The Erotic Thriller On Netflix That Leaves You Begging For More
The erotic thriller is a genre that has the potential for tantalizing titillation and exhilarating excitement, but writers and directors often drop the ball. For every Basic Instinct, for example, there are some major stinkers (Basic Instinct 2 being one of the worst offenders). That’s why we were pleasantly surprised to discover Fair Play on Netflix, an erotic thriller that leaves you begging for more.
The erotic thriller Fair Play is the #1 movie streaming on Netflix.
What is Fair Play about, exactly? The basic plot centers around a young couple that is quite a strong pair at the beginning of the film. But when the young woman in the couple receives a promotion at the ruthless law firm they both work for, their relationship begins to fray in ways that nobody (especially the audience) could expect.
While the cast of Fair Play doesn’t have the biggest names in Hollywood, it does bring in some very talented actors. For example, Phoebe Dynevor, who is best known for her excellent work on Bridgerton, plays Emily, the gal who gets the promotion (none of the characters are given last names).
Alden Ehrenreich (best known for playing the titular smuggler in Solo: A Star Wars Story) plays Luke, her coworker and boyfriend who might be a little too threatened by her sudden career success.
If you love character actors, one of the more surprising things about Fair Play is that it brought together two of our faves from Mad Men. The movie stars Rich Sommer, who played the role of the hapless Harry Crane alongside John Hamm’s Don Draper. Patrick Fischler appears in this movie as well, and in addition to his minor role as Jimmy Barrett in Mad Men, he played a memorable role in David Lynch’s hauntingly weird masterpiece Mulholland Drive.
Fair Play is the feature directorial debut of Chloe Domont. However, she’s worked in television, helming episodes of Suits, Billions, and Star Trek: Discovery among others.
For as great as the cast of Fair Play is, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the outstanding work of director Chloe Domont. This is her feature film directorial debut, and the erotic thriller is a genre that even the most experienced directors have struggled to make work.
Domont did more than simply make her own movie work: in addition to being one of the best erotic thrillers we have ever seen, Fair Play quickly became one of the most impressive movies we have seen this year (and given competition from movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer, that’s saying a lot).
We’re not the only ones saying that, either. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a very impressive 88 percent from critics, and those critics praised the first-time director for her distinct aesthetic style that helped the movie stand out.
Netflix fought a bidding war against some big names such as Neon and Searchlight Pictures, and they ended up spending $20 million for the Fair Play distribution rights.
Critics also positively compared this modern erotic thriller with some of the best genre examples from the ‘90s, making this a great film to check out if you still (like us) consider Basic Instinct to be a high point for the entire genre.
Of course, Netflix knew that Fair Play would be a winner long before audiences had a chance to check the film out. The streamer won the bid in order to be the distributor for this film, and that’s something they had to open some very deep pockets for.
Netflix fought a bidding war against some big names such as Neon and Searchlight Pictures, and they ended up spending $20 million for the Fair Play distribution rights.
That may seem like a lot to pay for Fair Play, especially since Netflix has had such a tumultuous year involving the loss of subscribers as well as hits to their reputation (yeah, we’re still salty about the whole password thing).
However, Netflix knows better than anyone that the only way it stays relevant is by having better content than audiences can find anywhere else. And when it comes to modern erotic thrillers, it genuinely doesn’t get any better than Fair Play.
But when it comes to erotic thrillers like Fair Play, we get it: instead of just reading what we have to say about it, you’d like to check it out for yourself. Are you someone who likes to watch, especially when the story involves sex and betrayal? In that case, unless your hands are tied (ahem), you better hit the play button and stream this on Netflix today.
