Between the film’s non-existent marketing and Hollywood's ongoing writers' strike, I knew not to expect much from Heart of Stone, Netflix’s latest direct-to-streaming outing. And sure enough, the spy thriller proved to be a mediocre watch. The plot is facile and generic, another one of those attempts at justifying AI and government data breaches. The acting is subpar, which is expected from the ever-stoic Gal Gadot. About the only good thing you can say about it is that it has entertaining action sequences. Gadot is precise and terrifying, a stunt wonder made for the genre. Now if only the acting matched the action, then maybe the film wouldn’t feel as plain and wooden. 

Bollywood darling and Hollywood newcomer Alia Bhatt is a breath of fresh air. In scenes where Gadot and Jamie Dornan one-up each other with the blankest, most deadpan expression possible, Bhatt gives it her all. She’s expressive and physical—a ball of energy in a film badly in need of one. I also love how undiluted her accent is, making her turn all the more authentic and convincing.