Take No Prisoners: Three Kick-Ass Netflix Dramas

Toward the end of my marriage, my ex-husband and I had one of our biggest blow-ups ever. I stormed out of the house in the pouring rain and went alone to see the movie “Salt.” Starring Angelina Jolie, the movie starts out with the heroine in seemingly impossible circumstances: strapped to a chair, at the mercy of a terrible villain, and with no one to rescue her. But as “Salt” (2010) proved, in spades, it’s easy to underestimate a woman. In fact, I’m a little disappointed that there hasn’t been a sequel — but, no worries — Netflix provides some seriously good, high-intensity dramas featuring women in clever, brave roles. Watching a woman, however flawed, face impossible odds and succeed feels pretty good to me these days.

Collateral

A British import, “Collateral” captured my attention from the beginning with its riveting soundtrack, sexy camera angles, and furious pace. We know that something is about to happen — we just don’t know what — and this creates a diffuse tension that refuses to let up until the last scene of the last episode. “Collateral” stars a visibly-pregnant Carey Mulligan as newly promoted South London Detective Inspector Kip Glaspie, who refuses to accept a pizza delivery man’s shocking murder as a random act of violence and possible hate crime. Instead, she leaves no stone unturned as she simultaneously follows nuanced plot threads involving politicians, organized crime, and human trafficking.