This Action Thriller “Guy Movie” That Is Better Than Its 25% RT Score is Dealing a Strong Hand on Streaming

Dead Money arrived in 2024 with very little fanfare and flew under the radar with many people. The 2024 poker-based thriller was panned by critics on its limited theatrical and VOD release, which meant that many audiences either ignored it, or slept on it thanks to the lackluster response and its lack of big A-lister star names. The Emile Hirsch movie, which also stars Rory Culkin and Jackie Earle Haley, has now been dealt a better hand thanks to its arrival on Hulu.

Action thrillers have been a huge draw for many viewers trawling the endless lists of movies available through various streaming platforms, and that is why Dead Money has attracted enough attention to make it a chart-topping hit on the Disney-owed platform months after it landed with a thud back in September. The short synopsis for the film reads:

“Professional poker player Andy and his girlfriend Chloe are involved in a crazy 24 hours after a home poker game is robbed. Andy ends up playing the largest poker game of his life as both of their lives are in danger.”

Is ‘Dead Money’ Better Than Its Rotten Tomatoes Score?

Movies that get lumped into the “Guy Movie” category of masculine action thrillers often don’t get the best reviews from critics. Dead Money is one such example, as the film struggled to a 25% Tomatometer score, with many complaining that the “mediocre” plot was only made worse for playing on “genre clichés” that make it “difficult to stay engaged.” For many viewers though, it was a very different story.

While the film has not been given an official Popcornmeter score, audiences took to the movie much better than critics, as is a common theme right now. One review reads, “First great movie I have seen in a while. The critics have no clue what they are talking about. Smug as usual. It had like-able characters, comedy, action, suspense. It was a fun watch!” Another added, “A guy movie and it was entertaining. Don’t know why these movies get trashed, it’s better than 85% of the trash out there.”

Action movies almost always fail to engage critics, who are often looking for the kind of nuanced performances and highbrow dialogue that you just don’t find in a movie that pleases people based on excessive violence and thrills. Dead Money is certainly one that seemed to know the audience it was aiming to speak to, and it did just that. While the film did not have an impact on its original release, its appearance on Hulu at the top of the chart proves that there is always an audience hungry for more of this kind of brutal thriller.

Several Emile Hirsch movies have sprung up on streaming platforms recently, including his massively underrated horror movie Malden, which is currently topping the Tubi chart.

View this article at Movieweb.