Cracking the Netflix Top 10 movie list is a tall order these days. Every film that finds itself on the platform first has to contend with 2025’s biggest animated film, KPop Demon Hunters. Despite getting a couple of theatrical runs, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans’ smash hit continues to dominate the streaming charts, most likely because it appeals to children and keeps them busy while the adults get chores done. Parents can’t let kids have all the fun, though; sometimes they want to use the subscriptions they pay for. That’s how new thrillers like A House of Dynamite and The Woman in Cabin 10 find themselves securing spots on the Top 10 list.
Videos by ComicBook.com
What’s interesting is that, in the streaming world, recent releases are on equal footing with older ones, as they all end up in the same ocean of content. It actually benefits long-in-the-tooth movies when they end up on a streamer, because there are no expectations. If the description and cover image look interesting, that’s all that matters. A 24-year-old thriller that hit the $100 million mark at the box office, Don’t Say a Word, is benefiting from that process, trading blows with Netflix’s heavy hitters to secure its second life.
Michael Douglas Is Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place in Netflix’s Latest Hit
Adapting popular thriller books was all the rage in the ’90s and early 2000s. The Silence of the Lambs and Mystic River were such successes that 20th Century Fox went in search of another winner. The powers that be landed on Don’t Say a Word, based on Andrew Klavan’s novel of the same name. Academy Award winner Michael Douglas was brought in to play the lead role, and production was off to the races, working overtime to hit the September 2001 release date.
Don’t Say a Word tells the story of Nathan Conrad, a child psychiatrist who finds himself working with a teenager named Elisabeth who doesn’t have plans of getting out. It soon comes to light that she has ties to a group of thieves searching for a missing gem worth millions and believing she’s the key. Nathan isn’t able to get Elisabeth help because the criminals come after him as well, kidnapping his son and attacking his wife. Rather than give in to the demands, Nathan and Elisabeth agree to work together to get out of the tough spot.
Don’t Say a Word‘s Cast Pushes Past the Movie’s Problems
Upon its release, Don’t Say a Word wasn’t embraced by critics, who complained about its silly story. One aspect of the project that didn’t receive any hate, though, was its cast. Douglas brought his A-game per usual, and Brittany Murphy and Famke Janssen helped carry the load by ensuring their characters were far more than damsels in distress. Sean Bean also delivered a solid performance as the villain, Patrick Koster, who was so unlikable that it would’ve been easy to root against his character in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which was released a couple of months after Don’t Say a Word.
The much-maligned movie’s surge on Netflix is a mystery, since the streamer doesn’t typically ask its users why they turn something on. However, it’s possible that good word of mouth is spreading, telling tales of all the great performances that Don’t Say a Word houses. Other projects have found more success for stranger reasons.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Ufotable -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
