The French Crime Thriller That Claimed Netflix's Number 1 Spot

Netflix has its fair share of problems, but its impressive slate of films and shows from all over the world isn't one of them. The streamer regularly makes new international shows and movies available to a mass audience, and with big hits like "Squid Game," "Money Heist," and "Dark," many of the most acclaimed and talked-about non-English language shows around these days come courtesy of Netflix.

Unfortunately, the streamer's persnickety algorithm and surplus of content means not everyone gets the memo when a new film or show drops. That means a movie or series can manage to earn a spot as the most-watched non-English project on the streamer — as the French thriller "AKA," Mexican satire "¡Que viva México!" and the Norwegian monster film "Troll" all did this month, per Netflix's internal metrics — without viewers even knowing about them. Though Netflix isn't particularly transparent with its viewership data, it does offer up a weekly top 10 to press, complete with lists featuring non-English films ranked by the number of hours subscribers spent watching them during their first month on Netflix. This month, one movie, in particular, has been dominating the list: "AKA."

"AKA" stars Alban Lenoir, an actor and stuntman who's appeared in films "Taken" and shows like "Marianne" (an underrated Netflix original) and "Cheyenne & Lola." Here, Lenoir plays a man named Adam Franco whose special ops training comes in handy when he ends up undercover with a dangerous crime lord. The crime lord in question is played by Eric Cantona, who's appeared in shows and movies including "Inhuman Resources" and the Oscar-winning film "Elizabeth," but is better known as a famed former soccer player. Here, the pair go head to head as Adam embeds himself in Victor Pastores' (Cantona) organization in order to keep track of a Sudanese terrorist in his ranks.

The movie has a bit of a twist to it, though, one that makes its bloodshed and action feel more serious than that of a typical pulpy thriller: Adam ends up becoming the bodyguard for Victor's young son, and the two bond – a definite no-no for a man on a mission like this guy. "AKA" has garnered fairly positive reviews from critics, with Polygon's review comparing it to Tony Scott's "Man On Fire" — except, as critic Pete Volk writes, "it lacks Scott's directorial flair." Still, Volk and others have complimented Lenoir's turn in the film, with Decider's John Serba noting that "anyone with a modicum of fascination for strong, silent types will appreciate Lenoir's stern-faced mug," which he says masks a soft spot for his young ward.

"AKA" nabbed the number one spot on Netflix's non-English language film chart for two weeks running heading into the month of May, and remained in the top 5 in the two weeks that followed. Other movies included in this week's top 10 include multiple Oscar nominee "All Quiet On The Western Front," the 2019 sci-fi horror flick "The Platform," and Noomi Rapace-led Swedish thriller "Black Crab." Currently, the Dutch thriller "Faithfully Yours" is at the top of the global non-English film top 10, which you can explore here.