Archenemy (2020)

Archenemy feels like a gritty comic book torn out of a sketchpad and stapled onto a street-level crime thriller, and that scrappy, handmade energy is exactly its charm. Joe Manganiello sells Max Fist with bruised conviction—part myth, part burnout—so even when the world doubts him, you can’t help leaning in to see what’s real and what’s desperation. The action hits with a nasty, kinetic punch, and the stylized visuals give the film a distinctive pulse that separates it from cleaner, safer superhero fare. It doesn’t tie every big idea into a neat bow, but if you’re in the mood for something raw, weird, and genuinely fun, it’s an offbeat rush worth taking.

Archenemy is clearly trying to mash up gritty street-level crime with a down-on-his-luck superhero myth, leaning hard into mood, bruised sincerity, and a “maybe it’s all in his head” mystery. The problem is it takes its time getting anywhere, and that first stretch can feel like you’re waiting for a payoff the script only half-delivers, with characters sketched more than truly built and a few intriguing ideas left hanging. If you’re coming for tight plotting and frequent, satisfying action beats, this will likely feel unfocused and oddly low-energy for its premise. Still, when it does kick into violence and stylized weirdness, it has flashes of personality and a committed central performance—just don’t expect it to fully come together.