A crime thriller that drew wildly polarizing reactions blows up on Netflix

For the most part, critics and audiences are very rarely in unanimous agreement on the majority of movies, but that doesn’t make the wildly polarizing reactions to forgotten 2019 crime thriller Black and Blue any less interesting.

On the basis of almost 100 reviews, the action-packed and timely tale of corrupt cops trying to cover up their misdeeds could only a muster a 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While that paints the picture of a fairly middle of the road genre film, over 5000 users are in staunch disagreement, with Black and Blue holding a whopping 93% user rating.

There’s clearly a disconnect, and that’s been outlined even further by the film’s incredible performance on Netflix this week. As per FlixPatrol, Black and Blue has jumped 34 places on the global charts since yesterday, and can now be found as the 21st most-watched title on the platform around the world.

Naomie Harris stars as a rookie New Orleans cop who unwittingly records the murder of a local drug dealer by unscrupulous law enforcement on her body cam. Forced on the run after her colleagues discover she’s got incriminating evidence against them, she teams up with Tyrese Gibson’s old friend.

With the police and local criminals hot on their tail, the duo need to try and prove their innocence after being framed for the incident, even though their pursuers would much rather see them dead. Black and Blue might be formulaic to a fault, but based on the evidence mentioned above, it’s proven to be massively popular among viewers.