Title – Fair Play (2023) 

Director – Chloe Domont (feature debut) 

Cast – Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer

Plot – In a secretive romance, hedge fund company workers Emily (Dynevor) and Luke (Ehrenreich) find their relationship being tested when Emily receives a promotion from her shady boss Campbell (Marsan). 

“Competition is close”

Review by Eddie on 18/10/2023

Described by some as a type of modern day erotic thriller in the same vein as sub-genre classics such as Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction, Netflix’s latest streaming hit Fair Play really never feels like its too concerned with the titillation of its categorisation as writer/director Chloe Donmont’s feature takes us down a depressing and bleak path exploring the relationship between Phoebe Dynevor’s Emily and Alden Ehrenreich’s Luke, two hedge fund company workers whose desires and goals begin to clash when Emily receives a promotion at their workplace.     

Acquired by Netflix for the handy sum of $20 million dollars, Domont’s film certainly appears on face value to tick a lot of the boxes that Netflix is on the look out for, up and coming stars (with Dynevor a previous Netflix darling thanks to Bridgerton), water cooler moments (Fair Play’s opening segment will shock many) and topical subject matter but despite appearances it’s likely Fair Play won’t exactly be the film many were expecting as it begins to unveil its hand as things progress/regress between Emily and Luke. 

At all times told and delivered in a non-fussy manner, with much of Domont’s thriller taking place inside the confines of Emily and Luke’s workplace, overseen by a typically unnerving Eddie Marsan as their boss Campbell or in their increasingly uncomfortable home, Fair Play isn’t exactly a cinematic spectacle but thanks to the solid leading turns of its two main cast members and an ability to create a narrative that isn’t always predictable or signposted, Fair Play is a much more well-rounded Netflix event even if it never completely breaks its shackles to become a modern day classic of the sub-genre it has been pigeonholed into. 

Both finally getting cinematic roles that test their skill sets out to greater degrees than before, with it particularly nice to see Alden Ehrenreich back up his turn from Oppenheimer here and seemingly move on completely from the non-event/star-making vehicle attempt that was Solo, both Dynevor and Ehrenreich are on song here and make Emily and Luke not exactly likeable characters but intriguing ones, working with Domont’s script to give us two of the years more unpredictable central figures that help give the film its most notable aspect. 

Memorability and after screening conversation centred around Fair Play is going to predominantly centre around the fact (without going into spoiler territory) that there is no clear winner or loser here, no obvious villain or hero with both Emily and Luke having their moments in the sun and the shadows in equal measure and while with these type of cat and mouse thrillers there’s usually more clear cut answers than Fair Play is willing to offer up viewers this time around, Domont is willing to let her audience decide where they lie after the events a fairly traumatic final section takes place and the credits begin to roll. 

Final Say – 

Not always an easy watch and certainly not a film that is concerned with any type of levity or quick answers, Fair Play is a tough film dealing with some tough subject matter but thanks to some solid leading performances and narrative intrigue, Netflix’s latest hit is worth your streaming time. 

3 1/2 early morning alarms out of 5