The Amateur currently edges STRAW 54–46
Vengeance served cold or grief boiling over, even.
Who do you think should win?
The Verdict David vs Goliath
This matchup has 13 votes. The picture may shift as more people weigh in.
An early tie between two 2025 films that take the same premise — a person undone by loss — and treat it at opposite temperatures. The Amateur is cool and calculated, Malek's analyst answering grief with methodical, cross-border revenge. Straw is hot and immediate, Perry pushing Henson through an unbearable day toward a breaking point. They're even in part because they barely overlap: one is a cerebral thriller of tradecraft and patience, the other a melodrama built to overwhelm. With both films new, the split reads less as a judgment than as two rooms wanting two different things — vengeance served cold, or grief boiling over.
The Numbers
| The Amateur | STRAW | |
|---|---|---|
| Head-to-Head | 54% | 46% |
| Overall Win Rate | 53% | 58% |
| Championships | 22 | 16 |
Where This Matchup Sits
Both sit mid-table among 61 Thriller films on BingeBracket — similar genre standing.
When facing other films, Ice Road: Vengeance loses to both of them on the platform. Whatever separates these two, they're both a clear step above that opponent.
By TMDB ratings, STRAW should have the edge. Head-to-head, it doesn't. Whatever The Amateur does for voters in a direct comparison, it doesn't show up in aggregate scores.
It takes 2.1s to choose The Amateur vs 0.8s for STRAW. Slower doesn't mean weaker — it can mean more deliberate, more personal, harder to explain.
Where to Watch
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