Netflix has been seriously delivering in the action movie department lately. Following the likes of the critically acclaimed Rebel Ridge, the gloriously violent The Shadow Strays, the new festive favorite Carry-On, action finale Last Bullet, Tom Hardy’s long-awaited Havoc, and much, much more, the streamer’s latest foray into the world of martial arts thrills has now racked up millions of views and continues to hold a place in the Top 10.
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Telling the classic action tale of a hero with a particular set of skills, the streamer’s new action thriller K.O. has now racked up more than 19 million views following its debut, with audiences eager to check out another wonderfully no-nonsense action outing from Netflix.
The martial arts thriller previously held the #1 spot, but while it has now dropped to #6 in the global Top 10 behind the likes of KPop Demon Hunters, Straw, and 28 Weeks Later, the success of K.O. is yet another indication of the ongoing popularity of action movies centered on a lone hero fighting against the odds, as well as audiences’ openness to movies from around the world…so long as they include punching.
Critics & Audiences Have Hailed ‘K.O.’ as “Absolute Cinema”
Written and directed by Antoine Blossier (Prey), K.O. finds professional MMA fighter Ciryl Gane (Den of Thieves: Pantera) taking the lead as a fighter who, after accidentally killing his opponent in the ring, finds a shot at redemption when the widowed wife asks for his help in saving her teenage son from a gang of criminals. The rest of the cast includes Anne Azoulay (Black Box), Alice Belaïdi (If I Were a Boy), Maleaume Paquin (Remi, Nobody’s Boy), Foued Nabba (Blood Coast), Samuel Jouy (Ganglands), Virgile Bramly (Nice Girls), and you can check out the official synopsis below.
“Bastien (Ciryl Gane) has lived as a recluse ever since he accidentally killed his opponent Enzo in an MMA fight three years ago. Enzo’s widow tracks him down and asks for his help: Bastien is her only hope of rescuing Léo (Maleaume Paquin), her teenage son who has gone missing in the northern districts of Marseille.
Bastien sets off looking for him. Along the way, he meets Kenza (Alice Belaïdi), a young cop who is prepared to do anything to bring down the new crime lords of Marseille. Léo is in grave danger and time is of the essence.”
While not enough reviews have emerged on Rotten Tomatoes for an overall rating (critics have called it “predictable but visceral” and “Absolute cinema”), action movie fans have since taken to social media to heap praise on the streamer’s thrilling tale of redemption. X/Twitter user @DerekBrocks declared K.O. a “banger” adding, “A simple story told with a vicious streak but a lot of heart and some brutal, crunchy action courtesy of Laurent Demianoff that takes MMA turned actor Ciryl Gane’s imposing physique and puts it to battering result.”
Echoing these sentiments, user @BrndnStrssng called the action thriller “An utter delight watching this giant of a man repeatedly tear people to shreds while pleading with anyone around him that he’d just like to talk lmao. Excellent fight choreo. Get on this,” while @realflyscorpio sums things up by simply saying, “K.O on Netflix 10/10.”
Source: Netflix, X
K.O.
- Release Date
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June 6, 2025
- Runtime
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84 Minutes
- Director
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Antoine Blossier
- Writers
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Antoine Blossier
