Chris Evans' Pain Hustlers movie will take you on a wild Netflix ride, if you ignore its early reviews

The Emily Blunt and Chris Evans-starring crime comedy arrives in late October

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The official trailer for Netflix’sPain Hustlersmovie has landed online – and it’s clearly doubling down on those big pharma-basedWolf of Wall Streetcomparisons.

Pain Hustlers, which stars Emily Blunt andMarvelalumnus Chris Evans, received a first-look teaser in early September. Back then, we commented on howNetflix’s new crime comedy-thriller movie looked like a medicalWolf of Wall Street. And, based on its latest trailer, we’re even more certain that’s the vibe director David Yates (Harry Potter) is going for.

Take a look atPain Hustlers' official trailer below:

Based on Evan Hughes' 2022 book of the same name,Pain Hustlerstells the tale of high school dropout Liza Drake (Blunt), who’s hired by a Florida-based pharmaceutical start-up’s sales rep called Pete Brenner (Evans). However, it isn’t long before Drake realizes the unlawful practices within the company – led by unhinged CEO Jack Neel (Andy Garcia) – and is forced to question her own morality amid the company’s unethical and criminal activities.

Admittedly,Pain Hustlersdoesn’t look as cinematic asThe Wolf of Wall Streetdoes but, with its clear star power and suspense-filled crime-based drama, it seems like it’ll be another big winner forNetflix, right? Not if you believe what critics said about one of 2023’snew Netflix movieswhen early reviews dropped in mid-September.

Based on 24 reviews onRotten Tomatoes,Pain Hustlersis going to be a damp squib when it makes its debut on the world’sbest streaming servicein late October. Indeed, its rotten 25% critical score suggests it won’t be the huge success Netflix might hope it’ll be, which is a darn shame when you consider the talent attached to it.

Still, as we’ve seen countless times before, a movie’s critical reception doesn’t always have a bearing on how well it performs among general viewers, especially films that launch exclusively on streaming platforms.

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Take Netflix’sRed Notice, for instance. The 2021 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot-fronted action-comedy spy movie was met with a terrible 37% critical score onRotten Tomatoesupon release, but it’s currently the most-streamed Netflix movie of all time.

As of October 1, 2023, though, it’s been viewed 230.9 million times, with 454.2 million hours streamed during that time (perNetflix’s Top 10 website).Red Noticemight not be one of thebest Netflix moviesin our opinion (or many others for that matter), but there’s no denying its powerhouse A-list trio catapulted it to the top of Netflix’s movie chart, which is where it’s remained ever since.

So yes, there is hope forPain Hustlersyet. It’s off to a very poor start with critics, but it’s possible that it’ll be received more positively by audiences when it launches on Friday, October 27. It was one of ourtop four picks from Netflix’s ‘Fall 2023’ movie lineup, too, so we’re holding out hope that it does well enough to justify our faith. We’ll find out soon enough.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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