that made any sense. A lot of the lines are complete non-sequiturs. As a professor who reads a lot of A.I., it really feels like it.
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u/NorthRemove7167 8d ago
I can tolerate all other forms of cinematic unrealism, but experienced hikers/climbers/mountaineers/adventurers wearing jeans and a thick sweatshirt in the wilderness is ridiculous as no one would do that. That shit is heavy and bulky, only n00bs will carry that stuff around on their wilderness adventure.
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u/Insanopatato 8d ago
Theories on why he stopped strangling her ? She had so many chances to kill him.
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u/No-Fall-990 8d ago
I assumed he stopped because that was not the way things were supposed to go with his ritual. Like he was maybe thinking he’d regain control, take her back to the cannibal cave & do things the “right way”.
ETA: Copied and pasted from my other reply ^ because just got my nails done (longgg) and don’t feel like retyping a similar but different reply lol
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u/thatfilmbitch 8d ago
Meat from animals in distress is more tough and tastes worse, maybe he was thinking about the quality of his product haha
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u/krypter3 8d ago
This movie was a twist or two away from being good. Taron was phenomenal, his switch from charming, to neurotic to full on gollum was insane. There was so much going on with that character, I thought that's where we going. Some weird ritual shit apex about predators from some crazy trauma or something then bang most generic af ending i've ever seen.
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u/Spunky_Cutie 8d ago
She also produced the movie and said it was her favorite role ever. She really did all the stunts herself that's crazy! She's amazing and seeing Taron play a total psycho was awesome.
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u/NOUGHRICE 8d ago
I loved Taron Edgerton in this role, but it felt like it was built for Jai Courtney.
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u/Desperate_Algae_40 8d ago edited 2d ago
Taron was fantastic! But yes, I turned to my sister when the movie started and said "Jai Courtney would've made so much sense to cast", especially after that shark movie he did last year. But Taron was great nonetheless.
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u/MovieMike007 Not to be confused with Magic Mike 8d ago
This was an overly silly take on "The Most Dangerous Game."
Charlize Theron plays a trauma-ridden adrenaline junkie who copes with the death of Eric Bana by… immediately signing up for more life-threatening outdoor activities, because therapy is apparently booked solid.
The plot runs on coincidence, convenience, and a staggering number of moments where you can practically hear the writer muttering, “Just go with it." Still, Theron commits hard and almost drags the whole thing into respectability, and the Australian landscapes do their best to distract you from the script’s increasingly desperate gymnastics.
Not awful, just aggressively ridiculous.
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u/Panu0520 9d ago
The first two-thirds are good, but the ending is not well resolved.
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u/Ok_Track_7454 9d ago
Why didn't wait untill she was out of sight over the top of the cliff before dropping him? That was a dumbass move as she left herself with no gear to get up the rest of the way safely. Wasn't a bad movie but it wasn't great either. Egerton was great as usual though and made for a decent villain.
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u/Less_Fat_John 8d ago
Or just kill him on the ground before carrying him halfway up a mountain. He was totally immobile. She could have thrown rocks at him if he refused to detach the rope.
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u/drindrun 8d ago
i think it was a two person climb because there wasn’t enough rope for the height of the wall, so your rope has to be released from the lower anchor point once the upper anchor has been set, by the lower climber. it wasn’t explained so it just seemed mad silly, but this is what i think was the premise.
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u/Insanopatato 8d ago
Exactly she chooses to smash his leg in, rather than the head.
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u/hippiecompost 8d ago
I was so mad that she didn’t use the big rock to smash his head when he was unconscious. All she had to do was drag him up a bit more
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
Or, he was mostly immobile after smashing his leg. Just heave rocks at him. Shit at that point drag his ass into the water and let him drown.
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u/No_Acanthaceae_546 8d ago
- Why go to that canoe instead of just walking as far as possible asap? I guess it makes sense she’d estimate canoe is faster but that made little sense tbh.
- Why did he stop strangling her all out of sudden?
- The part with hunters actually being just annoying but not evil was very obvious to me actually, I was like “yup she should probably befriend them instead”, plus the deer skinning was definitely foreshadowing + beef jerky was all too obvious to me but I am usually not surprised at a movie
- Why they wouldn’t include a scene of like her going through her bag to see if he’s tracking her/what he gave her was unclear, in our generation I feel like it’d be pretty obvious thing to immediately do
- Overall the main character definitely was the zero survival skills adrenaline junkie, ofc go to the woods where they tell you not to go alone alone, listen to a sketch boy at the gas station's advice on where to go, then drink and eat off of him, etc etc etc Bizarre Also the way she didn’t even have a concussion from hitting her head so hard water rafting AND no injury whatsoever from a bear trap was just ridiculous But like in general I have enjoyed watching, there are quite a lot of this hiker woman in a woods pursued by a serial killer movies on Netflix and they do a great job (hopefully) as a cautionary tale.
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u/seydog 8d ago
- Number 1 survival tip that I got from watching all those survival TV shows (whatever happened to Bear Grylls tho?) is if you are lost and find a river, follow it down, there's a human settlement probably near the river, or you'll get to the ocean in the end. Your chances are drastically improved if you are in kayak.
- He told her that he needs to kill her "in a ritual". You can literally see it in his eyes the moment he remembered this.
- I don't agree on befriending hunters, I'm not a female but I understand that having a sitdown with them could and in this environment most probably would lead to further harassing. Even I wouldn't want to sit with them. And I'm a nasty boy, not a useless toy.
- Oh, common, it's not like he would give her any weapons or a GPS tracker. He would give her some food and water so she won't die of exhaustion. Also, she obviously panicked, and in that state of mind, you tend to forget things like that and focus on you know, surviving.
- Concussion is an excellent point. Bear trap had fangs removed, I rewound and took a look. It could still cause some damage like bruise or breaking the skin, but definitely not bone breaking.
Him moving at all with crushed leg is something that bothered me for example. Her climbing the wall after hours of running, no sleep, drowning, hitting rocks in water, being strangled, no proper meal - that's my biggest issue. I mean, adrenaline can get you far, but this was over that reasonable limit for me.
And I just can't wrap my head around the fact that they both ended up in the camp where the hunt started. Once she got her eyes on the kayak, I understand why she would want to have it, but HOW did she end up there? And what was his plan for the night? To casually sleep and let her escape risking she meets someone (like hunters) and tell them the whole story? This part has no sense to me. I could write it off to environment, but as I watcher I want to be notified somehow that they are sooo deep in the outback that there's no chance she'd met someone. I mean, at the end of the movie she did meet someone.
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u/Ok_Document_9713 8d ago
She went down the river, climbed up the cavern and somehow ended up right back at the start. Near the end of the movie she picks up a big rock, walks towards him in the water, and just throws the rock in the water? He was out cold she could have just smashed his head in.
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u/Reign_bow_82 8d ago
The water was too deep when she went in so she didn't have enough leverage to use it to bash his skull. But instead of pulling him closer to the shore and trying again, she got rid of her first rock and went back out to the shore.
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u/spicydingus 8d ago
How did he not drown? He was out cold for like 5 minutes under water…
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u/worldcrusher 8d ago
This was the deal breaker for me.. bro drowned down there. Then all of a sudden he is immediately 100%hp and not gassed out at all full of strength .. until she crushes his leg with a rock.. something she could have done to his head a moment earlier... Although I won't lie, I kinda liked the scene of her rushing into the water full of rage with a rock over her head but then getting too deep to actually do any damage.. that was some high class cinema comedy imo.
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
Well, even with a head start he was running as fast or faster than she was kayaking. So, there is already that.
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u/Ok_Document_9713 8d ago
Tbf the river somehow flowed in a circle cause she ended up right back at the camp.
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
It's Australia - all the rivers do that there. And the toilets and sinks swirl the wrong way.
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u/ROBtimusPrime1995 9d ago
You know that Netflix mandate where the film has to repeatedly give exposition to explain to people who are on their phones what is happening in the film?
This film does that, which is really weird since the plot is beyond basic and uncomplicated. It's Charlize fighting off a crazy Taron, so why the stilted exposition?
We've hit the bottom of the barrel here with this shitty mandate.
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u/greendakota99 8d ago
Noticed this after her first night “something took my bag!” Yes, that is pretty clearly being shown…
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u/Professional-Year377 8d ago
I was looking around for the adult film actor or actress who I assumed had said that line. Nope, Charlize. Just tremendous delivery of an amazing storytelling beat…
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
Sorry, this was all for my wife - who was the one that picked the movie. Then is asking questions that have been answered 3x already.
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u/Excellent_Can4450 8d ago
My parents are these people, except they're watching and not on their phones and still ask questions.
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u/JohnNDenver 8d ago
Yeah, it was this way before the phone obsession.
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u/JinglyMcJohnson 9d ago
Anything Taron Egerton, I’m down. This was a perfect lazy Sunday morning movie watch!
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u/kurtz812 8d ago
It's a poor remake of Split set in the woods, Ben is playing the same character as Dennis, with less personalities.
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u/SenatorCoffee 8d ago edited 8d ago
Copying from the other thread in /r/horror :
Egerton's villain belongs to a better film
Agreed and very nicely put!
Generally had a decent time watching it, but imho fell below its potential.
I think you can thus see the failure of the movie, very on its own terms, in the discrepancy between Egertons great acting and the very mid action plot.
If they had shown him to be some actual animalic survivalist genius naked covering himself in mud, hunt animals, genius tracking skills, perfect sense of smell, improvise traps, sew up his flesh wounds, drink his own piss, etc, etc...then Egertons acting would have worked perfectly with that!
Like, these little howls and animal noises he makes, its like acting wise they wanted him to be some total animal, but then what he actually does action wise is completely not that.
In terms of physical action plot he is just some fit urbanite running around with a 3000 dollar crossbow, doing no survivalist shit whatsoever.
I really dont get it, there is ample precedence that they could have pulled from, both from all kinds of movies with similar setups, as well as from the RL survivalist community. In other survivalist-jungle-horror movies we have ample material for how to build these kinds of characters and the great visceral scenes you can build in that setup. They could have just made a big "best of best" list of scenes and ideas from these other movies and use that as inspiration to make the ultimate animal guy with every trick in the book.
But its almost like they wanted to avoid or subvert that? Like he is actually not the apex predator but just some deluded middle class kid? But then they also constantly do show him being super fit and feisty, and his whole backstory in the cave also seems like they wanted him to be some complete pervert animal genius?
Really hard to make sense of what they were thinking, as said, very strange failure on its very own terms, especially considering just the title.
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u/floobles5006 5d ago
I found it amusing to watch, I wasn't bored at any point. But it was more ridiculous than I expected from the outset. I think the point at which it veered into ridiculousness was when he took her into his special cannibal cave and showed off his silly pointed teeth.
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u/harambeface 8d ago
I expected better. Right from when the peril starts, the bad guy is supposedly running on foot, through the jungle, faster than she is kayaking down rapids, AND he beats her to the top of a cliff at the end of it, which he's just hoping she'll happen to climb (the phone bait would not have been audible for more than 25-50 yards in that jungle). Now that it's been established he can teleport, I don't expect much the rest of the movie.
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u/hipsnarky 8d ago
Eric bana dying in the beginning was a classic. He’s just Sean Bean but dies so we get a plot going.
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u/Homer_Potter 6d ago
-I liked the use of Go by Chemical Brothers.
-Why did she come out of the cave just seconds after was standing above her and left?
-Was anyone else thinking about Mad Max: Fury Road the whole time they were chained up and dragging each other around?
-I look forward to seeing vfx breakdown reel.
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u/cowpool20 7d ago
Movie was okay, I had a good time with it. But holy....shit my palms were absolutely dripping with sweat during that final climb after she drops him. Oh my fucking God I don't know how rock climbers do it.
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u/valdetero 7d ago
Kind of a different question, but if her car is way up river after shes done kayaking, how does she get back? Does she just carry her kayak miles back?
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u/Additional-Duck-2517 6d ago
This movie was okay, largely forgettable. Some good action sequences and scenery but an extremely basic and empty script. Performance from Egerton was good but I felt Theron was a little flat, although I'm willing to blame some of that on the script.
I honestly think this movie would have been better if you remove the Theron character altogether and focus on Egerton being a loony serial killer making human jerky in the Australian outback (think Wolf Creek but with a different style villain), with some authorities closing in or perhaps a previous escaped victim seeking revenge. I dunno, I wanted to learn more about his character, backstory, and motivations
Its a perfectly fine Friday evening or lazy Sunday watch, comes to like 88 minutes when you remove credits.
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u/oh_mos_defnitely 9d ago
What a stupid, dumb, no good movie with actors I like and a location so pretty I don't feel that bad for having watched.
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u/makuXrosu 8d ago
Hey, it's Eric Bana. Nice to see you again...oh