An absurdly far-fetched spy thriller protects its own interests on Netflix

By its very nature, the blockbuster action thriller tends to operate outside of any noticeable sense of tangible reality, but even then, 2009’s The International stretched things so far past the limits of credulity that critics and audiences ended up losing interest.

The $50 million genre flick topped out with just $60 million at the box office, with respective critical and audience scores of 58 and 37 percent possibly hinting as to why paying customers never showed much interest, despite the film boasting a couple of showstopping action sequences.

Netflix subscribers appear to be undeterred, though, with The International becoming the latest forgotten financial flop to enjoy an unexpected resurgence on-demand. As per FlixPatrol, the shadowy tale of espionage and intrigue has risen from the depths of obscurity to become a Top 10 hit in multiple countries, well over a decade after initially sinking without a trace.

Clive Owen’s Interpol agent finds himself partnering up with Naomi Watts’ prosecutor to try and put an end to the shady misdeeds of an international banking conglomerate’s funding of terrorism. Traversing the globe to follow the money, it soon becomes apparent that they’ve become targeted for elimination by the very forces they’re working to actively stop.

There was more than enough talent gathered on either side of the camera to deliver the goods, but The International‘s narrative ultimately becomes so luxurious that it becomes ludicrous, never a good look for a story that’s simultaneously trying to play everything with an exceedingly straight face.