Netflix getting new movies is no surprise to anyone who has subscribed to the service for a few years. For the most part, we’re used to new films arriving at the start of every month on Netflix with some sporadic appearances throughout the days that follow, until the next month arrives and the process starts all over again. More often than not, Netflix also reveals exactly what fans can watch in the coming days, not only in their newsletter but by teasing them on the service. This week, though, a horror-thriller that flew under the radar years ago has arrived and taken a lot of people by surprise.
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Arriving without any fanfare and dropping just before the new year kicks off, Netflix is now streaming the 2021 horror-thriller The Girl Who Got Away. An independent film that was released by Quiver Distribution four years ago, The Girl Who Got Away is written and directed by Michael Morrissey. The film follows the story of a female serial killer who escapes custody years later, with one police officer believing that she’s out to hunt her final victim, who managed to escape her deathly grasp. It’s a surprising little movie for Netflix viewers, but not as surprising as it is for comic book movie fans who tune in and find Chukwudi Iwuji is one of the stars.
Netflix’s New Hit Thriller Stars a Comic Book Favorite
On the surface, The Girl Who Got Away appears to star a cast of working actors who are not immediately recognizable. Though star Lexi Johnson can be seen in episodes of This Is Us and The Nice Guys, and Geoffrey Cantor can be found in Marvel’s Daredevil, none of the cast are as recognizable to some audience members as Chukwudi Iwuji. A Nigerian actor, prior to appearing in The Girl Who Got Away, Iwuji was perhaps best known for starring in episodes of Doctor Who, along with an appearance in John Wick: Chapter 2, but now fans know him for his major roles in Marvel and DC.
In the first season of Peacemaker, Chukwudi Iwuji starred as a mercenary hired by Amanda Waller, but who was, in secret, possessed by an alien from another planet. Iwuji had a tall task in the first season of the series, playing the tough character that fans met in the first episode and then finding the balance of that act alongside playing the “butterfly” that was actually inside his body. His work not only earned him high praise from fans but also gave filmmaker James Gunn another actor he was eager to collaborate with. Gunn would hire Iwuji for his next project after Peacemaker Season 1, playing the main antagonist of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The High Evolutionary. Despite already having a role in the DCU, Gunn has made it clear he’d love to work with Chukwudi Iwuji again in the franchise (and to his credit, Iwuji has an idea about what character he could play, too).
Iwuji’s presence is perhaps not what has fans flocking to watch The Girl Who Got Away, but the film has quickly become a surprise hit on Netflix. As of this writing, it sits at the #2 spot in movies in the United States, a position it seems primed to hold. There are only four reviews for The Girl Who Got Away on Rotten Tomatoes, as sure a sign as any that the indie thriller flew under the radar upon its release, but the film has amassed tons of audience ratings in the day that it has been streaming on Netflix. As of this writing, The Girl Who Got Away has a 92% audience score, with fans praising its smart script and suspense (plus, Iwuji’s performance).
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Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme
