“K.O.” (2025) is the latest crime thriller on Netflix, written and directed by Antoine Blossier. It follows a former MMA fighter trying to make up for his misdeeds by helping a woman find her son. With martial artist Ciryl Gane in the central role, it’s an action-packed affair designed to give you an adrenaline rush. However, Gane is not the only one delivering the kicks and punches. He is joined by Alice Belaïdi, who is also the co-lead of this violent flick filled with gunslinging and bare-knuckle fights against crime gangs in Marseille. Underneath its zesty surface is an emotional story of revenge, redemption, and acceptance.
Spoilers Ahead
K.O. (2025) ‘Netflix’ Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“K.O.” is a French-language crime thriller that is one hour and 30 minutes long. Set in the criminal underbelly of Marseille, the flick is a neon-tinged, dynamic actioner.
What happens on ‘K.O.’ on Netflix?
As a film about an MMA fighter, “K.O.” opens at a boxing ring. It shows Bastien (Ciryl Gane) in a heated fight with Enzo. Things quickly get messy, and in the heat of the moment, Bastien throws a punch that kills Enzo. It takes Bastien a beat to realize that he has taken a man’s life. However, the damage is already done, and Enzo’s wife and son are there to witness it. So, they do not forgive Bastien, let alone pay their respects to Enzo. With this, Bastien’s life takes a swift turn. He leaves his flourishing fighting career for good and leads a life away from the spotlight. However, two years later, his past knocks on his door.
Bastien starts working in a salt mine, but Enzo’s teenage son, Leo (Maleaume Paquin), turns to a dark path. His grief pushes him to the criminal world, leaving Enzo’s widow, Emma (Anne Azoulay), alone. She also cuts ties with Bastien until the day Leo goes missing. That’s when she gets in touch with him. Trying to make up for his mistake, Bastien decides to find Leo no matter what. That’s how he joins hands with police captain Kenza Alaoui (Alice Belaïdi), who leads an investigation into a case, also connected to Leo. Like Bastien, she has something personal at stake in solving this case.
Why does Kenza want to bring Abdel Manchour to justice?
Kenza’s brother was killed by people working for Abdel Manchour. That’s why she wants to settle the score with him. She meets Leo to learn some intel about a series of murders. However, before he can say anything, Manchour’s men locate them, forcing him to run away. Around this time, Emma contacts Bastien to find Leo. Bastien shows up at Leo’s apartment to cross paths with Kenza. He joins her at a hospital to meet a potential witness to Manchour’s crimes, but the kid doesn’t reveal anything helpful. Outside, Manchour’s men tease Kenza about her dead brother, which frustrates her. So, she beats them to a pulp, which gets her suspended from the official investigation.
Kenza starts a covert investigation with Bastien. It leads them to a club that employs Leo’s girlfriend’s older sister, Fatou. As Kenza tries to speak with her, the bouncers attack her and Bastien. They get into an intense fight with the club’s staff to come out with a win. Then, Fatou reveals that Leo and her sister, Inaya, are staying at her mother’s place. Soon, the club owners reach out to the cops to complain about Bastien and Kenza.
K.O. (2025) ‘Netflix’ Movie Ending Explained:
Kenza and Bastien show up at Inaya’s mother’s place to bring her and Leo to a safer spot. However, as they are about to leave, Manchour’s men surround the building, determined to beat them. Luckily, the police force arrives just in time to arrest Manchour’s crew. Soon, Leo tells the cops that he has been working for a man who does business with Manchour. He admits to being an eyewitness to one of Manchour’s crimes. He also leads Kenza to find a mole in their department, working for Manchour. Moments after Kenza kills the mole, Manchour’s men cut the power supply to their building and break into their office.
Kenza finally finds Manchour at her gunpoint, but steps back as Manchour and his men start firing toward them. Soon, Bastien starts squabbling with Manchour’s crew while Kenza gets into a fight with Manchour. In the final moments of “K.O.,” Kenza defeats Manchour for good. After bringing him to justice, Leo starts a new chapter in his life with Inaya and Emma. Meanwhile, Bastien plans to find another way to find meaning in his life.
K.O. (2025) ‘Netflix’ Movie Review:
Antoine Blossier’s “K.O.” is just as good as you would expect it to be. It’s a blood-soaked action thriller that shows people going to extreme lengths to get what they want. Bastien and Kenza have something personal at stake, but for Manchour, it’s just his ego and sadism. The movie makes a case of showing just how gruesome he is. That gives us an idea of how far he can go to get what he wants. However, his character is hardly developed beyond that.
Bastien and Kenza’s characters aren’t fleshed out either, and still, the script pitches them as lovers while offering no genuine insight as to what they would find attractive about each other besides their physical attributes. Alice Belaïdi is still convincing as a ferocious police officer with a moral backbone, but neither her acting nor stunt skills are enough to make this any memorable as something like the John Wick films. That’s because it features awkward stunt choreography that could have seemed laughably bad if not for the neon lights.
A lot of its camera movements are dynamic, but they lack a clear motivation. There is rarely a strong reason behind these creative choices. So, oftentimes, it also feels like the film is trying to hide them with neon-lit wide-angle shots that offer a sense of wide space, but once you pay close attention, it all falls apart.
