It goes without saying that the politics that surround the entire landscape of the hypocritical healthcare system and pharmaceutical industry are loaded with thought-provoking content. Directors like as Steven Soderbergh (Side Effects and Unsane) have experimented with it through genre convenience, with variable results. Brian Andrew Mendoza, a producer turned debut director, bases his fugitive-on-the-run drama Sweet Girl on a pharmaceutical scheme.

Ray Cooper, played by Jason Momoa, is a devoted and trustworthy family man. The opening montage depicts a family of three on a vacation in the mountains, and their love is palpable. This is true until the grief sets in. Ray’s wife, Adria Arjona, is re-diagnosed with cancer a few years later. Only this time, it appears lethal, and doctors are relying mainly on a new, low-cost medicine with extremely powerful efficacy.

However, the stars are not aligning for the Coopers this time. Simon Keeley (Justin Bartha), the CEO of Biopharma – the pharmaceutical business that developed a unique medication – has decided to halt manufacturing indefinitely. Ray is upset since he was plainly reliant on this wiggle room to save his wife’s life. So much so that he summons Keeley on live television, accuses him of being responsible, and threatens to track him down and murder him.

Unfortunately, his wife dies, leaving him to fend for himself and his mature, young daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced). Ray is unable to move on as the two of them strive to mend their broken lives. Not receiving justice for his wife’s death has stymied his ability to grieve properly. Months pass before Ray receives a phone call from a journalist seeking to learn the truth about what happened with the pharmaceutical business and a few wealthy nationals.

Another incident kills the journalist as Ray tries to figure out what is going on. Amos Santos (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), the hired contract killer, also fatally wounds Ray and Rachel in the crossfire. This enrages Ray even more, and his life spirals out of control as he spends the next two years attempting to figure out what’s causing all of his issues. The rest of the film follows Ray and Rachel as they avoid the hands of FBI investigators and the shadows of the contract killer who stand in their path of atonement.

The rest of the film is set in the setting of a conventional fugitive-on-the-run story, with one of the FBI agents, played by Lex Scott Davis, attempting to assist Rachel make sense of her tragedy.

When it comes to the film’s necessity to confront the concerns that exist within its universe, Sweet Girl veers far from it. In the interest of creating a gripping thriller, the film treats the political context and the conspiracy that propels it ahead as mere story points.

It neither takes time to slow down to allow us to better comprehend the two key characters nor has a solid concept of how trauma and sorrow work. I understand that it’s different for various people, and that violence can be an outlet for these emotions, but the film’s objective is to immerse these two characters in as many cross-fires as possible in order to give this story a sharp edge.

While there’s nothing wrong with that, the film’s strong subtext suffers as a result of the lack of adequate plot progression. In some ways, the film glorifies its protagonist’s decision to seek vengeance without holding him accountable. It virtually clears him of it as well. However, thanks to a scene in the second act in which Ray and Rachel meet up with Amos Santos at a diner, this obvious blunder is muffled significantly.

However, the film throws a highly unoriginal plot surprise into the mix, which derail the film in the third act. For such a twist, a lot of groundwork is required, but filmmaker Brian Andrew Mendoza fails horribly in that regard. Sweet Girl has three acknowledged screenwriters, which could explain why the film’s most intimate moments lack cohesiveness.

Much of the third act also places a lot of weight on Isabela Merced’s shoulders. The young actor does her best, but a lack of sufficient guidance from the writer’s standpoint results in a bizarre mix of polar-opposite personality traits for her role. She is unable to balance this shaky persona, and the film drowns as a result.

Brian Andrew Mendoza has frequently collaborated with Jason Momoa, with the two just wrapping up the Netflix drama Frontier. Mendoza manages to elicit an emotional performance from Mamoa, demonstrating that the two have a terrific chemistry. Mamoa’s performance as Ray Cooper is realistic as a husband and father who is upset with the establishment while attempting to make sense of the tragedy that surrounds him. Also, kudos to Manuel Garcia-Rulfo for his role as the mercenary. He delivers a scary performance.

There are also accolades for the incredible stunt work in this film. Mendoza’s preference for hand-to-hand combat over making bullets fly was very appealing to me. For the most part, the action sequences are expertly orchestrated and intense. Unfortunately, not much in Sweet Girl works, which is unfortunate given Mendoza professes to be inspired by No Country for Old Men and Fight Club. While there are strong echoes of each of those great films here, Mendoza’s effort is quickly forgotten.