When you’re looking for something new to watch on Netflix the streaming service’s top 10 most-watched list is a great place to start.
This ever-shifting ranking is currently topped by buzzy rom-com “Anyone But You” but look beyond his tentpole glossy hit and you’ll find a seriously good thriller movie that may have previously passed you by when it first landed in theatres in 2019.
The movie in question is called “Rust Creek”, and its made a splash on Netflix before when it spent a week in the top 10 list in November 2020. As of today (April 25), it's currently ranked at No. 4 behind the aforementioned Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell rom-com, as well as Zack Snyders “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” and “Anna” (another action-thriller you might have missed).
If you’re unfamiliar with “Rust Creek” and want a little more details before adding it to your Netflix watchlist you’re in the right place as we’ve got all the information you need below…
What is ‘Rust Creek’ about?
“Rust Creek” is a tense thriller that will subvert your expectations along the way. The movie centers on Sawyer Scott (Hermione Corfield), a college senior on her way to a job interview in Washington D.C. but her journey soon takes a serious turn for the worse..
Sawyer is traveling from Center College in Kentucky but gets lost, and ends up stranded deep in the Appalachian forest. While trying to find her way back to the road, she witnesses two men, who appear to be burying a body. Quickly leaving the scene Sawyer is hastily pursued by these two criminals who want to ensure her silence.
What follows is a cat-and-mouse hunt through the dense woods as Sawyer battles for her life. Not only does she have to evade two outlaws who know the area like the back of their hands, but she also endures harsh conditions and a lack of resources.
‘Rust Creek’ review — here’s what the critics say
“Rust Creek” debuted at the 2018 Bentonville Film Festival before being released theatrically in January 2019, and it was well received at the time. To this day, it still maintains a strong 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, its 61% audience rating is a little less impressive.
Jude Dry of IndieWire called the thriller “an impressive example of good storytelling overriding budget and star power.” John DeFore of the Hollywood Reporter labeled it “a modest but involving rural-captivity tale”. Vulture’s David Edelstein was surprised at the dark comedy: “It's tight without being punishing, and its humor takes you happily by surprise.”
Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times offered a less positive take: “Corfield is fine in a role that gives her little opportunity to do more than run and fight, but a woman this empowered removes the question mark from her survival - and the tension from the movie.”
Should you stream ‘Rust Creek’ on Netflix?
"Rust Creek” doesn’t offer an especially original idea for a thriller taking clear cues from cult movies like “Eden Lake” and “Wolf Creek," but it does add a couple of unexpected twists to the survival genre that makes it feel at least somewhat fresh. It’s a great pick if you’re looking for a new Netflix that will quicken your pulse and have your palms sweating.
Meanwhile, if you want something a little less tense, and a lot more fun, be sure to check out the new rom-com that’s No.1 on Netflix, and if you want a thriller that will last you more than an evening, Netflix has a new show called “Baby Reindeer” that shouldn’t be missed.
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