{"id":1213926,"date":"2026-02-22T01:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T01:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=602477"},"modified":"2026-02-22T01:59:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T01:59:00","slug":"the-death-stranding-movie-directors-breakout-hit-is-climbing-the-netflix-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/the-death-stranding-movie-directors-breakout-hit-is-climbing-the-netflix-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"The Death Stranding movie director\u2019s breakout hit is climbing the Netflix charts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you seen Pig<\/a><\/em>? You gotta see Pig<\/em>. At least before the Death Stranding<\/em> movie<\/a>. It\u2019s on Netflix right now!<\/p>\n

Between the recently announced Elden Ring<\/em> movie<\/a> from the director of Annihilation <\/a><\/em>and Civil War<\/a><\/em>, and the reinterpretation of the Barney the Dinosaur canon<\/a> from The Bear<\/em>\u2019s Ayo Edebiri, boutique film studio A24 is ready to shepherd in a new age of \u201ccash-grab IP\u201d movies over the next few years. Perhaps the most esoteric play \u2014 but with crossover potential based on vibes alone \u2014 is the company\u2019s upcoming Death Stranding<\/em>, a take on Hideo Kojima<\/a>\u2019s often-bizarre action-adventure series. Intended as a new story in the universe rather than an adaptation, the film comes from writer-director Michael Sarnoski<\/a>, who seems like a perfect fit based on the grounded yet off-kilter world of the culinary revenge thriller, Pig<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Remember how I said you need to see Pig<\/em> if you haven\u2019t already?<\/p>\n

The 2021 film stars Nicolas Cage in what might be his best role since 2021<\/a> (and yes I am considering Longlegs<\/em>, Dream Scenario<\/em>, Renfield<\/em>, and those two seconds he appears as Superman in The Flash<\/em>): Rob, a former chef who lives in a cabin in the woods with his truffle-hunting pig. Rob has rejected a Michelin-star life in Portland in favor of the forest of the Pacific Northwest, but when a group of pig-snatchers break into his home and snatch dat pig, the cook juliennes a path of revenge through a world he abandoned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That premise could easily explode into a chef-knife-wielding riff on John Wick<\/a>. Sarnoski certainly builds a mythology worthy of The Continental<\/a>, as Rob wanders through the restaurant\u2019s world criminal underbelly. Cage\u2019s character even winds up in a fight club for cooks. But Sarnoski always zigs where a stunt-maven would zag, letting Rob use his words \u2014 or take a tremendous beating \u2014 to make a point about what\u2019s precious in life.<\/p>\n

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