As the month of March comes to a close, many movies will be departing Netflix for the foreseeable future. When they return, your guess is as good as mine. Every genre will lose movies, including thrillers. One of the movies on this list leaves on April 3, which we’ll note in its entry below. The other two will be on Netflix for at least the next month, so if you can’t watch them this week, no worries—catch them when you have some time.
Speaking of lists, our top selection of the week is a Netflix Original with a lot to say about capitalism. The second movie depicts a dangerous love affair that can only end in heartbreak. Finally, our third pick reenacts a horrific crime inside a hospital.
3
The Good Nurse
The hospital becomes a funeral home
True crime frightens me more than horror because the events in the former actually happened. Freddy Krueger, though creepy and ugly, is a figment of one’s imagination. You know who’s a real character? A nurse addicted to murder. That real-life nightmare plays out in The Good Nurse.
Jessica Chastain plays Amy Loughren, an ICU nurse with a heart condition who continues to work to afford the transplant. While on the night shift, she meets Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), a kind nurse who becomes her friend. However, patients begin dying inexplicably. The cops suspect Charlie is behind the deaths, but Amy defends her colleague. Yet as more patients die, Amy questions her beliefs and Charlie’s character.
You probably already know whether Charlie is guilty or not—and that’s not the point of this story. The Good Nurse is more interested in the failures of the system and how a dangerous employee could be passed from one hospital to the next. I don’t think differently of nurses— who are heroes—but it does make me question the corporate side of healthcare and how patient satisfaction isn’t always the priority.
2
Match Point
Is luck on your side?
Would you rather be lucky than good? It’s a question posed in Match Point, a psychological thriller written and directed by Woody Allen. If you’re wondering if the title has any ties to tennis, good guess—the protagonist, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), is a retired tennis pro now working as an instructor. As Challengers recently proved, tennis is a sexy sport with constant back-and-forth drama, making it an ideal setting for a thriller.
While working at a London club, Chris becomes friends with a wealthy member, Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), and takes a liking to his sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer). Though Chloe gives him comfort financially and professionally, who Chris really desires is Nola (Scarlett Johansson), Tom’s American fiancée. Chris begins a passionate affair with Nola while married to Chloe. Essentially, Chris wants his cake and eats it too.
Though Match Point dabbles into erotic thriller territory, it’s more interested in the psychological aspects of lust, greed, and social status. I like how this movie doesn’t try to create a hero, just to have one. These are bad people trying to justify their immoral actions. That’s an interesting dynamic that challenges my beliefs. Game on.
The last day to watch Match Point on Netflix is April 3.
1
I Care a Lot
The system has its flaws
No, Gordon Gekko. Greed is not good. At least that’s one of the messages in I Care a Lot, a black comedy written and directed by J. Blakeson. Rosamund Pike truly knows how to play a psychopath. I mean that as a compliment. Her performance as Amy in Gone Girl is equally terrifying and perfect. Pike channels Amy’s sociopathic tendencies to play Marla Grayson in I Care a Lot.
Marla is an evil person. The con artist manipulates the legal system to become a guardian for elderly people. She then seizes their assets and sells them for a profit. Perhaps “evil” is not a mean enough word for Marla. Anyway, Marla uses her scheme against Jennifer Peterson (Dianne Wiest), a wealthy woman with no relatives. At least that’s what Marla thought. It turns out that Jennifer is related to the crime lord, Roman Lunyov (Peter Dinklage), who will do whatever it takes to right this wrong. Instead of playing ball, Marla fights back and sets off a disastrous chain of events.
I Care a Lot clearly has much to say about capitalism and the treatment of the elderly in this country. Admittedly, I was very upset with the ending. Did I dislike it, or did my hate for Marla cloud my judgment? I’m still unsure. What I do know is that Marla got under my skin, a credit to Pike and her villainous performance.
Netflix continues to provide countless hours of content
You could spend hours perusing each section of Netflix for a movie or TV show, or you could follow one of our guides for recommendations. If you want Netflix shows where order doesn’t matter, try Black Mirror or Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. If documentaries are more your speed, try Dynasty: The Murdochs or American Murder. Whatever genre you want to watch, odds are that Netflix has it.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, $8/month
- Simultaneous streams
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Two or four
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
