This action thriller is really good up to 50 minutes, after that you should turn it off

After watching a film, do you sometimes regret having watched it to the end? Netflix Originals usually don’t stick in my mind. Rarely do they really get me carried away. Heart of Stone got mediocre to bad reviews right from the start. Still, I gave Gal Gadot’s James Bond candidacy a shot—and was enthusiastic about the first 50 minutes. Which is why the subsequent failure of the action film is all the more annoying.

Successful Netflix start: Heart of Stone starts really exciting

Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) plays the titular agent Rachel Stone in Heart of Stone. I didn’t know much more about Netflix’s latest action work before. So when the film throws me like a foolish snowball into the scenery of a snowy ski resort right at the beginning, I have to learn to find my way around. And this one Riddle prelude makes the thriller immediately appealing.

While I’m still wondering why Gal Gadot – apparently as a trainee – stays in the car, the rest of the MI6 team goes on a criminal hunt. With relish, Heart of Stone peels back the onion layers of his story: Rachel Stone doesn’t just work as a newcomer for the British secret service. She is actually a top spy for the secret peacemaker organization called Charter. In her double game, she must hide her true skill from the MI6 team members. A strong start for a spy film. The friendly mole’s game of hide-and-seek reliably draws me into the film.

It continues convincingly: Heart of Stone unexpectedly has a beating heart

After this business trip to the mountains, Heart of Stone pulls out the next unexpected twist. Despite its title, the Netflix film doesn’t have a “heart of stone,” it has establishes a team full of surprisingly warm-hearted characters. The shoulder of the bearded technology expert Bailey (Paul Ready) invites you to lean on in any emergency. Fighter Yang (Jing Lusi) always makes people laugh with her jokes. And quiet leader Parker (Jamie Dornan) has romantic potential.

Unfortunately, these lovely people are not Rachel’s charter team, but the betrayed MI6 group. And Agent Stone is forbidden to enter into relationships with the ignorant. That Gal Gadot’s secret agent is still longs to belong here, is completely believable. I couldn’t stop thinking about the Mission: Impossible series, which for me is not just about Tom Cruise and his stunts, but also about engaging supporting characters like Luther and Benji.

Be enormous human potential shows Heart of Stone between the action scenes during joint visits to cafés and hotel room dances. So when Gal Gadot’s character finally has to choose between her secret identity and her forbidden friends in Lisbon, there really is something at stake. I’m emotionally invested. But instead of using my feelings, Netflix twists me into a noose.

For your own good: stop Netflix’ Heart of Stone before minute 50

Because What happens after 49:30 minutes robs me of all interest to Heart of Stone. In order not to spoil it, just this much: For a twist and a short moment of shock, the Netflix film says goodbye to its team, which was convincingly built up in the first half. He rips his own heart out.

With the narrative turned inside out in this way Heart of Stone degenerates into a completely interchangeable spy film within a very short time. We travel the world fighting a global threat. But without a team. Without putting your heart into it any longer. Even explosive zeppelins in front of a desert panorama or Matthias Schweighöfer as a German nerd export can’t change the rudder.

Gal Gadot is unquestionably an action star after her DC appearances as Wonder Woman, Fast & Furious and Red Notice. But even talented action heroes need a profile. And each character only gets that when they interact with other three-dimensional characters. However, Rachel Stone remains isolated and as a solo fighter has little choice but to do so pre-drawn path of a world-saving decal to follow.

The hastily introduced replacement figures in the second half of the film do not live up to their predecessors. They stay Cannon fodder with no potential for identification. Only at the very end does the Netflix film remember Rachel’s longing for a real, reliable team. Only then it is already too late to get the fallen child out of the well.

So save yourself the unforgivable twist. Turn off as soon as Lisbon’s fountain appears on screen. Hit stop when Gal says Gadot “we all want the same thing” and spin the action film in your head cinema alone. Because the The first 50 minutes of Heart of Stone easily rise above the Netflix mediocrity. And you shouldn’t let the remaining 72 minutes ruin that for you.

Podcast: The 8 best Netflix movies of all time

Since 2015, Netflix has not only released exclusive series, but also films. We looked at the titles of the past few years and selected the eight best Netflix original films. You can find out exactly which ones are involved in this issue of our podcast Streamgegräber.

From brutal war drama to dreamy fantasy adventures, from blockbusters to insider tips: you can discover some strong original films on Netflix. Even the lost work of a master director has appeared on the streaming service.

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