Summary
Land of Bad, Russell Crowe’s under-the-radar action thriller from 2024, becomes a global hit on Netflix. Co-written and directed by William Eubank (Underwater), the new war film follows a US Army special forces team that is ambushed while on a mission to recover an intelligence asset, and their sole hope for survival rests with a distant Air Force drone operator who aids them during a grueling 48-hour battle. Other than Crowe,Land of Bad’s castincludes Liam Hemsworth, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, and Milo Ventimiglia.
Now, after flying under the radar for much of 2024, Crowe’s action thriller has become a global hit onNetflix. For the week of July 15-21,Land of Badwas the third-most watched movie on Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart with 8.7 million viewsand 16.6 million hours viewed.Land of Badranked belowTrolls Band Togetherand the new Netflix originalFind Me Falling, all three marking their first week in the Top 10. Check out the full top 10 list below:
Views (in millions)
1
14.4
2
10.3
3
8.7
4
8.3
5
5.5
6
5.4
7
5.1
8
4.8
9
3.2
10
3.1
Land Of Bad Ending Explained
Liam Hemsworth’s Land of Bad has an ending befitting the movie’s overall tense tone, with the twists and turns throughout influencing the finale.
He’s Been Relegated To A B-List Actor
During the 1990s and 2000s,Crowe was an A-list leading manwho earned Hollywood’s highest accolades. He received his first Oscar nomination for his compelling portrayal of a conflicted tobacco executive inThe Insider, though it was his role as a Roman general in Ridley Scott’sGladiatorthat gave him the gold. Crowe continued to impress with his performance as the schizophrenic math genius John Nash inA Beautiful Mind, earning him another Oscar nomination. Notably, all three films received nominations for Best Picture, withGladiatorandA Beautiful Mindboth winning the award.
Crowe continued to impress with some strong performances throughout the 2000s, though he started to face some critical setbacks with supporting roles inMan of Steel,The Mummy, and other movies. Morerecently, Crowe seems to have been relegated to a B-list actor. In the past few years, he’s starred inPrizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher,The Greatest Beer Run Ever,Poker Face(2022 film),The Pope’s Exorcist,Sleeping Dogs,andThe Exorcism– all of which were panned by critics and failed to make a significant impact at the box office.
Land of Badis a bit of an outlier among Crowe’s recent movies. The action thriller actually received positive reviews from critics, who praised the solid survival thriller for its set pieces and smartly assembledLand of Badcast, resulting in a 65% Rotten Tomatoes score. However, released on February 16,the film failed to make an impact in theaters, grossing only $6.5 million at the box office.Land of Bad’s Netflix success could help redeem its irrelevance at the box office, though it remains disappointing for those who crave a return to seeing Crowe in critical and commercial triumphs.
Captain Grimm Isn’t A Traditional Leading Man
Crowe continues to serve as a leading man in smaller films, particularly in the horror genre. He recently starred in not one but two exorcism-themed horror films with2023’sThe Pope’s Exorcistand 2024’sThe Exorcism, the former of which ended up becoming a modest theatrical success and a major streaming success. While these films suggest that Crowe still has a Liam Neeson-like ability to anchor mid-budget projects,Land of Badproves that Crowe also remains compelling in more supporting roles.
Playing more supporting and villain roles alongside a new generation of talent could allow Crowe to show off new sides of himself as an actor that some audiences may not be familiar with.
The main action hero character inLand of Badis Hemsworth’s Sergeant Kinney, with Crowe’s Captain Grimm serving as his eye in the sky. The film’s major action set pieces are mostly built around Kinney, with Crowe’s character participating in the action from his drone command desk. While Crowe’s role may not be the traditional hero, he plays arguably the more interesting and flawed character.
Taking on these more colorful types of characters could be the key to an interesting filmographymoving forward for Crowe. Another compelling and different turn for Crowe came in 2019 withUnhinged, in which he played a terrifying road-rager. Playing more supporting and villain roles alongside a new generation of talent could allow Crowe to show off new sides of himself as an actor that some audiences may not be familiar with.
An actor who excelled as supporting characters and villains is the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman would often be the most interesting part of whatever movie he was in despite not being the protagonist, and Crowe, though he is very different from Hoffman and arguably not as much of a chameleon, could follow a similar trajectory.
What Russell Crowe Is Doing Next
The Actor Has Some Interesting Movies Lined Up
Crowe has a number of projects set to come out over the next few years. Later this year, Crowe will appear opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Sony’sKraven the Hunterfilm. He’s also expected to reprise his role asFather Gabriel inThe Pope’s Exorcist 2. Perhaps the most interesting project on the horizon for Crowe, however, is director James Vanderbilt’sNuremberg. This historical drama will feature Crowe playing Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring during the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
Crowe is also set to appear inRothko, a film about the legal battle between U.S. painter Mark Rothco and his daughter, andBear Country,an action thriller. Crowe’s next few years, then, are set to feature the actor in a fairly wide variety of roles, and this diversity of choice is sure to keep things from becoming too stale or predictable. For now, though, viewers are evidently enjoying watching Crowe inLand of Bad.
Land of Bad
Cast
Land of Bad follows an elite air force mission gone awry, setting up a high-stakes rescue led by a drone pilot. The team must navigate hostile terrain in a bid for survival, featuring action-packed sequences that test their skills and resilience.
