Jason Statham is one of the most notable action stars of his generation. In addition to his work in franchises like The Expendables and Fast & Furious, he’s proven he’s more than capable of leading an action film on his own. The Meg grossed over $500 million and spawned a sequel, and his collaborations with director David Ayer (The Beekeeper and A Working Man) were commercially successful, illustrating there’s still an audience for the mid-budget action flick. Of course, not every Statham vehicle has been a massive success. In 2013, the actor headlined Homefront, which earned mixed reviews and only made $51.7 million at the box office. However, years later, it’s finally finding the audience it deserved the first time around.
Videos by ComicBook.com
For the week of February 2nd-8th, Homefront was the eight-most-watched film on Netflix. It beat out two popular Netflix originals — The Rip and Kpop Demon Hunters — to secure that place on the chart. This was Homefront‘s first week in the streamer’s top 10.
Why Homefront Is A Hit on Netflix 13 Years Later
Homefront was a perfectly timed new addition to the Netflix library this month. Statham’s latest action film, Shelter, was released on January 30th. While it isn’t one of the actor’s biggest hits ($30.1 million at the worldwide box office as of this writing), it’s still performed fairly well within its niche target demographic. Statham has a loyal fan base, and after checking Shelter out in theaters, some viewers were probably interested in watching some of the actor’s other films. Homefront was an easy one to add to the watchlist because it’s so readily accessible.
At the time of its release, Homefront earned mostly mixed reviews (43% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes). The biggest complaint lobbied against the film was that it was a fairly run-of-the-mill experience that didn’t do much to put a fresh spin on a well-worn genre. But that’s part of the appeal of Homefront. It relishes in being an old-school action movie, following the quest of one man who finds himself in the crosshairs of a burgeoning meth empire. In the film, Statham plays ex-DEA agent Phil Broker, who gets mixed up with aspiring kingpin Morgan “Gator” Bodine (James Franco). Homefront boasts a stellar cast that also includes Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Frank Grillo, and Clancy Brown. With the premise and ensemble, Homefront is very reminiscent of the classic thrillers it draws inspiration from.
What elevates the story of Homefront is the emotional component. Broker is raising a young daughter as a single father, moving her to a seemingly peaceful, secluded town to settle down. The family dynamic raises the stakes, as audiences quickly become invested in the relationship between Broker and his daughter Maddy. Admittedly, this isn’t anything new and it’s an easy way to get viewers invested into the narrative, but it’s nevertheless effective and adds to the danger of the situation Broker and Maddy find themselves in. It certainly helps that Franco is fittingly unsettling as the main villain in pursuit of them.
Homefront may not find itself on any lists of the best action movies of the 21st century, but it’s still a solid Statham outing that’s worth a watch — especially if one is a big fan of Statham and his typical brand of filmmaking. There aren’t many who are better at channeling the action heroes of yesteryear, and it’s always a treat to see the no-nonsense Statham take down some bad guys on screen.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
A photo of the Retrovolt Arcade taken in 2017, showing several classic arcade cabinets and stools.
