Sweet Girl, Netflix’s newest, is little more than a generic on-the-run thriller that lacks the tension and stakes to truly go the distance. It does, however, give the audience well-choreographed action, and the muscles of Jason Momoa in an attempt to get on your good graces. Everything about Sweet Girl is too average to leave any lasting impression.
After the company manufacturing a generic cancer drug pulls it off the market, Cooper (Momoa) and his daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) are forced to say goodbye to the family matriarch heavy in the throes of cancer. Cooper vows to the CEO of BioPrime: “I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands.” Fast forward to six months later after the tragic death of his wife: Cooper is hungry for revenge. Rachel is the only family he has left—Cooper will stop at nothing for ultimate survival when the two of them are forced to go on the run.
R-rated action antics are on the menu here, even though ultimately they feel significantly less intense than I would have liked. Brian Andrew Mendoza places emphasis on the relationship between Cooper and Rachel—problem is, there is not enough material there. We have seen this type of revenge mayhem before, and as far as I am concerned, we have seen it better.
Sweet Girl is sweet enough, but I was craving more bang for my buck. At its best, I was getting a Logan vibe. It is a shame it can’t latch onto this aura for more than a few fleeting moments. Where it works best is when Sweet Girl makes a commentary on our warped pharmaceutical systems. Bribery absolutely plays a part in the deaths of thousands of people. Miracle drugs and cures are withheld from the market solely to continue lining the pockets of the medical insurance and overall healthcare industries. Greedy companies take lives in their hands senselessly with little care for humanity at large.
Sweet Girl comes to Netflix on Friday, August 20th.
