by Josh Sewell
When it comes to bankable genres, erotic thrillers were a cinematic staple in the late 20th century. Movies like Body Heat and Basic Instinct modernized Hays Code-impeded film noir tropes – including the gorgeous femme fatale and the emasculated dope who falls for her schemes – to great success by upping the sex and violence that were now permitted to be shown, often in graphic detail.
Sometimes, movies like Disclosure (which isn’t good, but still a fun guilty pleasure) would add a bit of business-related intrigue to complicate the standard plot even more. Sadly, like many other genres aimed at grown-ups, erotic thrillers have mostly disappeared from theaters. The genre is yet another casualty of the streaming, high-speed internet age – big screens are mostly reserved for massive blockbusters now.
It makes sense that Netflix is marketing the new film Fair Play, a Sundance darling the entertainment behemoth acquired for a staggering $20 million, as that kind of flick. We’re in an era of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia, so why not treat it like a throwback? The trailer teases a sexy, corporate thriller where gorgeous people make plans to sabotage each other when they’re not otherwise occupied in the bedroom.
However, the actual film – which marks the feature debut of writer-director Chloe Domot – is a harrowing, intelligent deconstruction of the genre’s most familiar clichés. Yes, there’s plenty of sex and some brutal violence, but none of it is gratuitous or designed to titillate. If you’re not feeling queasy or distraught as the end credits roll, it might be time to look for a good therapist.
The fraught, deeply unsettling thriller actually begins on a tender note. Newly engaged lovers Emily (Phoebe Dynevor, from Netflix’s Bridgerton) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich, last seen in the box office juggernaut Oppenheimer) are coworkers in a cutthroat financial firm that prohibits interoffice romances, so they’re forced to keep their relationship a secret.
When a lucrative promotion arises, Emily hears a rumor that Luke is the firm’s top choice. However, when it turns out the boss (a menacing Eddie Marsan, Ray Donovan) actually wants her for the job, Emily and Luke’s relationship begins to deteriorate. Despite an initial desire to support each other in this new stage of life, the pair is slowly ripped apart by ambition, bruised egos, toxic office politics and – most damaging of all – the weight of unreasonable gender dynamics.
Clearly, based on the subject matter, Fair Play isn’t going to be for everybody. However, I absolutely loved it – in fact, I’d consider it one of 2023’s best so far. It’s genuinely stunning that Domont’s first movie is so assured and complex, without feeling preachy or pretentious.
I appreciate how she takes the time to flesh out Emily and Luke as people, getting the audience to root for this charming, beautiful duo – seemingly perfect for each other – before introducing external forces that begin to chip away at them. The process reveals time-bombs hiding inside both characters, ticking away the whole time, waiting for just the right moment to explode.
Because Domont spends so much time carefully setting everything up, it hurts even more when Emily and Luke start to struggle. Their battle for dominance in the relationship is brutal to witness, as power plays and fragile masculinity destroy everything that initially drew them to each other.
Dynevor and Ehrenreich are phenomenal, unafraid to fully commit to characters than often come off as deeply unlikable at best, and flat-out monstrous in their worst moments. By the end, one of them emerges as a clear villain, but the tragedy is watching both of them escalate until the tragic final act.
I was unfamiliar with Dynevor prior to seeing her work here (I never saw Bridgerton), but I’m certainly a fan now. Granted, the British actress’ American accent is a little spotty in places, but that’s a minor quibble with an otherwise searing performance.
Ehrenreich is equally stellar, handling the conflicting elements of Luke’s personality with aplomb. Anyone who saw him take on the unenviable task of stepping into Harrison Ford’s shoes to play a young Han Solo knows he can be a charming rogue. But he’s also willing to be truly vile at times, particularly once Emily and Luke’s fraught relationship careens toward its inevitable, staggeringly bleak conclusion.
Fair Play isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a compelling story brilliantly told. Be sure to check it out when it hits Netflix this weekend.
(Fair Play is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, some nudity, and sexual violence. Now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix starting October 6.)
Sometimes, movies like Disclosure (which isn’t good, but still a fun guilty pleasure) would add a bit of business-related intrigue to complicate the standard plot even more. Sadly, like many other genres aimed at grown-ups, erotic thrillers have mostly disappeared from theaters. The genre is yet another casualty of the streaming, high-speed internet age – big screens are mostly reserved for massive blockbusters now.
It makes sense that Netflix is marketing the new film Fair Play, a Sundance darling the entertainment behemoth acquired for a staggering $20 million, as that kind of flick. We’re in an era of ’80s and ’90s nostalgia, so why not treat it like a throwback? The trailer teases a sexy, corporate thriller where gorgeous people make plans to sabotage each other when they’re not otherwise occupied in the bedroom.
However, the actual film – which marks the feature debut of writer-director Chloe Domot – is a harrowing, intelligent deconstruction of the genre’s most familiar clichés. Yes, there’s plenty of sex and some brutal violence, but none of it is gratuitous or designed to titillate. If you’re not feeling queasy or distraught as the end credits roll, it might be time to look for a good therapist.
The fraught, deeply unsettling thriller actually begins on a tender note. Newly engaged lovers Emily (Phoebe Dynevor, from Netflix’s Bridgerton) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich, last seen in the box office juggernaut Oppenheimer) are coworkers in a cutthroat financial firm that prohibits interoffice romances, so they’re forced to keep their relationship a secret.
When a lucrative promotion arises, Emily hears a rumor that Luke is the firm’s top choice. However, when it turns out the boss (a menacing Eddie Marsan, Ray Donovan) actually wants her for the job, Emily and Luke’s relationship begins to deteriorate. Despite an initial desire to support each other in this new stage of life, the pair is slowly ripped apart by ambition, bruised egos, toxic office politics and – most damaging of all – the weight of unreasonable gender dynamics.
Clearly, based on the subject matter, Fair Play isn’t going to be for everybody. However, I absolutely loved it – in fact, I’d consider it one of 2023’s best so far. It’s genuinely stunning that Domont’s first movie is so assured and complex, without feeling preachy or pretentious.
I appreciate how she takes the time to flesh out Emily and Luke as people, getting the audience to root for this charming, beautiful duo – seemingly perfect for each other – before introducing external forces that begin to chip away at them. The process reveals time-bombs hiding inside both characters, ticking away the whole time, waiting for just the right moment to explode.
Because Domont spends so much time carefully setting everything up, it hurts even more when Emily and Luke start to struggle. Their battle for dominance in the relationship is brutal to witness, as power plays and fragile masculinity destroy everything that initially drew them to each other.
Dynevor and Ehrenreich are phenomenal, unafraid to fully commit to characters than often come off as deeply unlikable at best, and flat-out monstrous in their worst moments. By the end, one of them emerges as a clear villain, but the tragedy is watching both of them escalate until the tragic final act.
I was unfamiliar with Dynevor prior to seeing her work here (I never saw Bridgerton), but I’m certainly a fan now. Granted, the British actress’ American accent is a little spotty in places, but that’s a minor quibble with an otherwise searing performance.
Ehrenreich is equally stellar, handling the conflicting elements of Luke’s personality with aplomb. Anyone who saw him take on the unenviable task of stepping into Harrison Ford’s shoes to play a young Han Solo knows he can be a charming rogue. But he’s also willing to be truly vile at times, particularly once Emily and Luke’s fraught relationship careens toward its inevitable, staggeringly bleak conclusion.
Fair Play isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a compelling story brilliantly told. Be sure to check it out when it hits Netflix this weekend.
(Fair Play is rated R for pervasive language, sexual content, some nudity, and sexual violence. Now playing in select theaters and streaming on Netflix starting October 6.)
Grade: A-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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