Jason Momoa is one of the most physically imposing leading men in all of Hollywood, I mean just look at him, the man could kill you with a scowl alone. Putting him in a gritty revenge action flick like Brian Andrew Mendoza’s Sweet Girl seems like a no-brainer for Netflix to draw views, but apart from a solid performance from the big man himself this is as middle of the road action as you can get. Not an awful film by any means, just content to coast along on convention and do absolutely nothing special to stand out from the dozens of other throwaway action films Netflix seems to have in an endless supply.
When his wife (Adria Arjona) succumbs to cancer that may have been prevented had a new drug not been kept off the market by shady pharmaceutical company BioPrime, Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa) declares war against the organisation and issues a death threat to its skeevy CEO Simon Keeley (Justin Bartha). After an attempt to make good on that threat goes awry, Ray is reluctantly joined by his teenage daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) as they attempt to outrun a crazed hitman (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and bring to light a conspiracy bigger than they had ever imagined. One that, if true, could bring an end to BioPrime’s shady dealings and provide the family some semblance of retribution.
The main problem with that plot is just how predictable it all is, until it isn’t. From the outset you can see where everything is ultimately heading and even though Momoa is clearly giving everything he has to his performance, it doesn’t change the fact that the film is almost identical to at least a dozen others. The initial carefully planned job gone wrong, our heroes evading cops and killers as their mettle is tested again and again until they find the will to carry on before the big reveal of the true mastermind. Think The Fugitive with the violence of Taken. It all sticks so painfully to formula apart from a late-game twist that should fundamentally alter everything that came before but fails to do so in any meaningful way. It’s one of those plot twists that seems profound but does little to alter the film’s final destination or improve upon any of the technical problems.
The most egregious of those technical problems is in the fight sequences, where shaky cam reigns supreme in all its unintelligible, painful to watch glory. What makes it worse is that there is some solid camerawork underneath, with slow, spinning pans and some excellent one-takes completely ruined by what appears to be the camera thrown into a washing machine. Momoa is more than capable of delivering a competent fight scene, just look at his work in Game of Thrones or Aquaman, yet it is almost impossible to discern what is happening when the action starts pumping, even more frustrating considering Mendoza’s history as a cinematographer. That, combined with the film’s strict adherence to formula, means these scenes are also devoid of any stakes or tension, with characters shrugging off falls from 2 storey buildings and stabbings as if they were nothing before launching into a fresh round of incomprehensible violence until someone somehow drops dead.
Sweet Girl is simply the latest in a long line of completely watchable action thrillers ruined by terribly executed, shaky-cam ridden fight scenes and a plot so predictable, you could make a pretty effective drinking game out of it. Thanks to Momoa and Merced’s chemistry it remains watchable and, as is always the case with these types of films, is sure to find a devoted audience on the streamer, but there are far better action film options out there than this perfectly serviceable, instantly forgettable thriller.
Sweet Girl stars Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Amy Brenneman, Adria Arjona & Justin Bartha – Streaming on Netflix now.