Jason Statham And Sylvester Stallone's Homefront Is Taking Over Netflix — The Gritty Thriller Everyone's Streaming

Remember Homefront? The 2013 Jason Statham thriller that quietly came and went? It just roared back to life on Netflix and shot up the charts. Not bad for a movie that started out as something very different.

The setup

Homefront is directed by Gary Fleder and adapted from Chuck Logan's novel. Statham plays Phil Broker, a retired DEA agent trying to keep his head down and raise his daughter in peace. That plan collapses when a local drug boss, Gator Bodine (James Franco), decides to make Broker his problem. You can guess what happens next: Broker dusts off the skills he swore off and starts taking out the trash.

It has very clear throwback energy: lean 100-minute runtime, straight-line momentum, and that 90s potboiler feel where a quiet dad flips the switch and becomes a human wrecking ball. Alongside Statham and Franco, the movie also features Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, and Frank Grillo.

Stallone’s role (and why this one is a curiosity)

Sylvester Stallone did not co-star here; he wrote the screenplay. He has been at this since Rocky in 1976 and has kept the scripts coming. He also has a 2025 project called A Working Man with David Ayer, and yes, Statham is front and center on that one too.

It almost was a Rambo movie

Here’s the under-the-hood wrinkle: Homefront was originally conceived as a Rambo sequel. Stallone initially wrote it as a vehicle for John Rambo, protecting his daughter while going up against drug dealers. Then the script sat for close to a decade. By the time it came back around, Stallone decided he was past playing that version of the character, reworked the material, and handed it to Statham.

"I could never be Rambo. If he was offering me Rambo I'd turn it down. I could not fill those boots. He's too good at what he does. Although there is a great element of Sly in this, he adapted it for me. It's impossible to be that guy. He gave a lot of thought to that."

Why it is suddenly trending

Homefront is currently the third most popular movie on Netflix. Critics were lukewarm back in the day (42% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the audience score sits higher at 61%. It is not peak Statham, but it is firmly in his wheelhouse: bruising set pieces, a noticeable body count, and just enough heart to keep the stakes personal. Franco, playing against type as Gator Bodine, is a surprisingly slippery foil.

Quick hits

• Year: 2013
• Director: Gary Fleder
• Based on: Chuck Logan's novel
• Cast: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Frank Grillo
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Now on: Netflix (currently sitting in the top 3)
• Vibe: Old-school revenge thriller with a dad-on-the-warpath streak

If you missed it the first time, this is a clean, no-frills Statham fix with a neat Stallone backstory baked in. Easy add to the queue.