Sometimes, a title pops up from nowhere that hardly anyone had on their radar and suddenly, it rockets to the top. No franchise, no years of hype, no huge marketing wave. And yet, everyone is watching this very movie.
You scroll through the Netflix Top 10 and come across the usual suspects. Major productions from well-known studios, a beloved series, and films with an established pedigree are the usual suspects. This time, there’s a title that got off to a rather quiet start. A movie that you most probably would not have noticed. That’s exactly what propelled it to the top.
In 1st Place — This Unknown Action Flick Conquers Netflix
London Calling has been sitting at the number 1 spot in the Netflix film charts since the weekend. This placed it ahead of an actual heavyweight, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. The latter had to settle for second place since this action film stormed the Netflix charts. Such surprises are rare. Familiar names usually dominate the charts. Every once in a while, a relatively unknown movie sneaks into the top spot without much buzz. That’s precisely what happened here.
A Killer On the Run
The primary protagonist is Tommy Ward, played by Josh Duhamel. He is a contract killer who made a monumental mistake. Instead of an anonymous target, he accidentally killed a relative of the biggest gangster boss in London. From that moment on, it is clear that his time in Britain is up.
Tommy fled to Los Angeles and went into hiding. But he doesn’t want to stay like that for long. His son is still back home. So he made an unusual deal. He is to ensure that Julian (Jeremy Ray Taylor), the socially awkward son of his new employer, returns to his usual self. For this mission, he is promised a safe journey home. What could possibly go wrong when an assassin acts as a mentor to a young man who has been a victim more often than a perpetrator? Well, this trailer gives you a foretaste of this ingenious combination:
I agree to external content being loaded. Personal data may be transferred to third-party platforms. Further information can be found in the Privacy Policy.
Action Meets Chaos, Sprinkled with Humor
What initially sounds like a classic escape thriller quickly develops into a chaotic action comedy. Car chases meet embarrassing moments of mentoring. Tough gangster logic collides with attempts at education, which tend to be more an impromptu improvisation than a strategy. The film relies less on gloomy seriousness and more on pace, puns, and a good dose of self-irony. It is precisely this mixture that made it work. Instead of leaden suspense, you get light entertainment with plenty of zest that will make you smile before you know it.
Why Now?
The Netflix Top 10 is often a barometer of the audience. Dramas dominate at times, true crime occasionally surfaces, and major hits take the podium as well. The fact that a relatively unknown action movie takes the top spot shows just how much viewing habits can change. You don’t always just check out the loudest marketing. Sometimes, a simply entertaining movie appears at the right moment and wins. “London Calling” is a case in point. There is no huge franchise backing it, but enough energy to overtake even established blockbusters. Hence, if you want to know how a washed-up hitman stumbles into a mentoring adventure between London and Los Angeles, you know where to click.
