The Best Netflix Original Action Movies Of 2023 So Far, Ranked

Although "Heart of Stone" has a strong lead action star in Gal Gadot and tons of "Mission: Impossible" vibes in terms of its scale, its focus on artificial intelligence can make it fall flat. The film sees Gadot play Rachel Stone, a top agent of a secret organization known as the Charter that's guided by an AI tech called the Heart. Rachel's latest mission results in the Heart falling into dangerous hands, and she's forced to act before the world goes into peril. "Heart of Stone" is one of Netflix's biggest action films of the year, with its hefty budget showing in the star power, fun combat and chase sequences, and the scale of the settings. Yet for some, the film is foiled by its lackluster storytelling, painfully dull depiction of the dangers of AI, and weak characters.

That sense of unevenness was expressed greatly in reactions from critics and audiences as they gave it mostly middle-of-the-road to straight-up bad reviews. Stephanie Zacharek wrote for TIME, "As throwaway diversions go, Netflix's 'Heart of Stone' ... is neither great nor terrible." Amid all the car chases, action scenes, and skydiving set pieces, Zacharek wrote, "The movie's plot is negligible, seemingly stitched from vague bits and bobs of various 'Mission: Impossible' movies." While consensus indicates that this isn't worth sinking a few hours into, you could do worse this year than watch "Heart of Stone" on Netflix.