A group of Miami cops discovers a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust as outsiders learn about the seizure, making them question who to rely on.
The Rip is directed by Joe Carnahan director of Smokin’ Aces (2006), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Stretch (2014), Boss Level (2020), Copshop (2021), Shadow Force (2025) and a few others.
The Rip is yet another January Netflix original film that isn’t bad (the first being People We Meet On Vacation), while that’s not exactly high praise and admittedly is the bare minimum. A lot of Netflix original January films would wish they are at least middle of the road. There’s a decent amount to like about The Rip from the cast to the action scenes which brings a decent enough experience to fans of the genre.
The main reason why The Rip works is mainly due to the cast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are undeniably a great duo who work incredibly well together, their dialogue bounces off of each other naturally and the two are already great actors which does help make the material of The Rip a bit more interesting. Teyana Taylor and Sasha Calle also get some great moments here, even if they sometimes feel a bit underutilized in certain sections of the film.
The writing for the most part is decent, the first two acts help establish the film’s atmosphere in surprisingly great detail. The atmosphere is thrilling enough due to the writing and gives these characters some sort of alert to check their surroundings, it’s not a case where everything feels like it’s safe. There’s a few moments in particular that are decently tense thanks to this. With that being said, the writing does drop the ball during the film’s final act. The tension that was built up filters away in a very predictable and empty conclusion that really does feel like the writers couldn’t think of way to close the story. It’s unfortunate because there was some genuine intrigue going on here prior to the incredibly empty final act.
The action scenes are solid, they are not anything groundbreaking and won’t change the landscape of the action thriller genre. But due to the film’s atmosphere the scenes work decently enough, especially when you combine them with the settings which the movie does a pretty good job of incorporating them into the mix. The cinematography is also shockingly really solid, cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz captures some beautiful shots here that add to the overall detail of the movie even if they are little moments.
Overall The Rip is a serviceable action thriller that despite having struggles to close out the film, does just enough to stick the landing and give something that fans of the action thriller genre will have a decent time with.
Hoping for a fresh start, a young woman becomes a live-in maid for a wealthy couple who harbour sinister secrets.
The Housemaid is directed by Paul Fig director of Bridesmaids (2011), The Heat (2013), Spy (2015), A Simple Favor (2018), Jackpot (2024), Another Simple Favor (2025) and a few others.
Well it’s very clear to see which of the two Paul Fig films released in 2025 is the better one. After the disappointing Another Simple Favor I figured Paul Fig was going to bounce back with The Housemaid and that was most certainly the case. This is a film that lives in it’s own little world, it knows it has incredibly silly atmosphere that’s reminiscent of those LifeTime channel movies and it’s unapologetic about it which ends up making the film work in the long run.
What makes The Housemaid works as well as it does is the performances. Particularly Amanda Seyfried who leans into Nina Winchester’s unsettling energy that goes into this glorious over the top feel along with this unnerving feel and with a nice mix of entertainment. We can see different parts of Nina’s mind just spill out in different scenes and that’s masterfully captured by Amanda Seyfried who truly brings it home especially during a few particular moments that shoot the film’s bizarreness level up so many notches.
Sydney Sweeney has some solid moments as well, while not every single moment of her performance is great. She is able to squeeze in some great lines and keep her character Millie interesting to the viewer, the interactions between her and Seyfried are some of the film’s best moments which makes the first half of the film quite entertaining and thrilling. Brandon Sklenar is fine enough, he’s by far the film’s weakest performance and his character is unfortunately not incredibly interesting. He does admittedly have some decent moments during the film’s last bit however which I guess does make up for it.
As I said before, the film lives in its own little world and the same can be said about the writing. The writing establishes this thrilling yet silly atmosphere that completely works due to Paul Fig’s direction and his familiarity with blending these genres together, even if I’m not a huge fan of every single one of Fig’s films something I always do appreciate about him is that he likes to experiment. He likes to see what he can put the comedy genre in and make it work, that’s the case here. The film also has the theme of domestic abuse that it explores, which is mainly done through Nina, as entertaining as Seyfried’s performance is there’s also this bit of sadness to her performance that is quite effective when the second half of the film rolls around. It catches the viewer off guard and really delivers in the end.
Overall The Housemaid is an effective thriller that captures a lot of the campy nature of films similar to it while also bringing in some strong atmosphere, well written dialogue and some strong performances especially from Amanda Seyfried.
When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.
One Battle After Another is directed by Paul Thomas Anderson director of Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2007), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Phantom Thread (2017) and Licorice Pizza (2021).
Paul Thomas Anderson continues to show why he is a master at his craft with One Battle After Another, a film that right out the gate immediately hooks the viewer into the film with its suspenseful and rich atmosphere, its sneaky score that creeps on you and its characters who truly make the film’s world feel complete. The beginning moments of the film start off with such a high note that the film keeps that note high as we get deeper and deeper into the film, which ultimately leads to a truly thrilling and powerful experience.
The performances are all fantastic here, each of the cast are able to bring something to the table that makes the film shine incredibly brightly. Especially when it comes to how perfectly the cast bounces off of each other when it comes to the dialogue. We get louder moments, we get humorous moments and we get a ton of quiet moments that are filled to the brim with tension.
Leonardo DiCaprio turns in a phenomenal performance, he plays Pat Calhoun/Bob Ferguson a member of the French 75. DiCaprio does a phenomenal job of playing this washed-up former member of this revolutionary group while also trying to be the best father he can be for Willa Ferguson (played by Chase Infinti), there are tons of wonderful moments between the two that are truly powerful. DiCaprio already being a phenomenal actor especially helps, because a role like Bob Ferguson is a bit demanding. There is this balance of humorous and suspense that needs to be captured in order to fully work and luckily that is the case for DiCaprio, underneath more humorous moments there’s a bit of pain that Bob displays and it’s noticeable to the viewer throughout the film. This is a very different performance from DiCaprio’s last couple of roles and he absolutely nails it.
Although Teyana Taylor sort of disappears from the film during the second half, her presence and what her character Perfidia does to help set up the film is felt throughout the experience. Teyana Taylor gives a powerhouse performance that instantly brings the viewer into the film’s world. The body language and her dialogue during the film’s intimidating moments with Steven J. Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn) shows another example of how much of a fantastic actress Taylor really is. The way she captures fear, determination and such really brings together on just how raw her performance really is.
Sean Penn is terrifying there is no other way to describe his performance, sure there are moments where the film is clearly making fun of him and a far right group known as “The Christmas Adventure Club” but make no mistake Steven J. Lockjaw is terrifying and truly evil, when he says lines that are meant to be comedic you feel this strong case of ire and hatred in his voice that never leaves your mind. The way Lockjaw escalates situations and how they can go from bad to worse just by Lockjaw entering the frame is truly haunting. Sean Penn is really great here and especially delivers scene in particular with Chase Infiniti.
Benicio del Toro and Regina Hall are both excellent here as well, Benicio del Toro gives a very likable and quite entertaining performance as Sergio St. Carlos, he gets one of the film’s most memorable scenes that feels like a large in scale thrilling atmosphere nuke that hits the film and makes it even more fascinating. Benicio del Toro also works incredibly well with Leonardo DiCaprio, the whole scene with the hidden passage that Sergio helps Bob to try and escape Lockjaw’s men is absolutely thrilling and filled to the brim with this scale that Benicio brings perfectly. Regina Hall only has a handful of scenes but does have one particularly strong moment that is incredibly memorable and very well acted, it can be argued that we did not get enough about her character Deandra but from what we got she contributed to the film’s story and world in this subtle and beautiful fashion.
Lastly there is Chase Infiniti who gives a star making performance, Infiniti plays Willa Ferguson who the film really puts us in the eyes of. Yes Bob is the main character of the film and we follow him the most out of everyone, however this very much feels like Willa’s story. It’s a story of where this ruined world is like hereditary being passed down until it reaches Willa’s generation and Infiniti does such a fascinating job of showing the pain and body language of someone who was caught up in the middle of everything. Willa’s bond with Bob evolves over the course of the film and sticks the landing due to how raw Infiniti’s acting really is, there is so much power put into her performance. One particular scene with Sean Penn is truly fantastic and captures this sense of survival in her eyes that is truly mesmerizing. We are going to be seeing a whole lot more of Chase Infiniti because this performance was truly something special.
The writing is fantastic, the film takes a horrifying world and scenario that has plenty of genuinely terrifying moments. Yet is able to add humor and hopeful moments is truly beautiful at the same time, the character writing in particular is so well done here. Each of the characters as I’ve described earlier are given something to contribute to make the film feel complete and they all succeed, there’s also this depth we get from each of them that is truly meaningful. Even if we physically don’t see Perfidia or Deandra for a number of scenes their presence is still felt and on its own gives them this character development. It’s a truly fascinating technique that not many filmmakers, writers and such can master but in the case of One Battle After Another mastery is all over the place.
Finally there is the technical parts of the film, the cinematography from Michael Bauman brings the film’s most memorable scene which some simply call it “The Hill scene” it’s a thrilling and a quiet yet explosive scene that captures the film’s atmosphere in a matter of seconds. The score from Jonny Greenwood is wonderfully done and truly paints the thrilling picture in a number of these scenes, some tracks start quietly and eventually keep growing in this subtle and careful way that creeps on the viewer. The large in scale nature of the film combined with the atmosphere works effortlessly, there’s so many moments where you are just looking around in the background of the film, there’s so much to explore in this giant painting that only adds more and more.
Overall One Battle After Another is a fantastic film and one of the year’s best, it’s an incredible experience that brings the viewer in almost immediately and never lets you go.
One Battle After Another is available on all VOD platforms
Abruptly laid off after 25 years at the same company, a desperate man goes to extreme lengths to eliminate the competition for the job he wants.
No Other Choice is directed by Park Chan-wook director of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005), The Handmaiden (2016), Decision To Leave (2022) and many others.
No Other Choice is yet another masterful piece of work from Park Chan-wook, it’s a film that captures so many different sort of themes all in one quiet yet effective film that gets progressively more and more absurd as it goes on with several different exploration points to bring this wonderful film together.
The performances are all phenomenal, each of the cast bring their own effective style into the film that matches the clever atmosphere. Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-su is a prime example of this, he brings this relatable and believable character who has this complex antihero traits. He has the worry, frustration and sadness of losing a job all of which combined together leads to the film’s very absurd moments that feel all too real, Lee Byung-hun captures all of this masterfully and even captures the film’s dark humor when the film requires the actors to do so. His subtle performance that combines humor with beautiful and striking quiet moments lead to Lee Byung-hun to give one of the best performances of 2025.
Son Ye-jin who plays Lee Mi-ri, Man-su’s wife is another huge part of why this film works so well. Much like Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin gives this effective performance that captures the atmosphere almost immediately, her interactions with Lee Byung-hun feel incredibly raw and have this beautiful support to it that really feels like a wife who deeply cares about her husband. There are so many beautifully done moments with Lee Mi-ri that it’s truly fascinating. Her subtle facial expressions and discussions she has with the rest of the characters truly shines through.
The writing is masterful work, that is not a huge surprise given how excellent of a writer Park Chan-wook is, however he goes for something very different here. While there are bound to be comparisons to Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (2019), No Other Choice is going for something very different and even goes about the whole theme in different ways. The main theme here is the loss of a job, what happens when you put all of your time and energy into your job. When you are compared, visible only when you need to be exploited, what happens when all of that time and energy you put into your job was taken due to the higher ups. You are suddenly fired, you have this built up rage inside of you that you want to release badly. No Other Choice explores all of this in great detail and truly brings it all together masterfully, it all feels very raw and brutal that truly brings the film to another level.
The film’s dark comedy is an added bonus that helps make the film not become way too dark, there’s a beautiful balance here that is subtle, careful and leads to some genuinely funny moments. A lot of the comedy comes from the body language of the characters and how they express their words, it is not done in this over the top way. They are done in this relatable reactions that feel quick and straight to the point, there is so much layers to the film’s comedy that is truly fascinating.
Overall No Other Choice is a fascinating film that truly captures its themes and delivers with its characters!
No Other Choice releases in theaters December 25th!
When his punk-rock neighbour asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, New York City bartender Hank Thompson suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters who all want a piece of him.
Caught Stealing is directed by Darren Aronofsky director of Pi (1998), Requiem For A Dream (2000), The Fountain (2006), The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), Noah (2014), Mother! (2017) and The Whale (2022).
Darren Aronofsky has always been one of my favorite filmmakers, his ability to bring out transformative or flat out incredible performances from a lot of actors is just fascinating. While I’m always going to prefer Aronofsky’s more dramatic work, It’s always nice to see Aronofsky have a lot of fun and go for something completely different here.
Austin Butler is oozing with charisma and almost immediately captures the atmosphere that the world of the film demands. Every single moment you feel this gravitational pull towards his character Henry “Hank” Thompson and the world around him. Butler’s performance only gets more and more electrifying as the film goes on especially with the film’s tone that quickly becomes more brutal and darker. Butler gives one of the best performances of the year, this is the type of performance of what makes an actor so interesting especially sensing the confidence within the performance.
The supporting performances are just as fantastic, Zoë Kravitz’s chemistry with Butler is captivating and even if her part is not as massive, the time she does have she uses well and brings this passionate bond the film shows through Butler and Kravitz’s chemistry. Matt Smith and Regina King are both fantastic here as well, both capture the energy and atmosphere of their respective roles. Smith being more chaotic and King bringing her strength and pedigree. Tonic the cat is also a fun addition to the film who does a fantastic job with the film’s more comedic moments.
The writing is atmospheric, thrilling and genuinely funny at times. It’s a nice balance between the three, none of which completely overwhelm one another. The writing has moments of brutality which is where the depth for these characters comes from, we explore a bit about them. Even if at times there is a bit of surface level information, what we do learn is admittedly fascinating which keeps the viewer in for the ride. The comedic elements are on the black comedy side of things, but are effectively used sparingly and do not take away from the more dramatic ones.
Aronofsky does a fascinating job of capturing this 1990s New York landscape, he invests a ton of energy in creating this beautiful feel that you can’t help but look around. This is definitely one of Aronofsky’s bigger in scale films, perhaps his biggest since Noah (2014). But unlike Noah (2014) where it felt very overwhelming and a giant mess in general, Caught Stealing is a lot more focused and has a lot more interesting elements happening on screen. You have the chaotic nature of the cast and their characters, the brutality of the film, the film’s black comedy and the strong cinematography from Matthew Libatique.
Overall Caught Stealing is such a chaotic and fun ride from beginning to end, that Aronofsky does such a fascinating job of capturing the crazed experience.
Caught Stealing is available on all VOD platforms.
When a powerful music mogul is targeted by a ransom plot, he is forced to fight for his family and legacy while jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.
Highest 2 Lowest is directed by Spike Lee director of Do The Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Inside Man (2006), Old Boy (2013), BlacKkKlansman (2018), Da 5 Bloods (2020) and many others. The film serves as an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film High and Low.
Highest 2 Lowest is sort of a fascinating one, it’s obviously not going to hold candle to Kurosawa’s film but unlike Lee’s attempt at tackling Old Boy this one fairs a lot better due to its cast, the decently fun atmosphere and a few scenes that make the film stand tall.
Denzel Washington is to no one’s surprise quite fantastic here. Washington is one of those actors who constantly brings in powerhouse performances and here is no exception, while the writing does get very messy towards the end. Washington’s performance remains consistently striking throughout the film, it’s a classic showcase of a powerhouse actor who elevates the material even when said material is at its low points. A lot of what I said about Washington can be said about Jeffery Wright, his ability to portray a nuanced and authentic bond is incredibly investing.
A$AP Rocky is also quite excellent here as well, Spike Lee has said that Rocky went “toe to toe” with Washington and he is not exactly wrong. There are plenty of scenes here that display Rocky keeping up with Washington, the chemistry between the two works incredibly well especially during one certain scene that’s also one of the film’s best. This is the type of performance that shows a lot of potential for an actor.
The writing is where the film falls a bit, the character writing that we get from the first half of the film is quite great, we get some solid introductions to the characters. The writing itself does a pretty good job of making the New York setting feel alive, plus I will give credit where credit is due that this manages to be a quite different take on High and Low. With that being said the third act is where things fall apart, a lot of the character writing (or writing in general) that the rest of the movie built up to lacked power and led to messy execution.
With that being said, I do think Highest 2 Lowest is still quite great. The character writing definitely needed more power and the pacing ultimately does hurt the film in the end, but Spike Lee does seem like he’s having a blast directing the film and the cast really makes this work as well as it does.
In the 1990s, an undercover officer is told to entrap and apprehend gay men only to find himself drawn to one of his targets.
Plainclothes is directed by Carmen Emmi which is his directorial debut.
Plainclothes is one of the most underrated films of the year as well as being one of most surprising. A very strong thriller with tense and powerful performances mixed with rich atmosphere makes this one feel all the more real especially with its themes.
Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey are both phenomenal here, the chemistry between the two is wonderful and they perfectly capture the film’s theme of romance being hopeless and dead thing from the start. Having to hide everything of what you are until it fills you up and destroys you, that’s something Blyth and Tovey depict masterfully, devastating performances that capture the film’s atmosphere and emotion. There is this physical passion between them but when you are only allowed to be shells of human beings, that gets to you incredibly quickly.
The film’s VHS-style is quite wonderful and really captures 1990s New York incredibly well, the cinematography from Ethan Palmer allows the viewer to explore New York in this classical way that is filled to the brim with atmosphere. The style also gives the film a more authentic feel that quickly brings the viewer into the film. The direction from Carmen Emmi is confident, raw and has this tenseness to it that helps both Blyth and Tovey’s performances stand incredibly tall.
The theme of performing different versions of yourself to navigate the world is powerfully done, in this case hiding sexuality which the film brings this heartbreak and tense atmosphere to compliment it all. While there is not exactly anything new discussed or explored here, the way that Emmi explores these themes and topics is what keeps the viewer intrigued.
Finally there is the writing which is done very well here, the build up from the start of the film to the complete turmoil at the end is worth the wait and results in a final act that does a splendid job of bringing its themes together. There is a ton of character moments here that Emmi throws in to make each and every scene all the more important and powerful.
Overall Plainclothes is quite great, it’s an intense and emotional thriller filled with strong performances and just being a cleverly put together film.
Radars at Fort Greely, Alaska, detect a nuclear missile. The president and his entourage must use the limited time they have to try to shoot down the missile before it reaches Chicago.
A House Of Dynamite is directed by Kathryn Bigelow director of Point Break (1991), The Hurt Locker (2008), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Detroit (2017) and many others.
As someone who is a fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s work my biggest question after watching A House Of Dynamite was “what happened here?” There is a ton of decision making here that ultimately cost the movie and completely drained any sort of tense atmosphere the movie built during the first act.
The performances all around are great, Rebecca Ferguson is the standout here with her strong performance that helps the movie build some sort of tension during the movie’s first act. Idris Elba is pretty solid here as well, it’s definitely not one of his absolute best performances but there’s no denying that whenever he was on screen the movie had a bit more interest going on here.
The atmosphere during the first act was at the very least thrilling, there was a nice setup here that could have potentially gave the movie more strength and intrigue…that is not what happened here, the middling second and third act that say absolutely nothing outside of “nuclear war is scary, what are we going to do?” does not do the movie any sort of favors. The atmosphere feels completely empty because of this, there is nothing tense or intriguing about the environments or dialogue. It’s a shame to because the first act’s narrative structure had a bunch of thrills that were investing very early on.
Speaking of which, the dialogue and characters are just not interesting enough to reach the finish line, the different perspectives is an admittedly interesting choice that could have worked. But unfortunately that leads to the movie being a complete and total mess simply due to how empty the dialogue really is and the powerful direction that Bigelow usually brings to the table being absent this time around.
Then there is the ending which is a whole lot of nothing, I get what it’s going for here but due to how much of a mess the build up was it just does not work at the slightest. It ends abruptly and is nowhere near as clever as the movie thinks it is, the movie sets itself up by wanting the viewer to believe that this big booming result is coming yet it ends on a whimper rather than a explosive force of a finale.
Overall there is just not a whole lot to say about A House Of Dynamite which is baffling to say, you could go on for hours about Bigelow’s previous work and explore the themes and characters. With this movie that’s not the case, instead you are left with a very empty experience that you immediately forgettable after viewing.
When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
Ballad Of A Small Player is directed by Edward Berger director of Jack (2014), All My Loving (2019), All Quiet On The Western Front (2022) and Conclave (2024).
Ballad Of A Small Player is the perfect example of a movie that looks stunning and is acted quite beautifully but is lacking an incredible amount of substance that unfortunately does not get it over the finish line.
Colin Farrell gives a strong performance here, he especially feels striking when combined with the movie’s gorgeous cinematography from cinematographer James Friend. Even if Farrell’s character is lacking in the writing department, he still does manage to create this sort of thrilling atmosphere for his character and luckily due to his acting talent he makes it work for the most part.
Volker Bertlemann’s score at first may not seem like it’s very fitting, the world of Ballad Of A Small Player feels a lot smaller in scale than some of Edward Berger’s previous work. Yet despite that the booming nature of the score still works, especially during a handful of intriguing sequences that end up meshing the movie together into some wondrous moments.
The movie is also a massive departure from Berger’s other films, which is exciting to see him tackle something completely different. Unfortunately the writing is just not there to really back it up, the story itself is a bit of mess with very little direction. The characters are distant which leads to the emotional beats the movie relies on to fail.
Overall Ballad Of A Small Player is a bold move but unfortunately one that leaves a lot more to be desired, there’s just not enough detailed exploration here to really give the viewer anything to chew on.
Diego and Sage’s romantic vacation at a secluded lakeside estate gets upended when they’re forced to share a mansion with a mysterious and attractive couple. Their dream getaway soon spirals into a nightmarish maze of sex, lies and manipulation as terrifying secrets come to light, triggering a bloody battle for survival.
Bone Lake is directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan director of Fixation (2022) and Spoonful of Sugar (2022).
Bone Lake has some great ideas at play here, but unfortunately does not quite have the firepower to last very long especially when it comes to its script.
The performances are decent here but there really isn’t any particular moment that stands out. Maddie Hasson definitely gets the bigger end of the stick when it comes to the rest of the cast, but even her performance is left with more of a need to explore.
The movie attempts to touch on modern relationship dynamics and expectations which is all well and good, but the major issue here is the characters lack any sort of development to turn these themes into something investing for the viewer. The characters are very much what you would expect from this type of horror movie and just have very little going on in the development department.
Lastly there’s the writing which plays it very safe, even under the erotica genre this is not as crazy or explicit as much as the movie tries to make itself out to be. There are suggestions and glimpses of more hardcore elements but never anything shocking or daring, there are moments of fun to be had but those are very far and few in between.
Overall Bone Lake is very forgettable, outside of a few decent scenes and some okay performances this is one you will almost immediately forget about after watching.
Jerome Reviews... 