One of the very few positives of the theatrical industry being ravaged by the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic is that the increased focus on the digital and VOD market has allowed the spotlight to shine on some movies that would otherwise fall through the cracks and get lost in the shuffle, and one of the biggest beneficiaries has been Rod Lurie’s war drama The Outpost.
Originally intended to hit theaters in July, the true life tale was instead sent straight to VOD, where it wound up becoming distributor Screen Media Films’ biggest ever digital debut, and topped the sales charts on iTunes and FandangoNow. All told, The Outpost spent weeks as one of the best selling titles on those two services along with AppleTV and Spectrum.
The story of a group of American soldiers attempting to hold their position against enemy insurgents in Afghanistan was also the subject of widespread critical acclaim, and The Outpost currently boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%. Better yet is that the movie now finds itself available to a much larger audience after arriving on Netflix today, and if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s well worth checking out.
Relentlessly gripping, packed full of tension, impeccably crafted and boasting a visceral sense of realism, director Lurie uses the bare bones plot to his advantage and coaxes great performances out of a stellar ensemble cast that features Orlando Boom, second generation stars Scott Eastwood and Milo Gibson and Caleb Landry Jones.
The third act is essentially one long firefight, too, and is one of the year’s best action sequences despite being part of a modestly budgeted drama. All things considered, The Outpost stands a real chance of cracking Netflix‘s Top 10 most-watched list once people discover how great the movie is.