Charlize Theron, who has already scored two Netflix megahits with “The Old Guard” and “The Old Guard 2”, is known to be tough! A look at the long list of injuries she has sustained in her film career to date reveals this: On the set of “Aeon Flux” she suffered a herniated disc in her neck in a fall and was almost paralyzed as a result. During “Atomic Blonde,” she broke two teeth and had to undergo root canal treatment. And the filming of Netflix’s “Apex” didn’t go off unscathed for the Oscar winner (for “Monster”): In addition to a broken toe, she had to undergo two operations due to an injury to her elbow.
But if you look at the tough survival serial killer thriller, then it’s actually quite manageable given the extensive (extreme) sports program that the native South African delivers here in the unspoiled nature of the Australian state of New South Wales. The high-speed Netflix production stands out positively from the majority of genre competition, especially through the intensity of the non-stop action and the trust in the show value of the fascinating nature. After the sometimes unintentionally funny lion hunt in “Beast”, the Icelandic filmmaker Baltasar Kormákur (“2 Guns”) proves that he can also deliver straightforward, tough high tension with a manageable running time of 90 minutes.
Stars Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton also deliver a top physical performance in “Apex”!
After losing her partner Tommy (Eric Bana) while rock climbing together, the pain for extreme athlete Sasha (Charlize Theron) is still deep. Five months later, she is looking for a new challenge alone: she is planning a rafting trip lasting several days in an Australian national park. As she stockes up on supplies on site, she meets the reserved hunter Ben (Taron Egerton), who gives her an insider tip for a campsite. But the tipster turns out to be a serial killer who has chosen Sasha as his next prey far from civilization…
Concentrate on the bare essentials
When trekking, it is advisable to travel with as light a luggage as possible. And it is precisely this concept of limiting oneself to the bare essentials that Jeremy Robbins (“The Purge”) also transfers to his script for “Apex”: the plot is reduced to the elementary and all unnecessary ballast is dispensed with! What grieving process Sasha, played with visible mental anguish by Charlize Theron, has gone through in the last few months or what she does outside of her adventures remains a narrative blank space – but it doesn’t matter.
The encounter with pushy macho men and thus a possible turn towards the rape & revenge genre quickly turns out to be a wrong track. “Apex” concentrates on the essentials in the central fight for survival: a hunter equipped with a crossbow, whose monstrous sides increasingly come to light (keyword: homemade beef jerky), as well as his unexpectedly hardened victim, who also usually behaves in a pleasingly clever manner.
Charlize Theron filmed most of the climbing scenes herself – and that just adds to her badass qualities!
An original, perfidious spin only occurs in the heart-stopping finale, which makes your hands soaking wet just watching it. This concentrated focus, together with a whole range of varied outdoor action, ensures a consistently high level of intensity. The long-term chase, staged in an exciting and fast-paced manner by Baltasar Kormákur, leaves hardly any time to breathe – and covers the entire elevation profile of New South Wales, from water-filled canyons to rough kayak rides on the raging river to climbing the sandstone cliffs.
The wild nature almost takes on the role of a third main actor – whereas the opening climbing part on a Norwegian (green screen) rock wall, characterized by unnatural light, really stinks. However, “Apex” benefits massively from the fact that Charlize Theron apparently filmed many of the climbing scenes herself without a stuntwoman.
Believable survival stars!
While the rather bored Eric Bana (“Berlin Nobody”) leaves the film after just ten minutes in a thankless part, the subsequent duel is even more convincing in terms of acting: Charlize Theron, with full physical effort in the action scenes, credibly manages the development from the initially somewhat naïve would-be adventurer to the defensive fighter who even has a large can of pepper spray at the ready at the right moment.
Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”) makes a worthy counterpart: Refreshingly contrasting his image as a clean man who most recently stopped terrorists in Netflix’s “Die Hard 2” variation “Carry-On,” he convinces with sometimes frightening grimaces – and a creepy, childlike joy in skinny-dipping.
Conclusion: Charlize Theron impresses as a defensive survivor in an efficiently told survival thriller that comes with a truly sweaty finale! While a few mixed green screen scenes are initially noticeable, the shots, largely shot in impressive original locations, are even more inspiring.