Amazon Prime's revenge thriller Kill Jackie, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, has shot up the streaming charts to number four, winning over audiences despite lukewarm critical reception. The eight-episode series follows Jackie Price, an ex-cocaine dealer who has lived a quiet, luxurious life for two decades until an elite assassin squad called The Seven Demons is hired to kill her.
According to the official synopsis: 'Jackie embarks on a wild ride across Europe to hunt them down before they find her, but soon realises her own demons are much more terrifying…'
Audience scores soar on Rotten Tomatoes
Fans have given the series a solid 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many praising Zeta-Jones' performance. Fabin L wrote: 'I confess that Kill Jackie completely blew my mind; it's one of those shows you start watching out of sheer curiosity and before you know it, it's three in the morning and you're still glued to the screen.'
Rob C was drawn in by its 'campy sense of humour', while Michael A called Zeta-Jones' portrayal 'witty, sexy and funny'. Chris M compared it to Killing Eve, and Jackie B declared: 'Catherine Zeta-Jones delivers a captivating, entertaining performance. I really enjoyed it.' Simon G added: 'Catherine is effortlessly hilarious and I kept coming back for more. There's an element of camp to the series and that's what makes it brilliant.'
Zeta-Jones embraces Swansea roots
The 57-year-old star fully embraced her Swansea accent for the role, telling the BBC she based the character on 'people she knows in Wales'. She explained: 'I played on people I know in Wales, people who are comedic and the accent makes it funny and real and true, but the character comes from a tough side of Swansea, which we do have as well.'
It was also the first time in her career she had filmed in her hometown, an experience she described as emotional. She told People: 'It's a very poignant, very touching episode in Swansea, my hometown. That was just emotional and wonderful, and I really enjoyed it.'
Critics remain divided
Despite the audience enthusiasm, critics settled on a paltry 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though Zeta-Jones' acting remained a highlight. Decider wrote: 'A shallow cartoon comic of a series, it nevertheless features an engaging Catherine Zeta-Jones and some supporting cast hijinks.'
The Hollywood Reporter declared: 'Shallowly conceived and haphazardly constructed, Kill Jackie is a thriller fatally short on thrills.' The Guardian dubbed it 'preposterous nonsense' in a tough two-star review, while Radio Times called it a 'jumbled collection of other, better shows'.
Given the sharp divide in consensus, viewers will have to decide for themselves. Kill Jackie is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.
