Jonah Hex

If you want science fiction that respects its own premise, Jonah Hex is available in the UK on Netflix right now. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 1,557 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Josh Brolin — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Jonah Hex is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Jonah Hex uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Gunslinger Jonah Hex is appointed by President Ulysses Grant to track down terrorist Quentin Turnbull, a former Confederate officer determined on unleashing hell on earth. Jonah not only secures freedom by accepting this task, he also gets revenge on the man who slew his wife and child. Josh Brolin and John Malkovich lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2010. Jonah Hex resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Jonah Hex a chance. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Josh Brolin's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.