Bait

Right now you can watch Bait in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Philo, and in the UK on Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 818 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Xavier Samuel sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Start it on Amazon Prime Video whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Bait is worth clearing space for. Bait takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. A freak tsunami traps shoppers at a coastal Australian supermarket inside the building ... Along with a 12-foot great white shark. Xavier Samuel and Richard Brancatisano lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. It was released in 2012. Bait resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Bait. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Xavier Samuel is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.