It's always interesting to see what actors have been up to while working on a for-the-ages show like "Succession," which sets a high bar for what comes next. Two low-key examples arrive this week, with Sarah Snook anchoring "Run Rabbit Run," a creepy little macabre Australian thriller, while Brian Cox is squandered by the more disposable "Prisoner's Daughter."
Of the two parent-daughter tales, "Run Rabbit Run" should generate more attention simply by virtue of premiering on Netflix. Notably, Snook will be featured in another streaming title in July, Apple TV+'s "The Beanie Bubble," the latest fact-based movie rooted in pop-culture/business nostalgia (after "Tetris" and "Blackberry").
Both films have a throwback, B-movie feel, but Snook's happens to be the more watchable and intriguing of the two, even if it's modest scale could easily be confused for a middle-of-the-road "Black Mirror" episode.
Snook plays a fertility doctor, Sarah, whose young daughter Mia (Lily LaTorre) begins behaving strangely, even asking that her mother refer to her as "Alice," the name of Sarah's sister who inexplicably disappeared when she was a child.
Possession? Recovered memories? A gh-gh-ghost? Director Daina Reid and writer Hannah Kent maintain the suspense and mystery, which includes Sarah's estrangement from her mother (Greta Scacchi, in little more than a cameo).
The story certainly doesn't break new ground, and given the modest nature of the movie, there's a bit of impatience to get where it's going; still, thanks to Snook and LaTorre's beyond-her-years performance it's never less than watchable, including a stray bunny and the kid's newly acquired habit of wearing a rabbit-shaped mask, which proves appropriately unsettling.
If only there were similar heft behind "Prisoner's Daughter," which, other than the presence of Cox and co-star Kate Beckinsale, feels as wholly generic as its title.
Cox's Max has spent much of his adult life in prison, before being told that he only has a few months to live. His daughter Maxine (Beckinsale) isn't thrilled about taking him in when the prospect of compassionate release is broached, but she needs the money, struggling as she is to raise her young son (Christopher Convery), a smart kid, we're told, who has grown up without knowing that his grandpa exists.
"We're blood, not family," Max tells the warden when his daughter is mentioned, the first and last good line that the movie produces. There's some perfunctory bonding among the generations, despite Maxine's resistance, but as directed by Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight"), everything here is flat and predictable -- down to Maxine's sleazy ex -- in a way that even Cox can't elevate.
"Succession" is the kind of show that tends to follow actors around for a while, which can be both a blessing and a bit of a curse.
For Snook, on the front end of that career journey (which includes an upcoming theatrical detour in "The Picture of Dorian Gray"), consider this a promising start. For Cox, a veteran actor with no mountains left to climb and few concerns about speaking his mind, "Prisoner's Daughter" plays like one of those movies where you just take the money and run.
"Run Rabbit Run" premieres June 28 on Netflix.
"Prisoner's Daughter" premieres June 30 in select US theaters. It's rated R.
