One of the best action movies of 2024 has already arrived, but you might've missed it, even if you have a Netflix subscription. The streamer has shocked me in years past with the stunning quality of offerings it has delivered in this genre, and it has me singing praises once again after seeing this new foreign film. If you're someone who enjoys a good theatrical brawlfest, you need to watch Sixty Minutes.
Emilio Sakraya plays Octavio, an MMA fighter on the cusp of a major fight who has just sixty minutes to get to his daughter's birthday before his ex-wife files for full custody of her. With the fight only minutes away, Octavio makes a decision that inadvertently entangles him in a criminal scheme and makes his trip to see his daughter that much more difficult. It's a great watch for reasons I'll expound on below, but basically, anyone who has Netflix should make time to watch the German action thriller Sixty Minutes.
Sixty Minutes Feels Like John Wick With Less Shooting
If it wasn't evident by CinemaBlend's best action movies of 2023 list, I consider the John Wick franchise to be the gold standard of the modern action genre. As such, it's no surprise that other action movies have tried to replicate that formula. Oftentimes the end result is a movie that feels like a lesser product of the original, and that's probably because Keanu Reeves' best movies stem from his action performances.
Sixty Minutes doesn't try to replicate the brilliant gunfight scenes of John Wick, instead making up for it with a lot of action driven by actual moves performed in the world of MMA. Given the premise of the movie, it makes sense for the hero to be a well-trained fighter, and that makes him well-equipped to take down anyone that he has to fight along the way to see his daughter. Plus, we see other characters use MMA moves throughout the film, but at the risk of spoiling too much of the plot, I'll leave it at that.
The Action Is Perfectly Balanced With Great Chase Scenes
Under normal circumstances, an hour to get to any location in the same city should be doable for most situations. Of course, the events of Sixty Minutes don't occur under normal circumstances, and vehicles are a must to arrive at any location across town in a reasonable amount of time. As such, this movie has quite a few vehicle chase scenes, and they're all pretty spectacular.
Having badass chase scenes isn't required to make a stellar action movie, and in fact quite a few don't have any. I don't think a great franchise like The Fast and Furious would be quite the box office juggernaut that it is if there wasn't a want in the action community for fast cars, tight corners and fruit stands being demolished. Sixty Minutes has that in spades and some impressive chase sequences that exceed my expectations for the average Netflix original.
The Movie Plays Out In An Unexpected Way
A lot of action movies suffer from the sin of being more or less predictable. What really won me over on Sixty Minutes was that there are a lot of moving parts throughout the story, and despite the premise being "Get from point A to point B," the execution is far from that. Part of this is expected due to the tasks that Octavio must complete before arriving at the party, but there are other curveballs thrown throughout the movie that you won't see coming.
I don't necessarily need my action movies to be think pieces with hard moral themes or anything like that, but I do need a little more than just a run-and-gun adventure. Sixty Minutes succeeds in delivering the type of mindless action that those looking for an action flick crave, as well as features deep emotional stakes that keep you invested in the ride from start to finish. I'll admit that I cried a bit at the end, and I can't really remember the last time I cried watching an action movie.
The English Dubbed Audio Is As Good As The Original
If you've ever watched a foreign show or movie on Netflix and put on the dub option, you'd know that not all are created equal. Sometimes the voice actor providing the dialogue goes a little lengthier than the mouths moving on the screen, and there are also the dreaded occasions where every person gives a flat delivery with no emotion. These can be an absolute killer for those who rely on them to enjoy movies and completely ruin the vibe of an otherwise great movie.
And yes, I know the option exists to hear the movie in its native tongue, but that's not what I'm looking for when I watch an action movie. Sometimes I just want to kick back and watch the action unfold, and reading the subtitles can get in the way of that. As a writer with tons of published articles over the years, I'm sitting here and saying no one should feel ashamed if there are times they don't feel like reading subtitles.
For the purpose of this piece, I did go back and sample scenes with both the subtitles and dub. I can officially confirm that the quality is upheld regardless of which the viewer decides to watch, and damn, it is still a great movie. I'd even be so bold to say it's an early contender for an entry on the best action movies of 2024, though we still have a long way to go before the year is up.
Sixty Minutes is available to stream right now on Netflix, along with many other great shows. CinemaBlend is always a great place to search for recommendations, regardless of the streaming service a series or movie might be on. Be sure to also keep up with us for more on the latest news on movies, television and streaming as soon as it breaks.
