FRANK GRILLO'S 'LONG GONE HEROES' IS STREAMING SUCCESS OF PARAMOUNT+

Frank Grillo is a go-to star when looking for a gritty action movie, and his films may not always hit the mark for critics, but audiences still love to watch them when they turn up on new streaming platforms. This has been proven in the case of Long Gone Heroes, which, more than a month after topping the Tubi chart, is now sitting at number two on Paramount+’s Top 10 chart.

While Grillo has appeared in several big franchises, such as The Purge, as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now is part of the new DCU, Grillo has delivered many big, masculine action movies for a long line of masculine action movies that fans just cannot get enough of. However, with all that in mind, Long Gone Heroes is probably not one that will sit on the top of anyone’s personal list of Grillo greats, but is another movie that just refuses to lay down and die among a very crowded library of similar movies. The synopsis for the movie reads:

“Gunner, a special forces soldier who has witnessed the darkest side of country and combat, is forced back into the field of battle to save his niece, who is being held in South America. As the fight intensifies, Gunner and his team discover that her disappearance is part of a corrupt private operation that hits way too close to home.”

Like many movies with a synopsis that includes the words “special forces soldier,” “corruption,” “team,” and some form of rescue attempt, critics instantly dismissed the movie as another rinse-and-repeat action movie that is churned out by the dozen. However, like several other actors, including Liam Neeson and Jason Statham, Grillo has carved himself a niche as a popular leader of this kind of movie, and his fans will watch anything that comes up with his name above the title.

Is ‘Long Gone Heroes’ Worth Watching?

There are many movies that slip under the radar of critics, and Long Gone Heroes is one of them. Despite being released in September 2024, the film has no critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes – which could be a good thing - and has probably played a part in the film’s frequent stints in various Top 10 charts. As a film that received little fanfare on its original release, people coming across it without any preconceptions and only a limited number of opinions to go off are probably more inclined to check it out for themselves.

Long Gone Heroes sees Grillo joined by Josh Hutcherson, Andy Garcia, Mekhi Phifer, Eden Brolin, and Melissa Leo among others, but even a competent cast cannot make up for the plot’s shortcomings and a “boring” end result. This time around, even some Grillo enthusiasts were not able to see much positive to say about the film, with one audience review saying that despite being a huge fan of the actor, the film is “way too long, too much filler that didn't add anything to the movie. Just a dull 2hr slog for what looked like a movie that was right up my alley.”

It seems though that Grillo’s name and a relatively unknown title is still enough to draw in audiences, and Long Gone Heroes is currently nestled up just behind Ridley Scott’s epic Gladiator II on Paramount+’s chart. Could it take the top spot in the next few days? It isn’t unheard of.

Source: Flixpatrol

2025-03-25T01:23:45Z