The Night Agent Is Far Better Than Gabriel Basso's Controversial Movie That's Been Trending On Netflix (2024)

Gabriel Basso has seen a recent boost in fame after starring in Netflix's hit political thriller, The Night Agent, but unfortunately, not all of Basso's roles have been so well-received. In 2023, Basso took on the lead role of Peter Sutherland in Netflix's sixth-most-watched television show of all time, The Night Agent. The thriller follows an FBI agent who, after receiving a mysterious phone call, gets pulled into a dangerous political conspiracy. At the moment, anticipation is high for The Night Agent season 2, yet Basso is also trending for another less exciting reason.

Before The Night Agent, Gabriel Basso enjoyed a fairly consistent acting career. In 2009, Basso starred in the indie film, Alabama Moon, which set him up to take on roles in other notable films, such as J.J. Abrams' Super 8 and The Kings of Summer. Basso also made a name for himself in television by appearing in Showtime's The Big C from 2010 to 2013. However, Basso's on-screen projects have not always been winners. In fact, Basso's last project before playing Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent is a particularly poor representation of the actor's filmography.

Gabriel Basso’s Hillbilly Elegy Recently Experienced A Resurgence On Netflix

Why Hillbilly Elegy Is Making A Comeback

Recently, a poorly received Gabriel Basso movie started gaining popularity on Netflix. The movie is 2020's Hillbilly Elegy. Based on a memoir by J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy follows Vance through his childhood in poverty-stricken Appalachia and his journey to becoming a lawyer and escaping his traumatic past. In the movie, Basso starred as Vance. Hillbilly Elegy's cast also included stars like Glenn Close and Amy Adams. Despite this, the movie didn't do well with critics, who gave it 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has been panned for feeling false and including problematic caricatures of poor Americans.

The reason why Hillbilly Elegy returned to the spotlight four years after its release is because of the memoir's author. In July 2024, J.D. Vance was named as Donald Trump's running mate in the upcoming 2024 election. In this way, audiences were eager to learn more about Vance, and in doing so, began watching his memoir-turned-biopic. Unfortunately, its poor reviews have also brought Hillbilly Elegy's cast, including Gabriel Basso, into the limelight, but not exactly in a good way. This is a shame because Hillbilly Elegy is certainly not a strong example of Basso's best work as an actor.

The Night Agent Was A Much Better Received Netflix Project For Gabriel Basso

The Night Agent's Success Explained

For those who want to see a better side to Gabriel Basso's acting career, The Night Agent is the ideal project to check out. Where Hillbilly Elegy failed with critics and audiences, The Night Agent has succeeded. The show earned a 74% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with 78% audience score. Overall, The Night Agent has been praised for its quick storytelling, exciting twists and turns, and its interesting plot, which kept audiences invested until the very last moment. Basso not only benefited from The Night Agent's success, but played a major role in it.

A number of details aligned to make The Night Agent so successful. As previously mentioned, The Night Agent offered a simple yet engaging plot that any viewer could easily follow. On top of that, the show's overarching mystery was incredibly intriguing, which kept audiences watching from episode to episode. Furthermore, The Night Agent's romance plot and dynamic characters gave the thriller an edge of humanity. Audiences were steeped in the plot, but also found a sense of relatability and emotion through the characters.

Basso's Peter Sutherland Is One Of The Reasons Why The Night Agent Works So Well

Basso Is A Fresh Face

Aside from storytelling and action, The Night Agent is well-received because of Gabriel Basso. Basso gives a great performance as Sutherland. Peter Sutherland could very easily be a plain character with only one dimension, but Basso manages to offer different sides to him that make him all the more entertaining. Furthermore, Basso is the face of The Night Agent. He's the eponymous agent. Therefore, audiences need to be enthusiastic about Basso in order to care about the show. Based on The Night Agent's success, this seems to be true.

Overall, Gabriel Basso seems to be the fresh face audiences needed in their next big political thriller. While John Krasinki helped boost the popularity of Jack Ryan, and Alan Ritchson perfectly embodied the protagonist in Reacher, Basso has done a good job at taking on this next big role. He is the up-and-coming star that viewers desperately need in this genre. Hopefully, despite Basso's previous roles, The Night Agent can continue making him a notable name in Hollywood.

The Night Agent

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The Night Agent is a Netflix original series based on the novel by Matthew Quirk. The show centers on a young entry-level FBI agent named Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) who handles a hotline in the basem*nt of the White House that never rings. When the phone finally does, Peter finds himself embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy that climbs all the way to the top.

Cast

Gabriel Basso , Luciane Buchanan , Hong Chau , Sarah Desjardins , Fola Evans-Akingbola , Eve Harlow , Enrique Murciano , Phoenix Raei , DB Woodside

Release Date

March 23, 2023

Seasons

2

Writers

Corey Deshon , Matthew Quirk

Directors

Adam Arkin , Guy Ferland , Seth Gordon , Ramaa Mosley , Millicent Shelton

Showrunner

Shawn Ryan