Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy’s thriller burns up the Netflix charts

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Netflix is, once again, breathing new life into a largely forgotten film of yesteryear. The movie in question is “Don’t Say a Word.” Don’t worry if this title alone raises eyebrows, because this isn’t exactly an early 2000s cinematic classic, with all due respect. Regardless, the thriller finds a sizable audience on the steamboat as we head into the Halloween season.

Starring Michael Douglas (“Basic Instinct”) and the late Brittany Murphy (“Uptown Girls”), director Gary Fleder’s 2001 thriller “Don’t Say a Word” is currently in Netflix’s top 10 most-watched films. The film currently sits in fifth place, just behind this year’s reboot “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and just ahead of the animated film “The Twits.”

For those who may not be familiar with it, the film centers on conman Patrick Koster (Sean Bean) and his partner, who capture young Jessie Conrad (Skye McCole Bartusiak), holding her for ransom from Jessie’s therapist father, Nathan (Michael Douglas). But they don’t want the money. Instead, they want him to persuade a traumatized teenager named Elisabeth (Brittany Murphy) to reveal a mysterious code number that will lead them to a hidden gem worth a fortune. The twist? She hasn’t spoken in 10 years. Let the games begin.

The film came at a unique time as Murphy was reaching the heights of his star power before his untimely death at the age of 32 in 2009. It was also something of an end to a truly incredible run for Douglas, with the actor rising to the top of Hollywood’s A-list in the ’80s with gigantic hits like “Fatal Attraction.” At the time of its release, the high-concept thrill ride was not a big success, raking in $100 million at the box office against a budget of $50 million. Critics of the time were not particularly kind towards him either.

Read more: 15 Horror Movies So Disturbing You’ll Only Watch Them Once

Don’t Say a Word is the latest forgotten film to find new life on Netflix

It was one of those films that came and went in its time, didn’t do as well as Fox had hoped, but also came at a time when DVD sales and cable could serve as a safety net to ensure that a given film would make money. Regardless, it’s clear that the combination of star-studded stars and an engaging, intriguing premise has allowed this oft-forgotten version from the early 2000s to thrive 24 years later.

What’s interesting is that this sort of thing seems to happen on Netflix all the time. 2004’s “After the Sunset” recently found great success on the streamer more than 20 years after its failure in theaters. Even today, the top 10 includes films like 2015’s “Vacation” and “The A-Team.” The examples are countless, but it is an interesting phenomenon.

For some reason, even as Netflix continues to pump billions of dollars into original films, many of these relatively mundane “movie for the sake of a movie” films end up dominating the streaming service’s charts. Meanwhile, massive original blockbusters like “The Electric State” fail like here today, becoming curiosities tomorrow without any cultural resistance. Even though Netflix has managed to disrupt Hollywood, users still seem to find a lot of comfort in familiar theatrically released films, even if they weren’t hits in their time.

It may also speak volumes about the generational nostalgia people of a certain age have for Murphy, who starred in teen classics like “Clueless” as well as “Girl, Interrupted,” among others. Either way, this is just the latest example of Netflix unintentionally spotlighting a piece of cinema that previously felt like it might as well have been lost to time.

You can also grab “Don’t Say a Word” on DVD from Amazon.

If you’re looking for the easiest way to keep up to date with all the major film and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter? You can also add us as your preferred search source on Google.

Read the original article on SlashFilm.