In the history of cinema, hundreds upon hundreds of action films have been released. In the 1980s, several big-name action flicks⏤and a glut of unknown ones⏤hit cinemas and shelves every week, making it no surprise that some were forgotten over time. The idea of an action film from 2017 featuring both Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley falling into the memory hole is extremely surprising. However, one of their films is getting a second look thanks to streaming.
According to Flixpatrol, 2017’s Security is shooting up the Netflix charts. It’s currently the 4th most popular movie on the massive platform. The film was directed by Alain DesRochers and stars Antonio Banderas as Eduardo “Eddie” Deacon. Eddie is a retired Marine Corps Delta captain who, while successful in the field, has struggled to find work after moving into civilian life. This struggle, mixed with lingering emotional scars from his old job, has caused Eddie to become distant from his family. Eventually Eddie finds a job as a mall security guard, and on his first night, Eddie meets Vance, the head of the mall cops. While Vance gives Eddie his training, something goes horribly wrong.
A U.S. Marshal convoy transporting a little girl named Jamie is attacked by a group of highly-armed professional mercenaries. Jamie is part of a massive organized crime trial, and she quickly realizes that the mercenaries are after her. She flees the scene and takes shelter in the mall, where she is found by Eddie and Vance. Both men promise to protect the girl and end up locked in a vicious battle with the mercenaries.
The film was mostly overlooked when it was released, getting very little press and even less attention. In fact, during its short theatrical run, the film only made $776,522 at the American box office. The few professional reviews hated it, calling the film generic and saying that while the set pieces are well-choreographed, they offer nothing that hasn’t already been seen or done before in other movies.
These same reviews praised Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley, arguing that their natural charisma elevated the film from terrible to watchable. Others said that Banderas nailed his character, bringing a world-weariness to the role that suited a man with a complex history. Other critics felt that the movie proved that Banderas and Kingsley needed better management, arguing that two talented men shouldn’t be wasting their time in such a generic movie.
Viewers were not as kind to the film. Security only has a 33% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Many user reviews echo those of the critics, saying that while the action scenes are well done, the film sits in an odd middle ground. It’s too over-the-top to be a serious film and far too restrained to be a silly action movie.
It’s always fascinating to see which films stay in peoples’ memories and which end up forgotten. It’s also interesting to see which forgotten films end up having random, temporary resurgences on streaming platforms. While Security might not be Banderas’ most famous film, it seems that it resonates with enough people to get its day in the sun.
