Agora

If you want action that respects the story underneath it, Agora is available in Australia on Beamafilm, and in the US on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video right now. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. With 1,570 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. No filler scenes, no spinning wheels between the action. Start it on Beamafilm whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Agora is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The set pieces are impressive, but it is the story underneath them that gives Agora its staying power. A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity. Rachel Weisz and Max Minghella lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2009. Agora earns its bigger moments by making you care about the outcome before it happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Agora is the kind of thing you put on to unwind and find yourself sitting forward twenty minutes in. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Rachel Weisz's performance is the throughline that holds the bigger action elements together. Give it twenty minutes and decide — most viewers do not stop there.