The heist movie with Pierce Brosnan that was torn apart by the critics and now it's a hit on Prime Video

Nominated for worst director, worst screenplay, and worst supporting actor (Nick Cannon) at the 2022 Razzie Awards, The Misfits is one of the films with the worst ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDb, and Filmaffinity in recent years. Despite this, it is experiencing a new wave of popularity on platforms like Prime Video, where this week it is ranked 6th among the most-watched in movies and television. 

Viewers may have been attracted by the presence of Pierce Brosnan on the poster, perhaps driven by curiosity to find out for themselves if the terrible reviews were really that bad or maybe they find what the critics say irrelevant, in any case a new audience is discovering this action film during this summer and as a good popcorn product there is no better time of the year to do so.

Directed by the Finnish Renny Harlin, a veteran who has been behind the cameras of Die Hard 2, Deep Blue Sea, and The Covenant, this film follows Richard Pace (Brosnan), a professional thief who has escaped from prison and is recruited by a group of unconventional thieves, becoming involved in an elaborate gold heist that promises to have far-reaching implications in his life and the lives of many others.

'The Misfits'

Controversy in Qatar

The film is financed as well as co-produced by an Emirati production company and was very controversial in Qatar due to some real negative references to Qatar in funding "terrorism" and explicit references to the Muslim Brotherhood as "terrorists" with Yusuf al-Qaradawi as their brain.

According to a report published by Al Jazeera, Qatar is mentioned in the film over 15 times, naming real Qatari personalities and institutions, such as the Emadi Hospital, the country's "Lekhwiya" police force, and also the media outlet Al Jazeera.

The film also refers to Qatar as "Jazeeristan" and accuses its citizens of supporting "terrorist organizations", while "Abu Dhabi mercenaries are portrayed as heroes".

Hated by Critics

The Misfits was hated by critics, who described it as boring: "Waiting for it to end is like sitting on a hard plastic chair and then realizing that your phone is out of battery but the charger is in a suitcase you have already checked in" (The Guardian); and empty: "It has a lot of style, but little substance" (Common Sense Media).

In summary, bad, as detailed by The Playlist: "The action has the vigor of a lullaby, the villain has the presence of a puppy, the plot has the comprehensibility of a child's doodles and the storyline has the familiarity of a family photo album".

Other critics, however, have said it is "entertaining, effective, and functional" (AV Club), with a "Pierce Brosnan delivering a classy performance. A stylish thriller that, although skimps on plot and character development, offers good entertainment perfect for the summer season" (Movies on Focus). And sometimes, that's all the body and mind ask for during the holidays.

You will have to see it for yourselves to find out which side of the scale your opinion falls on.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence