Love Cillian Murphy? Netflix has a hidden gem action movie starring the Oscar-winner

Huge congratulations must go to Cillian Murphy for winning the Best Actor Oscar for his work in Oppenheimer. He went to great lengths to transform himself for the lead role in a movie that also won Best Picture and Best Director. But it's not my favourite film of his.

That honour (not quite as prestigious as the Oscars) goes to a movie on one of the best streaming services. Free Fire in many ways couldn't be more different to Oppenheimer. For a start, it's half as long (and absolutely flies by) and instead of the slow burn of Nolan's film, this is a shotgun blast of madness from around the third minute that never lets up. The fact that Murphy leads two polar opposite movies so well is a huge testament to himself. 

Streaming now on Netflix (on Max in the US) this is the story of a 70s arms deal gone horribly wrong. Murphy plays Chris, an IRA member in charge of negotiations, and one of the few rational characters in what becomes a movie-long shootout. He's consistently trying to stop the madness that's occurring while others shoot the ever-loving crud out of each other. 

It's not a complicated movie by any means but the technical filmmaking is ridiculously impressive, set almost entirely in the same warehouse it would be easy for things to become hard to follow. It's thanks to director Ben Wheatley that isn't the case. Every bullet has a path and I could pretty much draw you a map of the battlefield as the two sides crawl around looking for an angle. You'll care about the characters too, they're sharply written and often very funny, just don't get too attached. 

This is an action movie that skips pretty much all airs and graces and is all the better for it. With an all-star cast including Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Michael Smiley it's an absolute romp. If you've just rewatched Oppenheimer or any of the 2024 Oscar nominees, Free Fire is the ultimate palette cleanser.