A grieving woman. A ruthless hunter. The Australian Outback. Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton are about to make your Thursday night very uncomfortable.
- Apex drops on Netflix on April 24, 2026 directed by Baltasar Kormákur
- Charlize Theron plays a grieving rock climber hunted through the Australian wilderness
- Taron Egerton plays the hunter who genuinely believes he is the hero of this story
- Theron performed many of her own stunts trained by professional rock climber Beth Rodden
The Apex Netflix thriller arrives on April 24 and the premise is deceptively simple. A woman goes into the Australian wilderness alone to grieve and push her limits. A man with a crossbow decides she is his next hunt. What follows is a survival film built from two of the most watchable action stars working right now, directed by a filmmaker who knows exactly how to use a landscape to make you feel genuinely trapped. There is nothing complicated about this setup. That is entirely the point.
Director Baltasar Kormákur, known for Everest and Adrift, described filming as a joy even as he put his cast through the ringer in this unique survivor story, working in the rugged, beautiful terrains of Australia with three of the world’s most talented, dedicated actors in Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton and Eric Bana. Kormákur has built a career out of putting human beings in extreme natural environments and making you feel every inch of their discomfort. He is very good at this. Apex looks like his most focused version of that instinct yet.
Charlize Theron plays Sasha, a grieving woman who faces the perils of the Australian Outback while dodging crossbow bolts from ruthless psychopath Ben, played by Taron Egerton. Theron’s framing of the role is worth paying attention to. She told Netflix that this is a psychological thriller and really a story about survival, not just physically but emotionally. That distinction matters. A film about a woman being hunted that is only about being hunted tends to wear thin. A film about what a person discovers about themselves when stripped of everything except the need to survive is a different animal entirely.
Egerton’s approach to his character is equally interesting. In his version of the story, Ben is the hero. Everything has to make sense for him, and part of his job is to craft a spiritual code for the character. Ben doesn’t see himself as a killer. He is just a hunter looking for his next target. He initiates the deadly game of cat and mouse by offering Sasha a head start to get as far away from him as possible before his pump-up music comes to an end. A villain who has fully convinced himself he is the protagonist is far more frightening than one who knows he is the villain. Egerton clearly understands that.
With the help of Apex’s stunt department, Theron and Egerton performed many of their own stunts in the wilds of Australia. Theron worked specifically with professional rock climber Beth Rodden on Sasha’s imposing physicality. That commitment shows up on screen in a way that no amount of green screen can replicate. The landscape is real. The danger looks real. And the two people running and hunting through it have clearly earned their place in it.
For UAE residents with a Netflix subscription and a free evening on April 24, this is the one to queue up. Put the phone down, turn the brightness up and settle in. Apex is the kind of film that makes your sofa feel like the safest place on earth, which is exactly what a good survival thriller is supposed to do.
Apex streams on Netflix from April 24, 2026. Add it to your list now!
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Starring: Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana
Streaming: Netflix
Release Date: April 24, 2026
