Liam Neeson’s 40% Rotten Tomatoes Action Thriller He Wanted To Rename Is a Surprise Streaming Hit in America

He’s played ex-spies, ex-cops, ex-killers, and now… an honest thief? While the title may have made Liam Neeson wince, Honest Thief is pulling a surprise third act on streaming, climbing all the way to the #5 spot on Hulu in the U.S. Nearly four years after its modest theatrical release, the gritty little action flick is enjoying a renaissance with viewers who don’t mind a bit of Neeson-on-the-rampage vengeance – especially when it comes with a dash of romance and an explosive car chase or three.

Directed by Mark Williams (Ozark), Honest Thief casts Neeson as Tom Carter, a former Marine-turned-bank robber who’s pulled off a string of heists but has never spent a dime. Enter Kate Walsh’s Annie – a woman worth going straight for – and Tom decides to confess in exchange for a lighter sentence. Naturally, it all goes sideways when two corrupt FBI agents double-cross him and put Annie’s life in danger. What happens next? You guessed it: “Agent Nivens, I’m coming for you.”

At the time of release, the title had Neeson raising his eyebrows. “When we were making the movie, I was hoping they’d change the title because it was too on the nose,” Neeson admitted in a Zoom interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s about a thief who wants to become honest because he’s met this extraordinary woman played by Kate… That’s the bedrock of this story. It’s what drew me to the script.”

Walsh, meanwhile, was drawn in by the throwback crime-genre vibes.

“It starts out with a couple of people with a past, who have been around the block, then fall for each other in a very real way. They’re broken, but their love is not broken. This glue made it buoyant and more than just an action film.”

Was ‘Honest Thief’ Successful?

Originally released in October 2020 – in the middle of a pandemic-era box-office drought – Honest Thief barely broke even, making just $31 million globally on a $31 million budget. But like so many post-2020 films, streaming is proving far more forgiving. Despite a lukewarm 40% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it an 87% score, with many praising its simple but effective thrills, clean pacing, and Neeson’s reliable “gruff but principled” routine.

It’s also another notch in Neeson’s late-career “geriaction” belt, which includes Taken, Non-Stop, Cold Pursuit, The Commuter, and more. Though the 72-year-old has hinted at retiring from the action game, Honest Thief proves there’s still an appetite for watching him punch, shoot, and growl his way through a moral dilemma.

Honest Thief is on Hulu now.