The Sci-Fi Crime Suspense Thriller on Netflix is the Best Superhero Secret Gem You Can Find

Perhaps it is because Sleight has very few recognizable stars. Sure, we have Stacey Dash from Clueless and Mo’ Money. Dule Hill, from The West Wing and Psych, makes an appearance.

But for the most part, the actors are as hidden as the film itself. Still, it should have been a breakout film that lent credence to the lead star, Jacob Latimore, at the very least. 

Is Sleight low-budget? Yes. The entire budget was only $250,000. To put things into perspective, Logan, the swan song of Wolverine, had a budget of $97 million. However, Sleight grossed $4 million around the world at box offices while Logan brought in a little over $600 million. The return on Sleight, then, is much higher. 

So, of course, Sleight doesn’t have huge explosions and A-list actors, and yet it somehow still manages to deliver entertainment, mystery, and heart.

Maybe this is because director J.D. Dillard went into co-writing this film with his partner Alex Theurer with the intention of giving it “heart.” And it is just this heart that has critics raving over what a hidden gem this movie is. 

Christy Lemire of rogerebert.com describes the film as one which “explores what happens when an ordinary person gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and the lengths he’ll go to keep himself from going under.” 

The main character going through these extraordinary circumstances in Sleight is Bo Wolfe, a street magician who is charged with taking care of his little sister, Tina, after their parents die.

He started out as a brilliant kid who earned a scholarship to an engineering school for his invention of an electromagnet he can install in his arm, making him able to manipulate metal. 

However, with his sister under his care, he had to drop the scholarship and turn to selling drugs to make ends meet.

All is seemingly going well as his supplier, Angelo (played by Dule Hill), is a nice enough guy. And during the day, Bo uses his electromagnet to run sleight-of-hand card games on the gritty streets of inner-city Los Angeles. 

There is an element of magic, an element of sci-fi, and a huge dose of superhero origin story laced into Sleight as things go wrong for Bo. Angelo’s competition soon makes things difficult for him and, as a result, for Bo.

Bo ends up doing things he’d rather not do, including stealing money. All of this results in his little sister being kidnapped and Bo having to level-up his abilities and his aggression. It’s all to save what left he has of his family and get the heck out of dodge. 

Sleight offers viewers a slow-burn that builds in intensity over the span of an hour and a half, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you cannot help but put yourself in Bo’s shoes. What would you do? And how quickly and easily do things spin out of control once you take the first step down a dark path?

These are questions you’ll be asking yourself long after the credits roll. Then, you’ll be hoping we’ll get more of Bo and his crew in a sequel soon.