New to Netflix: Close

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Sophie Nélisse, Indira Varma

Director: Vicky Jewson

Sam (Noomi Rapace) is a sought after bodyguard and counter intelligence expert who uses her considerable skills to ensure that she brings the people she has been tasked to protect to safety. Her most recent task is to protect Zoe (Sophie Nélisse), a mining heiress who has just inherited a large share of her father's company after his suicide, much to her stepmother, Nima's, (Indira Varma) chagrin. After delivering Zoe safely to her stepmother's safe house in Morocco, Sam finds herself needing to save Zoe after the compound is raided in an attempt to kidnap her. The two, unable to trust anyone, must find a way out of Morocco while trying to figure out who is behind Zoe's kidnapping.

Noomi Rapace, who shot to international stardom after her role in the Swedish film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo franchise, has been searching for a role worthy of her talents and Sam is the closest she has gotten in a while. She is smart, brutal, and good at her job and Rapace does very well in the role.

While never reaching the level or scale of anything in the Jason Bourne franchise, the action in the film is competent. Rapace acquits herself well and you can always tell what is happening. Unfortunately, the movie crumbles under the weight of its incredibly bland and generic plot. The villain/villains' motivations seem very unrealistic and frankly are not logical. The movie also jumps through many hoops to make you believe the villain is one person, only to pull the rug out from under you in the final few minutes and reveal the true villain. But it's so half baked you don't even really get the time to digest it or honestly realize it happened. It makes me think the writers were confused about where they wanted to take the story and once they decided, forgot to change some aspects of the script.

Netflix continues to be an interesting addition to the film marketplace, giving creative freedom to the film makers that bring their work there and most importantly an outlet to give a home to projects that have been rejected or are not up to the standards of a theatrical release. Sometimes it works out and we get something like The Ballad of Buster Scruggs or Roma. Other times we get something like Close. I know there is a clear difference between all those films and it's unfair to compare them. Close has its moments and I liked it better than some of the other films that Netflix has released, like Tau. But, as much as I liked Rapace in the film, it's hard to ultimately recommend it due to its frustrating villain confusion and generic plot.

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