Charlize Theron is up a creek with no kayak — and a deadly predator on her trail.
In Apex, the new thriller from director Baltasar Kormákur, Academy Award winner Theron plays Sasha, a grieving woman who faces the perils of the Australian Outback while dodging crossbow bolts from ruthless psychopath Ben (Taron Egerton). You can see a new trailer above, including glimpses of action across cliffs, rapids, and forests.
Read on to learn more about the film.
“You going it alone?” a local asks Sasha in the trailer. “I wouldn’t recommend it.” To survive, she’ll need all her wits about her. “This is a psychological thriller,” Theron told Netflix. “It’s really a story about survival, not just physically but emotionally. And it’s about finding out what you’re made of.”
“It felt almost existential,” Kormákur told Netflix of Jeremy Robbins’s script. “Through action, through horror, through hardship, you reveal the characters.”
Ben’s side of the story is a little bit different. “In my version of the story, Ben is the hero,” Egerton told Netflix. “Everything has to make sense for him. So part of my job is to craft a spiritual code for him.” Ben doesn’t see himself as a killer; he’s just a hunter looking for his next target.
As Ben initiates a deadly game of cat and mouse, he offers Sasha a head start to get as far away from him as possible before his pump-up music comes to an end. In other words: Hunt or be hunted.
With the help of Apex’s stunt department, Theron and Egerton put their action skills to the test, performing many of their own stunts in the wilds of Australia. Theron even worked with professional rock climber Beth Rodden on Sasha’s imposing physicality. “She’s the OG,” Theron said. “I knew I was in good hands, but I had no idea that I would fall in love with [climbing]. And I absolutely fell in love with it. I want to continue it.”
Even in a life-or-death situation, there’s always room to find a new hobby.
Apex is now streaming on Netflix.
