(Credit: Netflix)

Chris Evans is finally doing what he should have done years ago: being a little bit bad. After spending most of his career as everyone’s favourite good guy, he is now out here on Netflix acting like he is tired of behaving. And honestly, it’s fun to watch.

You see, Captain America is not giving speeches or saving the world anymore. He is wearing tight shirts and being sarcastic and, most importantly, enjoying every second of it. Isn’t it nice to see someone that polished just let go for once?

Netflix, of course, seems to be the place where he’s letting that side out. He looks playful and dangerous, just the required amount, like he knows exactly how people see him and is having a great time flipping the image upside down.

And honestly, it’s about time we let him have it. The perfect analogy to compare his situation would be like seeing someone take a deep breath after years of smiling for photos. He has still got the charm, but now there is something sneaky underneath it, and it makes everything he does a lot more fun to watch.

So here are three Netflix films starring Mr Evans in his “a dangerous handsome” era.

Three must-watch Netflix movies starring Chris Evans:

The Gray Man (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, 2022)

No, because who gave Chris Evans permission to have this much fun being evil? He shows up in The Gray Man looking like a walking red flag with perfect hair and proceeds to make being a terrible person look weirdly attractive. He plays Lloyd Hansen, a psychotic ex-CIA guy who treats murder like a sport and insults like fine art. From the first scene, you can tell he is enjoying every second of being the problem. You might not agree, but he clearly outshone Gosling in the movie.

The movie itself is a pure blast, quite literally with explosions and well-thought-out chase scenes, and Ryan Gosling trying to survive, but Evans steals every frame like it’s his solo project. He is funny, at times scary and totally unpredictable, and so confident it’s almost annoying (in the best way). You can see how free he feels without the superhero baggage. The guy is laughing mid-fight, for crying out loud. If you haven’t made the mistake of not watching the film when it was first released, do it now.

Pain Hustlers (David Yates, 2023)

Evans in Pain Hustlers is just… wow. You know that guy at work who talks too loudly, flirts too much, and somehow still gets promoted? Aka the working-class Casanova? That’s him in Pain Hustlers. He is in a suit this time, selling drugs and looking unfairly good while doing it. He plays Pete Brenner, this sleazy pharmaceutical rep who has the charm of a conman and the morals of an expired coupon. Every time he smiles, you just know someone’s about to make a bad decision.

And after working with an ex-Barbie star in The Gray Man, joining him is a nostalgic rival from Oppenheimer: Emily Blunt. She has matched his crazy with the calm confidence of someone who has been holding this industry together for years. The two of them together? Electric. The film takes you on a ride through a broken healthcare system, but Evans makes it impossible to look at anyone else. It’s not his most heroic role, but it might be his most entertaining one.

The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)

Most good-looking stars get written off as bad actors. People assume the face is doing all the work. But that’s never been the case with Chris Evans. He is proof that you can be distractingly attractive and make people cry in the same scene. In this one, he plays Ari Levinson, a Mossad agent running a fake hotel as cover for a real rescue mission, and it’s one of his most grounded performances ever.

Evans carries the story with this calm intensity while looking sunburnt and exhausted and completely believable as a man who refuses to walk away from a cause that matters.