The German action thriller marks a strong start to 2024 for the streamer

Professional MMA fighter Octavio Bergmann (Emilio Sakraya) prepares for one of the biggest fights of his career. His opponent is late, and that's a problem: It's actually the night of his daughter's birthday party, and he promised to attend. But when he enters the ring, he learns that his ex-wife is filing for sole custody if he can't make it to the party within the next hour. Octavio drops everything and runs to them – angry elements of the criminal underworld who are betting big on his fight and will now chase him around Berlin to try and get him back in the ring.

That's the premise of Netflix's budget German action thriller Sixty Minutes, which was quietly released in January and is one of the stronger action films of the year so far. It is led by a stunning performance from Sakraya, who is a former national karate champion, along with strong fight choreography and driving storytelling motivated by a time-related plot gimmick.

Octavio has 60 minutes to get from point A to point B, with stops along the way to collect a present and a cake. The movie lets that action play out in real time, a familiar gimmick from movies like Run Lola Run and Cleo from 5 to 7, and it really adds to the immersion. But it also gives director and co-writer Oliver Kienle opportunities the films didn't have, as he experiments with modern technology as a storytelling aid.