Sacrifice Review

Here's a pitch that sounds like a fever dream. A fading action star, the world's richest man and one very unlucky woman are kidnapped from a glamorous charity gala by a group of zealots who believe that sacrificing three people will stop a volcano from destroying the world. The leader of that group is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The action star is Chris Evans. And the billionaire's wife is a pop star played by Salma Hayek. That's Sacrifice, the new film from French director Romain Gavras, which arrived on Netflix on October 16, 2026.

It's a bold, strange, star-packed satire, and critics haven't been sure what to make of it. Here's what it's about, who's in it and whether it's worth a look.

What it's about

Evans plays Mike Tyler, a movie star trying to make a comeback. He's at a charity gala when everything goes wrong. A radical group led by Joan, played by Taylor-Joy, crashes the party and takes three hostages: Mike, the billionaire Ben Bracken and a woman named Katie who just happened to be in the wrong place.

Joan and her siblings have their reasons. After their mother's death, they've come to believe in a volcanic prophecy that says the world can only be saved if three people are sacrificed. So they set out to do exactly that. As the night goes on, things become increasingly violent, and increasingly absurd.

Wikipedia describes the film as an action-adventure comedy, and it's very much a satire. The targets are easy to spot: celebrity culture, billionaires, empty gestures of charity and the kind of people who post about saving the planet from a private jet.

The cast

The cast is enormous, and it's a big part of the film's appeal.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Joan, the zealot at the center of it all. After The Queen's Gambit, The Menu and Furiosa, she's become one of the most interesting actors of her generation, and a cult leader with a doomsday prophecy is right in her wheelhouse.

Chris Evans plays Mike Tyler, a movie star who is clearly a send-up of the kind of action hero Evans himself has played. The Playlist's review headline said Evans is "a believable action star hack," which sounds like a dig but is also a compliment to how well he plays the part.

Vincent Cassel plays Ben Bracken, the world's richest man, and Salma Hayek plays his wife, Gloria, a pop star. Ambika Mod, from One Day, plays Katie, the unlucky third hostage. Sam Richardson plays Mike's agent, and John Malkovich plays Gunnar, Joan's father.

And the film has a couple of surprising musical casting choices. Charli XCX plays Mother Nature, and the Swedish rapper Yung Lean plays Joan's brother, Arthur.

The director

Romain Gavras is known for big, striking visuals and political edge. He made his name directing music videos, and his 2022 Netflix film Athena, about riots in a French housing project, was praised for its stunning long takes.

He co-wrote Sacrifice with playwright Will Arbery. The film was shot in Greece, Bulgaria and Iceland in late 2024, which helps explain the volcanic landscapes and dramatic scenery.

The production had its share of changes. Brendan Fraser was originally cast as the billionaire but left because of scheduling conflicts, and Vincent Cassel took over the role.

From TIFF to Netflix

Sacrifice premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, in the Special Presentations section. It took a while to find a home in the U.S. Netflix picked up the American rights at the Marché du Film in Cannes in May 2026, and it's now streaming.

That path makes sense. A star-heavy satire with a strange premise is the kind of film that might struggle in theaters but can find a big, curious audience on streaming.

Why eat-the-rich stories keep coming

Sacrifice arrives in the middle of a long wave of films and shows that love to punish the very wealthy. Audiences have been happy to watch billionaires get stranded, poisoned or humiliated for years now, and it's easy to see why. These stories let viewers laugh at people who usually seem untouchable.

What makes this one a little different is who the "villains" are. The kidnappers aren't heroes fighting for justice. They're true believers following a bizarre prophecy, and the film seems just as interested in mocking them as it is in mocking their hostages. Nobody in the story comes off clean, not the celebrity, not the billionaire and not the zealots.

That's a riskier approach. When everyone is a target, it can be hard for the audience to know who to root for. Some viewers will find that refreshing. Others may find it leaves the film without a clear center, which may explain why critics were split on how well the satire works.

What critics said

The reviews have been tough. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds about 36% to 38% from roughly 35 critics, depending on when you check. On Metacritic, it scored 48 out of 100, which counts as "mixed or average." According to Wikipedia, it's one of the lowest-rated films of the year among those that premiered at the fall festivals.

The common thread is that the idea is better than the execution. Variety India's headline called it "a great idea with uneven execution." Variety described it as a "scattershot satire," and The Playlist called it "glib." RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico wrote that "the movie meanders its way to a disappointing ending."

So the cast is a draw, and the premise is fun, but most critics felt the film doesn't land its punches as sharply as it wants to.

Who it's for

If you enjoy over-the-top satires like The Menu, Triangle of Sadness or Glass Onion, there's a lot here that will feel familiar. It shares their interest in rich people behaving badly and getting what's coming to them.

If you're a fan of any of the stars, it's also worth a look. It's rare to see this many big names in one strange film, and seeing Evans play a parody of himself is half the fun.

If you want a tight, polished thriller, though, you might be frustrated. Critics say the film wanders, especially toward the end.

Should you watch it?

For a curious Friday night, yes. At about 100 minutes, it's not a big commitment, and the cast alone makes it worth trying. Just go in expecting a messy, ambitious satire rather than a sharp, finished one.

I'll admit the casting is what sold me on giving it a chance. Anya Taylor-Joy as a doomsday prophet, Chris Evans as a washed-up action star and Charli XCX as Mother Nature is the kind of lineup you don't see every day. Even if the movie doesn't fully work, it's not boring.

So if you're in the mood for something weird, press play and enjoy the ride. Just don't expect the volcano to explain itself.