A grieving daughter's quest for vengeance hides a psychological twist in this action thriller
In short: In the 2021 Netflix thriller Sweet Girl, a father and daughter seek justice against a pharmaceutical giant after a life-saving drug is pulled from the market. While critics panned the film for its clichéd narrative, the story takes a sharp turn that challenges the audience's perception of the central protagonist.
Directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza, Sweet Girl follows Ray Cooper, a survival expert in Pittsburgh, and his daughter Rachel. Their lives unravel when Amanda, Ray's wife, dies from cancer after BioPrime CEO Simon Keeley pays to delay production of a potentially life-saving medication. Following her death, Ray embarks on a violent crusade against the corporate and political figures responsible for the corruption, including chairman Vinod Shah and Congresswoman Diana Morgan.
The film's narrative structure relies on a significant psychological revelation. While the audience is led to believe that Ray is the primary force behind the vengeance, it is eventually revealed that Ray died two years prior during an encounter with a hitman named Santos. Rachel, struggling with PTSD and dissociative identity disorder, has been operating under the guise of her father to avenge her parents' deaths. This late-stage plot twist was a major point of contention among critics, with many labeling it nonsensical.
Critical reception of the film was largely negative. Rotten Tomatoes reports a 24% approval rating, while Metacritic notes mixed reviews. Critics like Benjamin Lee of The Guardian praised the film's attempt to address the amoral practices of big pharma and healthcare accessibility, yet argued that the script's topicality was thinly etched. Others, such as Matt Zoller Seitz, described the film as an exhausting blend of multiple 1990s and 2000s blockbuster tropes. Despite the narrative criticism, the film's action sequences and stunts received praise, and Netflix reported that 68 million accounts watched at least two minutes of the film within its first 28 days of release.
The production, which featured Jason Momoa and Isabela Merced, filmed in Pittsburgh between November 2019 and February 2020. While some reviewers like Frank Scheck appreciated the efficient handling of action and location usage, the general consensus remained that the film wasted its potential. By the end of the story, Rachel successfully coerces a confession from Congresswoman Morgan, sends the evidence to the FBI, and escapes to a new life.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Sweet Girl (film)
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