An opinion-splitting political thriller cast out into the streaming wilderness finally manages to find an audience

Once upon a time – in the halcyon days of the 1990s and early 2000s – a political thriller bearing a cast of recognizable and esteemed actors was virtually guaranteed to find at least a decent-sized audiences. To say the times have changed would be an understatement, though, so nobody would be in any trouble had they been completely unaware The Independent existed.

The story follows a reporter determined to break a major front-page story regardless of what it entails, leading her to partner up with an established veteran to try and dig up some dirt. As a result, they end up being dragged down a rabbit hole after uncovering a conspiracy that reaches all the way up to the highest levels of government, with the ongoing presidential race caught in the middle.

Not even the stunt casting of John Cena in a rare dramatic turn as a would-be candidate for the White House was enough to secure The Independent much fanfare, with the movie landing on Peacock a mere six months ago and being immediately forgotten about. Middling reviews probably didn’t help, but a Rotten Tomatoes audience approval rating of 78 percent would hint that those who actually went about watching it ended up enjoying what they found.

In an even more ironic twist, The Independent has resurfaced on the streaming charts, but not on its home platform. Instead, FlixPatrol has revealed it to be the latest addition to the worldwide watch-list on both iTunes and Google Play Movies, reinforcing its status as a complete and utter cinematic non-entity.