John Cena and Alison Brie’s underrated, R-rated action comedy is leaving Netflix—watch it before it’s gone

Here’s one you might have missed unless you’re the type who mainlines Netflix’s new arrivals every week: the 2023 action-comedy Freelance, starring John Cena and Alison Brie, is about to vanish from the streaming platform. Yes, the film most people forgot even came out is leaving Netflix on August 3, 2026—and that’s not just the usual quarterly clear-out, either. It is, weirdly enough, the only movie getting yanked that day.

So… What’s Freelance Actually About?

This one’s directed by Pierre Morel, who’s made a career out of pulpy action flicks like Taken and From Paris with Love, probably hoping lightning would strike thrice. The script, credited to Jacob Lentz, centres on John Cena’s character, Mason Pettits—a former US Army Special Forces bloke who’s now grinding away as a lawyer and, frankly, seems a bit bored with life.

Enter Sebastian Earle (played by Christian Slater, who’s always good value), an ex-teammate with a tempting offer. Mason’s meant to run protection for Claire Wellington, a journalist who’s seen better days—Alison Brie, doing her best with what she’s given. Of course, just to keep things spicy, this job drags Mason back to the fictional country of Paldonia. Years before, he actually copped a severe injury there while trying—and failing—to take out the country’s leader, so it’s hardly a happy homecoming.

The Line-up

• John Cena as Mason Pettits (sidelined soldier turned reluctant hero)
• Alison Brie as Claire Wellington (disgraced journalist)
• Christian Slater as Sebastian Earle (old army pal with questionable timing)
• Juan Pablo Raba as President Juan Venegas (local big cheese)
• Alice Eve as Jenny Pettits (the long-suffering wife at home)
• Marton Csokas as Colonel Jan Koehorst (presumably menacing in military uniform)
• Sebastián Eslava as Jorge Vásquez (likely more involved than it first appears)

Could It Even Be Called a Hit?

Not really. Freelance was absolutely hammered at the box office, barely scraping together just over $10 million worldwide. That’s according to Box Office Mojo, and honestly, you can see why—there was next to no buzz at the time. It got essentially the same chilly reception from critics, currently sitting at an eye-watering 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not a high point for anyone’s CV.

At Least the Cast Did Their Best

To be fair, a tiny handful of critics found something vaguely enjoyable about it. The Guardian’s Leslie Felperin summed it up rather poetically:

'This haphazard comedy-action film mostly plays like the script was written on the discarded roach of a smoked joint, but the likability of the cast makes up for a lot.'

Felperin did give credit to the film’s look, pointing out the 'sun-bleached palette and colour correction that makes its blues pop', and suggested it’s 'reasonably entertaining, perfectly suited to watching on an airplane while flying to your next holiday destination.' Not exactly BAFTA material, then, but some praise is better than none, I suppose.