Victim Review

Chris Evans and Anya Taylor-Joy star in this semi-comedic, surprisingly sorrowful Netflix film.

Isn't it nice when Netflix plays a good movie? Yes, the streaming crane publishes quality efforts from auteurs like Scorsese and Del Toro, but beyond that, it's an endless parade of star-studded, empty calories. Mostly paper-thin action-comedy movies with forgettable plots and absurd characters whose only strengths are the charm of the actors in them. At this point, Chris Evans is one of the many likable actors who has already made a number of these types of films for multiple broadcasters, so it's easy to assume that Sacrifice is another example. See, though, this one really looks like something with more laudable aspirations.

Here, Evans plays movie star Mike Tyler, who attends a climate charity event on a Greek island while trying to get back into the game after a public meltdown a year earlier. However, the event is interrupted by a cult-like group of radicals, led by Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy), who hold everyone hostage at gunpoint.

And then… things actually go quite differently than you'd expect from a Netflix movie with this set and these stars. Because it's easy to imagine a version of Sacrifice where Mike Evans has to rise to the occasion and use his movie-star training in the real world... for some half-hearted action-comedy hijinks.

But director and co-writer Roman Gavras and co-writer Will Arberry have something more cerebral in mind. So while there are comedic moments in the film, especially early on, the story really focuses on Mike as a wandering man - well aware of the executive nature of the rich, famous and powerful he's around - and what happens when he encounters a group of real, albeit admittedly violent, activists.

While there are comedic moments in the film, especially early on, the story really focuses on Mike Evans as a man on the move.

Mike is one of three stewards, along with billionaire Ben (Vincent Castle) and anchorwoman Katie (Ambica Mudd), who are chosen by Joan and her group for a supposed sacrifice to stop the impending end of the world in just two days. This mix of a doomsday prophet on a mission with a rich hostage scenario ends up sounding a bit like a beguiling mash-up of Sam Rockwell's Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die and another Anya Taylor-Joy flick, The Menu.

The journey that follows takes significant turns as Mike begins to woo the self-assured Joan and her absolute certainty about herself and her mission. And again, thankfully, Mike's premium star background isn't just used for a jokey approach that can be pointed out, but for something more introspective and thoughtful…

... well, more. Because there are still moments of deviant behavior in pop culture, mostly through some of the media attention the hostage story gets or Agent Mike, Oliver (Sam. Richardson). But as the story progresses, these more "sensational" scenes feel increasingly like a distracting, disconnected element that exists outside of the main story.

Independently produced—picked up by Netflix after its film festival screening—Sacrifice has a strong visual approach thanks to music video veteran Gavras and cinematographer Matthias Boucard. There are some great shots of the film's island setting, a nearby volcano, and Gavras is among the directors who realized that Taylor Joy's unique features, captured in a close-up (including directly to the camera), make for an exciting cinematic image in its own right, especially when the actress is playing a character as determined as Joan.

Sacrifice doesn't do all that it sets out to do, and despite strong work by Evans and Taylor-Joy, the characters are more archetypes than fleshed out. But they work well for what they are and portray two very different people on this strange and unexpected journey together.

Aside from the ill-timed comedic bits, the film is actually pretty weird and sad in an inviting way, with Gener8ion's atmospheric score and cool song choices like Leonard Cohen's "Who By Fire" (charli xcx, meanwhile, appears early in the charity event singing a song about the environment).

Castle has strong moments as the haughty Ben, while Yong Lin and Jade Krut both give the right attitude as Joan's like-minded siblings and partners. John Malkovich is a very good actor as Joan's father (Malkovich and Taylor Joy look right as father and daughter), though he feels underused. Salma Hayek-Pino has some fun early on as Ben's wife, though the character becomes somewhat forgettable as the film progresses.

Anything else (let us know in the comments!)

The Sacrifice is not as great as it sounds, but it comes admirably close with Sour's meditative look, in the midst of a hostage crisis, at the clash of two extremes—a self-righteous, showy charity by the corrupt rich versus the genuine zeal of those whose convictions seem whole. As the film goes on, the occasional send-ups of Hollywood and celebrity culture seem increasingly jarring, but ultimately, the film's strengths win out as its main characters have to look at who they really are in interesting ways.