You can’t throw a rock in Hollywood without hitting a remake — whether a loose franchise continuation or a full creative reboot, interest in mining new stories from what’s been excavated at least once before hasn’t waned in the slightest. If anything, the increasing frequency with which major studios are readapting their original films into a wholly new format is an indication that remakes aren’t a trend with a limited shelf life. The quality factor, however, is another story altogether. Some remakes feel entirely designed around a studio’s frantic desire to retain rights ownership, rushed into production and ultimately destined to become forgotten, while others actually breathe new life into an older story, making welcome changes that, in some cases, serve as a significant improvement on the source material.

It’s difficult to say whether anyone had a new Man on Fire adaptation on their wishlist for 2026, and while showrunner Kyle Killen‘s updated take on the classic novel by A.J. Quinnell doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, it’s got a few things working in its favor. Specifically, an increasingly incendiary lead performance from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, several thrilling setpieces, and a few stakes-raising twists late in the game make the series a highly enjoyable binge for action-hungry viewers patiently waiting for a new season of Reacher.

What Is ‘Man on Fire’ About?

Special Forces mercenary John Creasy (Abdul-Mateen II) is one of the best at what he does — that is, until a seemingly by-the-book mission in Mexico City unexpectedly goes sideways, resulting in the deaths of his entire team. After leaving the field, Creasy is still navigating the lingering effects of PTSD from the incident, unable to sleep without experiencing nightmares, drinking on the job while operating a warehouse loader, and even grappling with severe suicidal ideation, all of which culminate in a desperate attempt to free himself from his lowest point yet. When longtime friend and former colleague, Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale), suggests that Creasy stay with him and his family for a while, it doubles as an opportunity for Creasy’s recovery as well as a potential path for redemption. Creasy isn’t the only one who harbors immense skepticism about a relocation to Brazil; Paul’s teenage daughter, Poe (Billie Boullet, A Small Light), is still moping about having to say goodbye to all of her friends after being uprooted by her father’s job.

Creasy’s convalescence, however, is short-lived when a group of bombers targets a residential skyscraper in the heart of Brazil, leading to mass destruction and devastation. In the aftermath, it’s clear those responsible didn’t want to leave anyone alive — so the situation becomes even more critical when Creasy discovers that Poe, who’d snuck out past curfew to go to a party, is the sole witness to the bombing. Now, Creasy finds himself unexpectedly pulled back into doing what he does best while he’s not exactly at his best, and he’s hardly prepared to put his life on the line for anyone when he’s still struggling to open up to anyone. Fortunately, he has more than one new ally at his disposal, including Valeria Melo (Alice Braga), a professional driver linked to a local gang with the manpower and firepower to aid Creasy in his hunt, and CIA field agent Henry Tappan (Scoot McNairy), who struggles to defend Creasy’s out-of-the-box methods to his superiors while juggling more than one secret of his own. With Poe’s safety on the line, there’s nothing Creasy won’t stop at to keep her safe, even if it means burning every one of the city’s most notorious villains in the process.

Netflix’s ‘Man on Fire’ Adaptation Is a Slow-Burn Action Thriller

Despite the relatively explosive nature of Man on Fire‘s first episode, which begins by flashing back to Creasy’s most defining loss and culminates in the present day’s inciting incident, Netflix’s new adaptation is more of a slow burn than an instantaneous firestorm. It makes sense in the context of the narrative; Creasy is a man who’s still nursing his wounds when he’s introduced, even if all physical signs of injury have long since healed, and it’s taken a toll not only on his mental capacity but also his professional skill. Nowhere is this clearer than in the scene where he accompanies Rayburn on what is, by all accounts, a potential job interview; when Creasy is ordered to field strip a gun down to all of its individual parts, a task he was once able to complete in mere seconds, he falters, his hands visibly shaking with tremors. It sets up Man on Fire‘s leading character as not just a reluctant hero, but a traumatized man facing his own personal demons while immersed in near-identical circumstances to what first conjured them.

The overall benefit, too, of Man on Fire‘s longer series approach (of which all seven episodes were provided for review) allows the story to delve that much deeper into character, both in terms of individual growth and shared development. Early on, the show establishes that Creasy and Poe’s history goes back several years to his own defining memory of Rayburn’s daughter, but their trust in each other doesn’t appear nearly as quickly as that single recollection. It takes both characters learning how to fight countless threats before they realize they’re stronger together than apart. Aging Poe up from a child, as well, gives her more agency in the story, rather than turning her into a helpless ward getting dragged around by more competent parties; one of the series’ biggest twists even hinges on her ability to successfully recall a critical reveal minutes before the bombing.

Poe also could have become little more than a teenaged annoyance in lesser hands, but Boullet is afforded plenty of opportunity to showcase different sides of her character, particularly through an unlikely friendship with the young Livro (Jefferson Batista), whose innocence is also tested through his familial connection to the local gangs; Batista becomes one of the series’ greatest surprises, delivering a nuanced performance that should make several casting directors sit up and take notice.

While Poe and Creasy’s evolving alliance is undoubtedly the heart of the story, Braga’s Valeria Melo serves as a welcome voice of reason in any scene she’s in, and the series thankfully avoids the more predictable genre pitfall of reducing her to a love interest, giving her more compelling personal stakes in Creasy’s self-appointed mission. Initially, McNairy’s character reads more like a stereotypical law enforcement insert, but the closer Creasy gets to uncovering the true conspiracy behind the bombing, the more elusive Tappan’s real motivations become, and the more McNairy gets to flex a wider range in the process. Beyond them, it occasionally feels like there are too many side characters for the show to successfully juggle, especially when their subplots borrow time away from the most interesting parts of the narrative, but none of them ever overstay their welcome.

‘Man on Fire’ Cements Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a Bonafide Action Star

Image via Netflix

What Man on Fire does ultimately succeed as a showcase for, amidst the narrative’s twists and turns, is Abdul-Mateen II’s undeniable magnetism as both a leading man and an action star. There are glimmers of Creasy’s capabilities early on, but they’re submerged beneath the character’s immense pain and grief, as well as the blame he’s put on his own shoulders. The skyscraper bombing represents an equally personal situation, and while it’s hard not to long for more calm before the storm, especially since Abdul-Mateen II and Cannavale have such a great onscreen rapport, kicking things off with a literal bang allows Man on Fire to hit the ground running without dragging its feet too long in the lead-up.

Of course, there are also plenty of thrilling setpieces that help to maintain the pace of the show’s action — including a prison break amid security lockdown, an attempted plane hijacking, and an unrelenting hospital firefight, to name a few — and Abdul-Mateen II brings all the energy required and then some. Yet the moments when you can’t tear your eyes away from him are when Creasy is most visibly struggling to put one foot in front of the other. He’s not always physically imposing, not looming intimidatingly in every scene, but his presence is undeniable nonetheless. Creasy’s breakdown is inevitable, especially while he’s in full fight-or-flight mode (emphasis on the fighting), and Abdul-Mateen II displays every crack in the character’s carefully constructed facade, peeling back new layers until his most personal battle becomes just as imperative to resolve as the greater conspiracy that threatens everyone he still holds dear.

There’s catharsis by Man on Fire‘s conclusion, as any good action show should offer, but there’s also the bittersweet reminder that no amount of revenge will ever be sufficient to fully heal grief. The series also can’t resist the temptation to sow the seeds for a potential sequel, and while it would be incredibly tempting to see Abdul-Mateen II return to a role that he successfully makes his own, Man on Fire‘s only season to date is a thriller adaptation that’s confident in its story, characters, and action, one that may not even necessarily need to be diluted by a continuation.

Man on Fire is now streaming on Netflix.

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Release Date

April 30, 2026

Network

Netflix

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Showrunner

Kyle Killen

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Directors

Steven Caple Jr., Vicente Amorim, Clare Kilner, Michael Cuesta

Writers

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Kyle Killen

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Pros & Cons

• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II cements himself as an action star with a tremendous leading performance, making the character of John Creasy his own.
• Several exciting setpieces maintain the show’s action at a steady pace, culminating in an unrelenting hospital shootout.
• The show’s biggest twist about who’s really responsible for the bombing completely upends expectations.

• There are a few too many side characters than the show knows what to do with.
• The series can’t help setting up the potential for a sequel in the finale, even though Man on Fire could easily be a satisfying miniseries.

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Taylor Sheridan‘s TV universe has found immense success — but his projects have also come with many showrunner changes.

After getting his start as an actor, Sheridan started writing scripts for movies. He began his TV empire with Yellowstone, which aired from 2018 to 2024.

Sheridan then created prequels 1883 and 1923, as well as the spinoffs The Dutton Ranch and Marshals. Sheridan has also worked on original shows Landman, Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness and Tulsa King.

“My stories have a very simple plot that is driven by the characters as opposed to characters driven by a plot — the antithesis of the way television is normally modeled,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “I’m really interested in the dirty of the relationships in literally every scene.”

Related: A Guide to Every Non-‘Yellowstone’ Show in the Taylor Sheridan Universe

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Sheridan acknowledged his preference for no writers’ rooms, adding, “But when you hire a room that may not be motivated by those same qualities — and a writer always wants to take ownership of something they’re writing — and I give this directive and they’re not feeling it, then they’re going to come up with their own qualities. So for me, writers rooms, they haven’t worked.”

At the time, the screenwriter reflected on his decision not to compromise especially when it comes to bringing his vision for the show to life.

“When I quit acting, I decided that I am going to tell my stories my way, period. If you don’t want me to tell them, fine. Give them back and I’ll find someone who does — or I won’t, and then I’ll read them in some freaking dinner theater. But I won’t compromise. There is no compromising,” he continued. “There is compromising on things like budget.”

Sheridan added: “You write a thing and it costs what it costs. I will not change a script to meet a budget. … The freedom of the artist to create must be unfettered. If they tell me, ‘You’re going to have to write a check for $540,000 to four people to sit in a room that you never have to meet,’ then that’s between the studio and the guild. But if I have to check in creatively with others for a story I’ve wholly built in my brain, that would probably be the end of me telling TV stories.”

The outlet noted that Sheridan wrote in a one-room “cabinet” he built in Wyoming. “I’ve written many episodes in eight to 10 hours,” he claimed at the time.

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the biggest behind the scenes showrunner changes on Sheridan’s shows:

‘Lioness’

While Thomas Brady was originally hired as the showrunner for Lioness, he departed before production began in September 2022. Sheridan replaced Brady — due to creative differences — once the writers’ room wrapped and he rewrote all the scripts to fit his vision for the show.

‘Tulsa King’

The Paramount+ series started with Terence Winter as the showrunner alongside Sheridan. Once Tulsa King was renewed for season 2, Winter resigned as showrunner due to creative differences but returned as the series’ head writer. Sheridan opted not to fill the role of a showrunner for season 2 and instead hired a director and executive producer to oversee day-to-day production.

Dave Erickson went on to join the show as a showrunner for seasons 3. By season 4, Tulsa King went into production without a showrunner in place and relied on Scott Stone, who was an executive in charge of production from 101 Studios, to oversee the show day to day while Winter was back again as a writer.

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‘Frisco King’

Erickson was set to showrun the Tulsa King spinoff but was removed from that role before production started. Sheridan took on the role of a creator and writer but opted out of a traditional showrunner.

‘Dutton Ranch’

Us Weekly confirmed in April 2026 that Chad Feehan would not return as the showrunner for the Yellowstone spinoff after completing work on season 1. Feehan, who created Lawmen: Bass Reeves with Sheridan, reportedly departed Dutton Ranch after alleged friction with series stars Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly, among others.

Sheridan and his producing partner David Glasser, along with the two leads, were allegedly more unhappy with how Feehan ran the production than with the scripts.

Drew Dodson, who has been accused of cheating with Steven McBee Jr.’s girlfriend, Allie Eklund, has broken his silence on the allegations against him.

“I wasn’t planning on addressing this, but since it’s been brought online and kinda of taken on a life of its own, I feel like I should say something,” Dodson wrote via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, April 29. “I was at Stagecoach with a big group of friends including someone I’ve known for years.”

Dodson explained that his time at the 2026 country music festival, which was held from April 24 to 26, was spent “enjoying the night like everyone else” but somehow became entangled in “public accusations” without his consent.

“Somewhere along the way, that got turned into public accusations about both of us without any conversation or attempt to actually understand what happened,” he continued. “I’m not here to go back and forth or fuel anything. The reality is simple I was there with friends, nothing more.”

Related: Breaking Down Steven McBee Jr. and Allie Eklund’s Stagecoach Cheating Scandal

Steven McBee Jr. and Allie Eklund’s relationship took a turn for the worse after the pair attended a country music festival. After traveling to Indio, California, to experience Stagecoach with headliners Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson and Post Malone, McBee accused Eklund of cheating on him. “I still don’t know exactly what happened,” McBee shared via […]

Dodson added that he is just trying to “clear the air and keep it moving.”

He concluded, “That’s all I have to say on it. 🍟 regardless.”

Earlier this week, McBee, 33, accused Eklund, 29, of cheating on him after he left Stagecoach one day early.

“Left a day early because I have real responsibilities. Just got two other calls about this situation as well,” the McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys star wrote via his Instagram on Monday, April 27. “Damn, embarrassing to put this out there but figured there’s no reason to gatekeep. Random dm, two phone calls and a video. Unreal. When someone shows you who they are … listen.”

McBee claimed that he was sent messages and videos of Eklund allegedly getting cozy with Dodson.

“I still don’t know exactly what happened,” he claimed in a since-deleted social media video. “I just know there was handholding, grinding, dancing, drunken stupor at an afterparty.”

Eklund, for her part, denied the allegations and shared that she was disappointed in McBee for accusing her online before hearing her side of the story.

“This is really sad to see, and I’m genuinely at a loss for words,” she wrote via her own Instagram Story on Monday. “Posting everything online before we talked is extremely disheartening and extremely unfair, considering l’ve protected Steven many times during the course of our relationship.”

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In a subsequent post, Eklund shared a screenshot of an alleged text from McBee that read, “What a hooker. Unreal. You want to be at every party hooking up with every guy possible. Have a good life f***ing slut.”

“I’ve handled everything in this relationship privately and with respect, even when it hasn’t been easy,” she concluded. “This situation is painful, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’m not looking to escalate things any further, I’d like this to end here. I’ve said what feels necessary in response to his actions and I plan on taking time to process and move forward.”

McBee and Eklund have been dating since 2025 and made their debut as a couple at BravoCon 2025.

Tom Cruise has reportedly been growing closer to Pamela Anderson, with a report claiming the actors are in constant communication, sparking speculations that there may be something more between them.

Cruise has reportedly been taking the lead in their friendly relationship after connecting with her following her “big comeback” performance in “The Last Showgirl.”

On the movie front, Tom Cruise is set to reprise his role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun 3” after Paramount announced that it’s in the works.

Cruise and Anderson have sparked relationship rumors as reports suggest they’ve been talking for a long time and growing closer to each other.

According to a report, sources say the “Mission: Impossible” star made the first move by calling her in 2024 to congratulate her for her effort in “The Last Showgirl,” which has earned her praise from all quarters, as well as several award wins and nominations.

“The movie got people to see Pam in a very different light, including Tom,” the source told the news outlet. “They’ve been in touch ever since.”

“There is definitely a spark between them,” the source added. “People have noticed it and mentioned it to Tom.”

Pamela Anderson And Tom Cruise Were Seen Leaving The Same Hotel

Last year, the pair sparked speculations as they were seen in a TikTok video leaving the same hotel in New York City.

Anderson didn’t stop to interact with fans, while Cruise took the time to sign autographs and just say hello to them.

The insider who spoke to the news outlet added that the “Jack Reacher” star is “a very private guy, so until they’re at a place where they want to make this official, Tom will play his cards close to the chest.”

Tom Cruise Always ‘Speaks Highly’ Of Pamela Anderson

Cruise, who counts Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes as his exes, reportedly doesn’t “shoot down the idea of dating Pam when people bring it up,” with the source adding that they both share a love for movies.

“She’s a huge cinephile — that’s something they really have bonded over,” the insider said. “They can talk for hours about films and the business.”

“He always speaks highly of her,” they added. “Tom has a ton of respect for Pam.”

Tom Cruise’s ‘Exhausting’ Behavior Affected His Past Romance

Cruise is no newcomer to being linked with some of Hollywood’s top actresses after already getting married to some in the past.

All through last year, he was linked to Ana De Armas after they were pictured together on several dates earlier on.

However, he’s understood to have been the reason that the relationship imploded, as he allegedly wanted to be in control of various aspects of their romance.

At the time, sources told Rob Shuter’s #ShutterScoop that she was “adored” by him, which was evident by all the stops he pulled to go out with her at the time, but she had to step back because he had a controlling behavior.

“He acted like a director, not a boyfriend,” a source said about their romance at the time. “Every dinner, every outfit, every weekend plan — he had notes. It was exhausting.”

Her unease was seemingly compounded by the actor’s request for them to intensify and take things deeper, even when she didn’t feel ready.

“He’s high-octane in everything,” the insider added. “Ana wanted a partner. Tom wanted a production.”

Pamela Anderson Confirmed Her Relationship With Liam Neeson

On her part, Anderson was previously linked to Liam Neeson after they both starred on “The Naked Gun.” The pair grew so close, sparking rumors about the nature of their relationship at the time.

“If you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming,” she told People Magazine in an interview, adding that they later spent an “intimate week” at his home in New York.

“I had my own room,” she said. “Our assistants both came; even family stopped by.” 

According to her, they both went to dinner at a tiny French restaurant where he introduced her as the “future Mrs. Neeson.”

She added that she spent time in his garden and “tended to a rosebush overgrown with mint” and was happy doing it, which he was grateful for.

That week became what she called their “romantic lost week,” after which they went their separate ways to work on other films. They, however, reunited while promoting the film some months later.

After starring in the Emmy-winning, fan-favorite TV series Breaking Bad, any other show Bryan Cranston did would always be compared to it. And while that could definitely have fans excited to tune in, Cranston’s 2020 crime thriller Your Honor didn’t have the warmest reception, partly because of the high bar Breaking Bad had set. After all, while Your Honor was less of a crowd-pleaser than the five-season drama alongside Aaron Paul, the series was still compelling, full of twists, and packed with incredible performances.

After being picked up for a second season on Showtime, Your Honor came to an end in 2025 after the network canceled the show. But, despite the cancellation, the series has still earned a second wave of fans on Netflix since arriving on the platform on May 31, 2024. Per Netflix, however, Your Honor is getting ready to leave the streaming giant altogether, exiting the platform on May 31, 2026. With that said, there’s no better time than now for Netflix subscribers to stream the series.

What Is ‘Your Honor’ About?

Based on the Israeli series Kvodo, Your Honor follows Cranston as Michael Desiato, a New Orleans judge who is forced to cover up a shocking crime when his teenage son Adam (Hunter Doohan) suffers an asthma attack while driving, gets into a car accident, and leaves the scene, allowing another boy to bleed out on the street. That boy, as it turns out, is the son of Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg), a local crime boss who vows to get to the bottom of what happened and exact revenge on the heartless driver who left his son to die alone. In an attempt to protect his family, Michael is then faced with an almost impossible task, putting his job on the line and leading to a web of deceit and cover-ups leading to more murders and even the wrongful conviction of a member of a local gang,

By Season 2 of the series, a loss close to Michael turns his life upside down. The season kicks off with him in prison as he’s approached by the powerful District Attorney Olivia Delmont (Rosie Perez). In their talk, they strike a deal. In order to protect his best friend and the new mayor of New Orleans, Charlie (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Michael will help Olivia bring down the Baxter family, once and for all. Your Honor, created by Peter Moffat, also stars Lili Kay, Hope Davis, Carmen Ejogo, Jimi Stanton, Mark Margolis, Chet Hanks, Ciara Renee, Andre Ward-Hammond, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Tony Curran and Benjamin Flores Jr.

‘Your Honor’ Is a Worthwhile Watch Despite Mixed Reviews

Throughout its two-season run, Your Honor received mixed reviews. While Collider deemed the series a solid B, Your Honor scored a disappointing 49% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 67% among the public. From the critics’ reviews, while the series is criticized for being unoriginal and inconsistent with its pacing, Your Honor still made for a captivating and enthralling watch. “It is hard to look away from this intense, brooding drama with a social conscience, and it lingers long after the credits roll,” one review wrote.

Plus, the performances from the star-studded cast alone make for a gripping watch. According to Emma Kiely in her review for Season 2 for Collider, Your Honor‘s biggest strength is the ensemble cast. “Michael Stuhlbarg is again, superb as the menacing and intimidating gangster,” she wrote. “Jimmy’s scenes with his wife, Gina (Davis), draw out Stuhlbarg’s best work as he gets to layer on the character he established in Season 1.” The same goes for the actresses in the show, who get their time to shine in Season 2. “Rosie Perez wears her smug grin with pride as the confident and manipulative lawyer, bringing some much-needed energy against Cranston’s misery,” the review continued. “Lilli Kay is given more to do too, as Fia becomes a more fateful character and her scenes with Cranston are the most tender of the entire show, offering a much-needed respite from the nail-biting intensity.”

With all that said, if you’re a fan of Cranston or his work on Breaking Bad, then there’s no better time than now to watch his gripping crime series Your Honor. Cranston’s Michael and Walter White go through entirely different journeys, but they both make for bingeworthy and worthwhile TV. Plus, with a murder to bury, and another murder to solve, Your Honor is the type of show that grips you from the beginning to the very end.

Ian Somerhalder revealed that he and wife Nikki Reed sank their teeth into crushing debt and found a way to bounce back — but not without putting in some serious work.

“I retired from acting seven years ago,” the Vampire Diaries alum, 47, told E! News at the Beverage Forum in Manhattan Beach, California, on Tuesday, April 28. “I left an insanely lucrative career in television after financial upheaval from building a business that I didn’t build properly. And due to fraud, it put my wife and I into an eight-figure hole.”

Somerhalder admitted that the debt was “a hard hole to climb out of,” going on to reveal that Reed’s help was essential to him getting back on track.

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“But Nikki and I did it,” he added. “You know, she really negotiated us out of this deal but we sold houses, paintings, cars, watches, everything.”

Prior to getting in a relationship with the Twilight actress, 37, Somerhalder built a clean energy company while starring as Damon on The Vampire Diaries, revealing in May 2021 that it was a business venture he invested into “heavily” while making “huge personal guarantees to banks.” (The Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017.)

Somerhalder — now dad to 8-year-old daughter Bodhi and a 2-year-old son with Reed — said that things went awry “due to greed and fraud within that company and fraudulent activities from our biggest customer.”

He noted the temporary collapse of the oil and gas industry at the time was the final straw that broke hs financial back. The former small screen star said in his new interview that “it all came crashing down” after he made promises to lenders he couldn’t keep.

In hindsight, Somerhalder said he “should have been retiring off of one of the biggest TV shows in the world” instead of “starting companies that were not gonna pay me possibly ever.”

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Somerhalder previously credited Reed for her unwavering support.

“This woman here decided that she didn’t want to see her husband ruin his body/mind/spirit and pulled up her bootstraps and got down in the trenches assembling a team to get to the negotiating table to find a way out,” he gushed in an Instagram post. “She devoted her life to getting me out of that mess and it almost killed her along the way.”

The couple recently celebrated their 11-year wedding anniversary. They tied the knot on April 26, 2015.

One of the most impactful aspects that the medium of filmmaking holds over various other forms of entertainment is its ability to excite and amp up audiences in a rush of adrenaline more than any other art form. While obviously not every film is going to go for this style of exciting, high-octane approach, the films that do focus on sheer excitement above all else can turn out to be wildly effective if the excitement lands with audiences. The films that truly capture the exciting possibilities of the medium stand as some of the best masterpieces of filmmaking.

What’s especially interesting is that what inherently excites audiences will continue to change and shift with each different generation and the always-increasing technological advancements of what is possible in filmmaking. Certain films, in their inherent excitement, have left a massive influence upon the genres they’re a part of, directly impacting various other films hoping to recapture their excitement. Several of these highly acclaimed masterclasses have been celebrated as among the greatest filmmaking achievements of their respective eras.

10

‘RRR’ (2022)

Indian cinema has been on an absolutely explosive run of wild, high-energy blockbuster masterclasses in the modern day, with easily the most prominent and widely acclaimed of these films being RRR. This explosive buddy action film twist on the story of two real-life Indian revolutionaries took the world by storm with its exceptional action and spectacle that never gets boring during its 3-hour runtime. Through its use of stylish slow motion and mesmerising set pieces, RRR captivates and leaves audiences in a constant state of shock and awe.

The film has become an icon of Indian action films and helped show the world just what the region was capable of in terms of creating exciting, well-crafted blockbusters that could easily compete with the best action films of the modern era. Even as the Indian action industry has continued to grow and evolve in the years since its overwhelming success, RRR still stands as a defining pillar and one of the best action films of the 2020s.

9

‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)

Image via Paramount Pictures

The Mission: Impossible franchise has continued to stand as one of the premiere examples of consistent action filmmaking greatness and exceptional spectacle at its absolute best, with no singular entry quite exemplifying this like Mission: Impossible – Fallout. From an intricate long-shot skydiving sequence to an amazing climax involving a helicopter and disarming a bomb, Fallout exemplifies the greatest, most exciting aspects of the franchise and amplifies them to their absolute limits.

At this point in the franchise’s history, the filmmakers have a fundamental understanding of not only what makes the franchise so effective, but also what makes it continuously compelling and exciting to audiences who have loved it since the very first entry. It sees Tom Cruise doing what he does best as an action protagonist, being a part of mesmerizing stunts that keep audiences engaged and excited from beginning to end.

8

‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)

Image via Paramount Pictures

An icon of 80s adventure films that brought together the legendary talents of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to create a masterclass love letter to adventure films of old, Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure cinematic magic in an adventure blockbuster package. It weaves together a sprawling, globe-trotting adventure that continuously finds strength thanks to the electrifying screen presence of Harrison Ford in the lead role and Spielberg’s masterful vision for directing.

This flawless action movie makes the absolute most out of the medium with exciting and engaging sequences one after another, each one managing to make the film feel more timeless and iconic than the last. Through its exciting and highly engaging sense of action and characters, the film quickly cemented itself as one of the defining blockbuster achievements of the 80s and has persisted in pop culture ever since its release.

7

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)

Image via A24

The Best Picture-winning sci-fi action fan favorite that exudes sheer creativity and limitless possibilities with its premise and execution, Everything Everywhere All at Once immediately won over critics and audiences alike with its distinct charm and electrifying execution. It makes the absolute most out of its multiversal story in terms of action, comedy, and everything in between to create an experience that is as hilarious as it is captivating and mesmerizing to watch unfold.

However, action and comedy alone are only two of the pieces that make up the sustained genius and staying power of this modern-day classic, as its distinct emotional core and gripping themes struck a nerve with audiences in a way very few action films have ever been able to do. This, in turn, manages to make its wild antics and explosive action all the more memorable and impactful, as it adds additional weight and layers of depth to this chaotic, explosive cinematic experience.

6

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Superhero movies continue to be at the forefront of blockbuster conversations as some of the most popular and successful films of the modern era, yet no superhero film has come close to the sustained mastery and explosive filmmaking prowess of Christopher Nolan‘s Batman masterpiece, The Dark Knight. This universally beloved action film stands for everything that makes Batman such a compelling character, with a great reflection on the sacrifices of unsung heroism and featuring some of the best, most layered villains in blockbuster history.

Nolan’s distinct style of blockbuster filmmaking leads the way to not only some exceptional, high-spectacle sequences that make the most out of the then-latest technologies, but also layering this action with depth and symbolism that makes it all the more effective and stylish in execution. In terms of a true crowd-pleasing experience of sheer excitement, The Dark Knight stands as Nolan’s most approachable and captivating experience to date, with Batman as a character being as exciting as he’s ever been on the big screen.

5

‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros.

Forever changing the sci-fi and action genres with its sleek style, captivating worldbuilding, and revolutionary action sequences, The Matrix is continuously celebrated as a monolithic achievement of spectacle filmmaking mixed with thought-provoking narrative. The Wachowski sisters go all out in terms of their groundbreaking approach to stylish action, making each action sequence feel like a massive leap forward for what was possible with action filmmaking in the digital era.

The film utilized its overwhelming sense of style and personality to amplify each sequence of the film, using slow-motion to transform its heroes into icons of action and telling a layered story of free will and breaking free of the confines of society. It has continued to stand as a classic of the genre and one of the most influential action films leading into the 21st century, with its exciting execution playing a major part in the film’s continued staying power and success.

4

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)

Image via New Line Cinema

Peter Jackson‘s Lord of the Rings trilogy is often considered to be the absolute apex of fantasy epics, and while each film manages to be exciting and breathtaking in its own way, the finale of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, features the trilogy’s most exhilarating moments. Concluding all the build-up of the trilogy, The Return of the King is a sheer fantasy spectacle at its very best, utilizing the most compelling aspects of the groundbreaking visuals and production to create one of the best epic fantasies ever made.

All the inherent strengths that make the entire trilogy so timeless and exceptional in their craft and execution are at their very best in The Return of the King, featuring the best performances, best visuals, and especially the best spectacle of the entire trilogy. The entire trilogy wouldn’t be nearly as celebrated if this finale didn’t stick the landing, with The Return of the King often being considered one of the greatest finale films of all time thanks to its raw, unfiltered craft and spectacle.

3

‘Jaws’ (1975)

Image via Universal Pictures

While many modern horror films don’t come to mind when considering widely exciting films in their execution, Steven Spielberg’s original blockbuster masterpiece, Jaws, stands tall as the absolute height of what is possible with a horror film in terms of spectacle and excitement. While it initially draws in audiences with its fear and tension caused by the ruthless death and destruction of the shark, it fully transforms into a pure display of adrenaline and excitement during its climactic showdown between the shark and those looking to hunt it down.

The previous horror elements only further amplify the excitement of its later moments, as the audience is fully aware of the death and destruction that the shark is capable of, making their honorable mission all the more impactful and exciting. Even at one of the earliest stages in his career, Jaws exemplifies just how much fundamental knowledge that Spielberg had over how to draw up excitement and flair from a cinematic experience, giving large moments the bombastic execution they deserve to succeed.

2

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Often considered to be the absolute height of what is possible in terms of contemporary action filmmaking, Mad Max: Fury Road seamlessly combines practical sets and action with stylish digital flourishes to create one of the most striking and jaw-dropping action films ever made. The film simply exudes shock and awe with each passing moment, managing to consistently one-up itself in terms of mesmerizing action sequences that manage to get the audience that much more excited and enthralled in the film.

It’s a perfectly directed blockbuster that builds upon the concepts that George Miller established with his original trilogy and amplifies their greatest attributes, utilizing a budget and technology that simply weren’t possible in the past. Between all the explosions, death, and madness of the wasteland, there is a brilliance to the execution of Fury Road that has made it the definitive action classic of the modern era. Few action films have even come close to its masterful understanding of the genre, now over a decade since its release.

1

‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ (2004)

Image via Miramax Films

On the one hand, it may be considered cheating to consider the combination of both Kill Bill volumes, known as Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, for this list, considering that both volumes were originally released separately. However, considering this film was always originally envisioned to be experienced as one singular action epic experience, it’s hard to deny this story from being considered in its complete vision. As a complete vision, The Whole Bloody Affair is an unmistakable masterclass of excitement, keeping the audience excited and invested from the first second until the credits roll.

Quentin Tarantino‘s absolute greatest action film is at its greatest when taken as a whole, with the explosive action of the first half complementing the character moments and tension of the second half perfectly. It’s a story that lives and dies by the excitement and spectacle of its execution, whether it be through explosive action sequences or hardened showdowns with deep history between its combatants. Its recent theatrical rerelease late last year further cemented it as a pure cinematic spectacle and a beacon of excitement in the cinematic form.

It’s been almost two months since Season 3 of The Night Agent was released, and if you’re beginning to feel an itch for a spy thriller, I don’t blame you. There’s just nothing better than investing in a convoluted yet fascinating plot with twists and turns and great action. Therefore, if you’re willing to enter a darker world of assassins, special agents, and morally dubious interests, The Day of the Jackal needs to be your next binge.

Based on the 1971 book of the same name written by Frederick Forsyth, the series features a mysterious yet highly skilled assassin only known as The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) who pursues his target while the law attempts to foil his plan. However, the TV show updates the tale to the modern day, with Redmayne’s character now being paid to kill an Elon Musk-type billionaire. While both The Day of the Jackal and The Night Agent will have you on the edge of your seat every episode, there are key differences in how the former presents its morally complex protagonist and antagonist compared to the latter’s relatively straightforward morality that will make this a comforting yet unique experience.

‘The Day of the Jackal’s Titular Character Is Not a Good Guy Like Peter

When one thinks of The Night Agent, the thing that comes to mind immediately will most likely be Peter’s (Gabriel Basso) unwavering morality. His determination to protect Rose (Luciane Buchanan), even when it means disobeying some of the most powerful people in Washington, is what makes him the kind of lovable hero we can support from the very first moment we meet him. Even in Season 2, when his isolation pushes him to the brink of what he is willing to do, he never physically crosses the line of torture or putting innocents in danger.

If you think The Day of the Jackal will have a protagonist such as this, you’ll need to severely adjust your expectations. Even the word “antihero” is arguably a stretch too far to describe The Jackal. Redmayne’s cold performance, which can switch to incredibly charming when necessary, along with the character’s skill in covert killing, makes him both frightening and enjoyable to watch. When we are introduced to The Jackal, he assassinates a far-right politician with a record-breaking sniper shot from a gun that we see him assemble from a suitcase before putting it back together and calmly walking away, leaving a bomb for the police. Through this scene, our perspective of The Jackal is established. His ability makes him impressive, while his composure tells us he has no moral compass guided by social norms, and the fact that his victim is not particularly moral in and of himself permits us to enjoy this act of violence.

The contrast between the two leads is striking, but this also affects their mode of operation. The Jackal is typically in control of the situation, whereas Peter is consistently on the back foot in terms of resources and assistance. While Peter’s underdog, never-say-die attitude is easy to root for, there is something intensely satisfying about watching The Jackal operate. The more nuanced exploration of the kind of people who exist in this world in the shadows is arguably more realistic and keeps us guessing about who we want to succeed.

The Jackal’s Mysterious Past in ‘The Day of the Jackal’ Serves a Different Purpose

Image via Peacock

For both Peter and The Jackal, their pasts are incredibly key to the narrative told in The Night Agent and The Day of the Jackal, respectively. However, the way these protagonists interact with and acknowledge their backstories is fascinating for the impact it has on how we perceive them. In The Night Agent, Peter’s past, with his Dad accused of being a traitor and everybody believing he’ll turn out the same, is something he feels he must work to shrug off.

This gives him a sense of urgency, and with that urgency comes the possibility that it will be used to insult or manipulate him, as it is multiple times throughout The Night Agent. In comparison, The Jackal’s past is a central subplot of the show, with the slow discovery of how he became the heartless hitman he is today only increasing our fear and respect for him. Since The Jackal is spending the entire show ignoring his past while others are trying to resurrect it to learn his identity, the mystery presents him as a specter-like figure with no beginning and, therefore, no end.

Lashana Lynch’s Bianca Pursues Justice in a Darker Way Than ‘The Night Agent’s Peter

Image via Peacock

A more equivalent character to Peter in terms of someone who works to stop criminals is Lashana Lynch‘s Bianca. She is an MI6 agent and weapons specialist, which means she has a way to identify where The Jackal gets his custom-built weapons, and she defies superiors in her pursuit of bringing the assassin to justice. However, that isn’t to say Bianca is the automatic “good guy” in this battle. Bianca is obsessive and regularly ignores the lives of her family to focus on her work. While there is the argument that she is still, at the end of the day, trying to do the right thing, the fact that she uses innocents to get the information she wants, even getting someone killed at one point of the series, drastically complicates our relationship with her, and we go back and forth between despising her and praying she’ll catch The Jackal.

Overall, the main difference between The Night Agent and The Day of the Jackal is that the latter is far more morally complex than the former. There isn’t anything wrong with The Night Agent‘s clear divide between heroes and villains, but The Day of the Jackal does slightly more interesting things with its protagonist and antagonist in terms of their morality and presentation, which makes it a show that has you constantly developing your relationship with the characters.

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Network

Sky Atlantic

Directors

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Brian Kirk

Writers

Ronan Bennett

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