Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Missing person case takes dark turn; language, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
10 Days of a Good Man
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Sadik (Nejat Isler) is a lawyer turned detective. 10 DAYS OF A GOOD MAN is seemingly inspired by Raymond Chandler-style detectives and their Hollywood depictions, one reason this semi-parody refers back to Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, featuring Elliot Gould's hangdog face permanently frozen on Sadik's television screen. Sadik's well-heeled partner in his former law firm throws him a missing person job. Her nanny's 20-something son disappeared; can Sadik spend a week looking for the kid for a few thousand? But nothing is as it seems. Sadik discovers the son was a cross-dresser who sold his young sister for sex and trafficked children. His boyfriend/client is a sadistic and murderous mobster. Subplots abound. While Sadik falls for the charming young sex worker in the run-down apartment next door, his jet-setting ex-wife and former law partner Rezzan (Nur Fettahoglu) comes by to beg him to once more go to prison for a crime she committed. Her wealthy new husband is willing to pay Sadik a stack of cash for the "favor." But Sadik, who was disbarred and imprisoned after he pled guilty for her earlier crime, is more interested in justice this time than in being a nice guy.
Is It Any Good?
You have to admire the director's dogged persistence in sticking with a script even he couldn't possibly understand halfway in. This is not nearly as engaging, but it's nearly as muddled as the notoriously confusing 1946 detective noir The Big Sleep, and it's chockfull of wayward and incomprehensible subplots and laughably numerous characters, making it all too much to keep track of.
Much of the tone is established in encounters between Sadik, who is generally suppressing a smirk, and scary no-nonsense mobsters who don't hesitate to torture and kill. Sadik's uncaring goofiness gives the entire scenario an air of unreality that bounces against the sordid reality of the big-city criminal enterprises he finds lurking in every shadow. By the second hour, it's really impossible to keep everyone's names and relations straight, never mind their roles in the various interlocking plots.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sleazy world the detective digs into when asked to find a seemingly nice young man who may not be that nice. Were you surprised by it? Why or why not?
How does the movie suggest that evil lurks under ordinary institutions -- the police, law firms, pharmacies -- in a way that most of us don't notice?
What are some of the ways the movie tells us that the main character is a good man?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 3, 2023
- Cast : Nejat Isler , Nur Fettahoglu , Senay Gurler
- Director : Uluc Bayraktar
- Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 124 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 6, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate