Ana Lily Amirpour is a cinematic alchemist, constantly mixing genres and tones into strange, unforgettable brews. Her debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, turned the vampire film into an art-house sensation. Her latest, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, injected superpowers into a gritty New Orleans night. But sandwiched between them is her most unhinged creation: The Bad Batch, a post-apocalyptic cannibal thriller that somehow ropes in Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, and Jim Carrey.
What Is 'The Bad Batch' About?
In a ruined America, the government exiles undesirables—dubbed 'the bad batch'—into a lawless desert. Arlen (Suki Waterhouse) is one of them. Captured by cannibals, she loses an arm and a leg to their hunger. Escaping on a skateboard, she stumbles upon a hermit (Jim Carrey) who guides her to Comfort, a commune run by a cult leader called The Dream (Keanu Reeves). The Dream is a lounge-lizard Elvis wannabe who uses his harem to produce babies and run his drug empire. When Arlen brings a little girl named Honey (Jayda Fink) back to Comfort, she draws the wrath of Honey's father, Miami Man (Jason Momoa)—a cannibal with a heart of gold. After The Dream kidnaps Honey, Arlen must team up with Miami Man to save her.
A Star-Studded Cast in a Bizarre World
The casting is pure insanity. Momoa, pre-Aquaman, plays a shirtless warrior who can both terrify and show tenderness. Reeves channels his inner guru, but with a sleazy, washed-up Vegas vibe that's a far cry from Neo. Carrey appears as a mute wanderer, barely recognizable, using silent vaudeville gestures to create an unsettling presence. Giovanni Ribisi pops up as a rambling layabout, and Diego Luna has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo as Comfort's DJ. None of these roles play to the actors' typical strengths, which makes the film even more disorienting.
Jason Momoa Steals the Show
While Reeves and Carrey deliver intriguing performances, it's Momoa who truly shines. He brings genuine menace to Miami Man, convincing us he'd actually eat someone without seeming cartoonish. Yet he also shows warmth and tenderness toward his daughter, hinting at the range he'd later display in See and Dune. It's a performance that proves he's more than just muscles and hair.
A Sleeper Hit That Defies Expectations
The Bad Batch is a film that doesn't care about momentum or audience expectations. It's a slow-burn acid Western that revels in its own weirdness. If you're looking for a conventional thriller, look elsewhere. But if you want to see three megastars in roles they've never played before, this is a must-watch. For more overlooked gems, check out our list of forgotten crime thrillers that are flawless from first frame to last or dive into Netflix's overlooked sci-fi thriller 'The Silent Sea'.
In a world of safe sequels and franchise fare, The Bad Batch is a welcome reminder that cinema can still be weird, wild, and utterly unpredictable. It's a sleeper hit that deserves to be discovered.
