Jade Carter
An action thriller you’ve likely never heard of is finding quick global success on streaming. Landing on 
Prime Video just last week, the movie strives to bring audiences an all-new take on a Jason Bourne-esque adventure with a tale of assassinated spies and the brooding agent tasked with finding out exactly what happened.
Directed by Dani de la Torre and starring Mario Casas (Bird Box: Barcelona) as the titular Agent Zeta, the action thriller hit Prime Video on March 20 and has quickly shot up the global streaming charts. The action flick is now second only to Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson’s sci-fi action flop, Mercy, with the rest of the top 10 harboring all manner of other action movie delights such as the pirate action movie The Bluff, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista’s The Wrecking Crew, and the post-apocalyptic Afterburn, also starring Bautista.
The rest of the Agent Zeta cast includes Luis Zahera (Cell 211), Mariela Garriga (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), and Christian Tappan (Primate), and picks up after four Spanish ex-intelligence officers are assassinated simultaneously worldwide. The CNI discovers all of them participated in the covert “Operation Ciénaga” decades ago in Colombia. Zeta, the CNI’s best operative, is tasked with hunting down and protecting the sole survivor, facing his deadliest global mission yet.
What Are the Reviews Saying About ‘Agent Zeta’?
While Agent Zeta has found fast success since landing on Prime Video, the action thriller has struggled with critics. Though the movie has been likened to other genre hits such as Jack Ryan, Citadel, and The Terminal List, as well as action movie icons Jason Bourne and James Bond, Agent Zeta doesn’t quite reach the admittedly lofty legacy of Matt Damon’s super spy or 007. But thankfully, it does at least deliver in the action department.
Agent Zeta has currently flown so far under the radar that not enough reviews have yet been tallied for a convenient Rotten Tomatoes score, but the critics that have reacted to the Amazon action thriller have praised the shootouts and explosions on display while wishing for something more elevated. “There are solidly executed action sequences, and a clear ambition to launch a Latin-flavored spy franchise,” said Micropsiacine, adding, “Prime Video seems to be testing whether Casas can become an Ibero-American Bond or Jack Ryan—and whether this could be the start of something bigger.”
Despite a Mixed Response, ‘Agent Zeta’ “Looks and Feels Absolutely Thrilling”
Despite a mixed response overall, further reactions reveal Agent Zeta to be well worth watching, as Amazon primes Zeta as its latest action franchise. Nexus Point News applauded Agent Zeta’s “impressive production value and a strong cast,” while LeisureByte called the movie “tried and tested” but similarly highlighted the “fantastic” production quality, concluding, “It looks and feels absolutely thrilling.”
Finally, Spain’s El Pais, also called the production values “undeniable,” before comparing Amazon’s new hero to two action movie Jasons, “De la Torre’s film seems to aim for something like the Bourne saga, yet barely reaches the level of a Jason Statham production.” Which, frankly, makes it even more of a must-see. While we await the return of Jason Bourne, and Amazon’s own upcoming reboot of James Bond, Agent Zeta may be a little by-the-numbers, but still sounds like a worthwhile action experience for anyone aching to see the next action thriller streaming franchise in the making.
