I’ve been somewhat curious to see director David Yates take on a project outside of the Harry Potter franchise, but Pain Hustlers on Netflix didn’t quite resonate with me. It seems to want to be a combination of different movies, like The Wolf of Wall Street, The Big Short, and more, but ends up feeling like a watered-down version of all of those.
When assessing what works in Pain Hustlers, it’s easy to say that the actors gave it their best. While it features a somewhat unusual accent, Emily Blunt gives her best effort in this movie. I also quite enjoyed Catherine O’Hara and Brian d’Arcy James. Chris Evans is adequate in the film, but I believe he’s a bit miscast. It seems that since his role as Captain America, he’s been intentionally pursuing these sleazy roles to act against type, but I don’t think it’s been working for him (with the exception of Knives Out).
I believe the story is interesting, but it takes more than a good story to make a good movie. It requires elevating the material through intriguing direction, and I feel this movie falls short in that regard. David Yates attempts to infuse the intensity of his action flicks from the last decade into a procedural drama. He inserts colorful sequences with old pop music to keep the audience engaged, but it’s evident that Yates hasn’t had to make a film for an adult audience in quite some time.
There isn’t much to say. It’s not a bad film; the tension runs high for most of it, which makes it entertaining. However, entertainment doesn’t necessarily equate to quality, and unfortunately, Pain Hustlers lacks the ingredients to create a truly thrilling experience. It’s decently paced, and the lead actors are good enough to carry you through the film. Still, I can’t help but feel that it’s just another Netflix original content movie created for the sake of having original content. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t engage the way it aspires to.
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