The Sunday Mail
Film Review
Tinashe Kusema
THE complexities of Netflix’s latest offering, “Sweet Girl”, are a bit difficult to capture.
However, an old saying — “even a trip to the bank can be exciting if you wear a ski mask” — by one of television’s beloved characters, Rose Nylund, played by the incomparable Betty White in the 90s show “Golden Girls”, quickly came to mind as I watched the movie.
Much like the said quote and Rose’s character, the movie is a somewhat flawed and cliché-ridden thriller.
It is only saved from mediocrity by a well-crafted twist at the end.
Strong performances from its leads, Jason Momoa and Isabela Merced, also come in handy in some instances.
Momoa, in particular, gives one of his strongest performances to date and flips the script on how big action guys should act.
He stars as Ray Cooper living a simple life with his wife Amanda (Adria Arjona) and daughter Rachel (Merced) in the countryside of Pittsburgh.
But, their lives are turned upside-down when the lady of the house is diagnosed with cancer.
Her only hope is an experimental drug manufactured by a pharmaceutical company known as BioPrime.
In an effort to maximise their profits, the company then takes the drug off the market, condemning Amanda Cooper to a slow and painful death in the process.
The company’s chief executive officer, Simon Keely (Justin Batha), then gets on television in an effort to justify their move.
However, it turns out to be a bad decision.
To cut the long story short, threats are made, Amanda Cooper dies and then Ray sets out to get justice for his dead wife.
It’s all very basic!
But, the film’s saving grace occurs when signs of a deeper conspiracy start emerging with every kill.
This development then sees the Coopers’, Ray and his daughter, go from the hunter to the hunted.
The movie has a twist in the mould of “Fight Club” and “The Sixth Sense” that were released in 1999.
Ok, comparing this new movie with aforesaid classics would be a bit of an exaggeration, but it comes close.
What makes this particular twist so special and unique is that writers Philip Eisner and Gregg Hurwitz do an excellent job in hiding it in plain sight.
Clues, both obvious and subtle, are littered throughout the film, with the duo of Momoa and Merced trying their best in telling the story.
Admittedly, I have been hard on the Hawaii-born actor in the past, coming just short of calling him a carbon copy of Dwayne “The Rock’ Johnson.
He was not in “Game of Thrones” long enough to make a lasting impression, and his take on Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, is uninspiring.
However, here he does an excellent job of immersing himself in the material and telling a good but simple story.
I almost got moved when the guy broke down after his wife succumbed to cancer.
Merced also carries her weight, and I was left in awe at how well she goes from an innocent teenager to a brave little soldier upon the death of her mother.
Special mention should also go to Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.
He is believable as the hitman Santos.
