Fair Play

Movies produced by Netflix rarely attract, impress, or entertain me. This time I am especially surprised because the setting in which the film takes place is not at all close to my heart. And yet the plot and themes of love in the workplace, female ingenuity, and male vanity, on the contrary, suit me immensely. Plus, I learned a beautiful vulgar idiom – "I don't shit where I eat". It's just a shame about the last twenty minutes; the ending could have been executed better and more believably. Since I have never seen Bridgerton, I wasn't familiar with Phoebe Dynevor, but I have a strong feeling that I'll have to watch that TV sensation. :-) (17.07.2024)

A very promising start, a little questionable conclusion. I understand what Chloe Domont is saying with this film, but I was slightly underwhelmed by the execution. The whole idea could have been presented in hints and small intimate motives of the characters and it would have been very effective. Instead, in the second half, they chose to drive the behaviour of the characters ad absurdum and all the believability fell down for me. It's a shame, it had the makings of a very solid drama with some very thought-provoking ideas. (31.01.2023)

I can't help but feel that every new thriller with a sexual undertone inevitably reminds me of Fifty Shades of Grey. It's hard to take it seriously after that comparison. However, Alden Ehrenreich, usually quite unremarkable, and the perfectly cast Phoebe Dynevor, both deliver stellar performances. Maybe it's the Wall Street setting — you're more likely to encounter a scoundrel than a good guy there. In fact, spotting two scoundrels side by side in the crowd is probably more common than you'd ever imagine. (16.07.2024)

This time, I cannot agree with the rating. I'm not saying I was completely worn out by the movie, but the ending really got to me and kept me in suspense the whole time as the drama escalated. It's a film that Netflix only bought, and you can feel that it has somewhat bigger ambitions, but as can be seen, it didn't really sit well with people. I can recommend it if the trailer catches your interest, otherwise the movie has almost faded into obscurity already. (05.12.2023)

Luke and Emily are the perfect couple in love. Both work as analysts at an investment firm and both are overly ambitious. But one day, when they hear that Luke is likely to be promoted, they are both initially delighted, but eventually it is Emily who gets the promotion, and we get into a dramatic rollercoaster of hate, jealousy, animosity, and, the closer we get to the end, bigotry and the psychological transformation of the initially loving Luke into an absolute psychopath who can't handle defeat. I actually don't have as much of a problem with the film as I expected. The relationships and the inter-character upheaval is presented in a very vivid and intense way, it's a story that is part of some people's everyday lives and here it is captured faithfully and authentically. The build-up as the credits approach is solid too, but the ending then fizzles out a bit – I guess I wasn't expecting anything else. It’s certainly not groundbreaking, but as an example of "what a man is capable of doing for a career" this film is more than telling. (11.10.2023)