Max Payne

Max Payne is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and Starz Apple TV Channel, and its case-by-case structure never gets in the way of the bigger story. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 2,283 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch Mark Wahlberg work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Start it on Disney Plus whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Max Payne is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The plotting gives Max Payne its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. A DEA agent whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy, and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death, join forces to solve a series of murders in New York City. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2008. Max Payne is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Max Payne. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Watch Mark Wahlberg work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.