Netflix’s Top 10 includes a misjudged retelling of a heroic true story

It’s no secret that Clint Eastwood is one of the modern era’s most consistently solid filmmakers with four Academy Award wins and a Golden Globe win apiece. A superlative not often used is “ambitious”, but The 15:17 to Paris is an experimental swing and a miss for Hollywood.

iconThe story of how three young Americans thwarted a terrorist attack and saved the lives of over 500 passengers was positively dripping with cinematic potential. It was Eastwood’s boldest decision, however, that ultimately proved to be the film’s downfall, since he instead cast Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos as themselves.

This was a huge call from the filmmaker, and though it certainly deepened the realism, they were not suited for leading $30 million films in their debuts. It is common for people to play themselves on camera, but having the three real-life heroes make their bows in a dramatization of their true heroism had the opposite effect, with the leads’ wooden and one-note performances being the biggest criticism.

Yet Netflix users can’t get enough of the vérité thriller this week, with Eastwood’s misjudged feature currently ranking eighth among subscribers in the U.S. Clearly, that 23 percent Rotten Tomatoes score hasn’t done a thing to prevent folks from pushing play.

Dakota Cameron

Dakota Cameron is a seasoned web content writer and covers the Hollywood movies for the MovieThop Website
Ms. Cameron began his professional life as a freelance blogger. Later, he worked for Witbe as a content writer for two years. His interests include blogging, reading, movies and travel.
Ms. Cameron graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication from University State of Georgia University. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and other languages.