Watching: Abduction, corruption and vehicle destruction

Two action movies with plenty of fists and bullets
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Watching
For subscribersJune 25, 2025

Dear Watchers,

You may have seen the movie "Exterritorial" in your Netflix feed over the past couple of months and wondered, What's that? At one point in early May, the film was one of the most watched on the service (according to Netflix), so it certainly captured some attention. If you like movies about single moms who can throw a punch, this one's for you.

Our action expert Robert Daniels loves it, too. He recommends that German thriller on this Genre Movie Wednesday, along with the latest in the "Lost Bullet" trilogy of French action movies (the aptly titled "Last Bullet"), also on Netflix. Expect fist fights, midair collisions and, yes, bullets.

Read more from Robert below about what makes these movies a wild ride, then head here for three more of his picks.

Happy viewing.

'Exterritorial'

A woman in jeans and a tank top punches a man on the ground in a room. Behind her, a man in leather is wrestling someone.
Jeanne Goursaud plays Sara, a soldier and mother whose son disappears at a U.S. consulate. Sasha Ostrov/Netflix

Where to watch: Stream "Exterritorial" on Netflix.

Sara (Jeanne Goursaud), a German war veteran, is preparing to move to the United States with her son, Josh (Rickson Guy da Silva), when he is abducted in the American consulate. Although Sara begs for help, the consulate's smarmy security officer, Eric (Dougray Scott), claims her son was never with her.

Like "Flightplan," another film about a mother searching for her missing child, "Exterritorial," written and directed by Christian Zübert, makes gaslighting a juicy subject for an action thriller. In her pursuit, which is often slowed by her post-traumatic stress disorder, Sara discovers a secret drug ring and an imprisoned whistle-blower (Lera Abova). An expert in hand-to-hand combat, Sara also engages in bone-rattling scrums with consulate personnel.

The oppressively white and bright setting, the psychological angst felt by Sara and Zübert's insistence on long takes make "Exterritorial" succeed as a frustrating fight for recognition.

'Last Bullet'

Two cars collide midair above a road with a large explosion in the background, surrounded by smoke, debris, and bare trees on the roadside.
A scene from "Last Bullet." Netflix

Where to watch: Stream "Last Bullet" on Netflix.

"Last Bullet," the latest installment in the high-octane "Lost Bullet" trilogy, about French cops with fast cars, is deeply interconnected. The movie begins as a fugitive former police officer named Areski (Nicolas Duvauchelle) returns to southern France from Germany to retrieve his wife and son. His former boss Commander Resz (Gérard Lanvin), the corrupt head of narcotics, is out to kill him. At the same time, a vengeful Lino (Alban Lenoir) wants to capture Resz while also seeking retribution against Areski for killing his mentor.

Although this film features plenty of moving parts, "Last Bullet" is beautiful and direct. There's a taxing fist fight on a tram and a tightly choreographed car chase that begins in parks before speeding through city streets. The destruction relies on practical effects: A helicopter explodes, and a semi-truck is smashed. A car tumbles off a cliff with a camera mounted to it. Now that's immersive filmmaking.

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