There couldn’t have been a worse time for a movie starring Armie Hammer to release than the beginning of 2021, when the actor’s career and reputation had been left in tatters following a string of serious and disturbing allegations. In an even crueler twist of fate, the crime thriller in question just so happened to be called Crisis.
Written, directed, and produced by Nicholas Jarecki, the story interweaves three subplots that all deal with the shady and illicit world of opioids. There’s a trafficker heading up a Fentanyl smuggling ring between the United States and Canada, a recovering addict and architect trying to uncover the truth behind their son’s involvement in the drug world, and a professor who stumbles upon shocking a shocking revelation regarding his research employer.
Crisis holds a decent 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 166 reviews, but there was some minor controversy over the first wave of reactions. Many felt that the gripping tale was being deliberately bashed for the sole reason that Hammer was involved, while others argued that it wasn’t a very good film.
Either way, it was shuffled onto VOD early last year without barely a hint of a marketing campaign, which was equal parts understandable due to Hammer being dropped from projects left, right, and center, but also somewhat unfair to filmmaker Jarecki, co-stars Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly, Greg Kinnear, Michelle Rodriguez, and Greg Kinnear, along with the rest of the crew who worked so hard on Crisis.
However, it has been making a splash on streaming this week, with FlixPatrol revealing that Crisis has been surging on the platform’s global most-watched list, and it if continues on its current trajectory it could be in with a real shot at reaching the Top 20.