Alexander

Alexander has built a real following among viewers who want their action grounded in something real. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Colin Farrell's performance is the throughline that holds the set pieces together. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Alexander earns its spot. The choreography in Alexander serves the story instead of interrupting it. Alexander, the King of Macedonia, leads his legions against the giant Persian Empire. After defeating the Persians, he leads his army across the then known world, venturing farther than any westerner had ever gone, all the way to India. Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2004. The geography of every set piece in Alexander is legible, which is rarer in the genre than it should be. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Action fans who want craft and story alongside the spectacle will find exactly that in Alexander. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Colin Farrell's performance is the throughline that holds the bigger action elements together. Give it twenty minutes and decide — most viewers do not stop there.