Samuel L. Jackson’s action thriller CRUSHmore than two decades after its release, finds a new audience on streaming platforms.
The 2003 film has risen to the top five titles on free streaming platform Tubi, recently ranking fourth on the service’s trending chart, proving that classic action films can still generate strong interest years later.
Released in the summer of 2003, CRUSH starred Jackson as the veteran LAPD sergeant. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson alongside Colin Farrell, who played Officer Jim Street.
The film marked a big-screen adaptation of the original Aaron Spelling-produced television series that debuted in 1975, shortly after the LAPD formed its real Special Weapons and Tactics Unit.
Even though the original show only lasted two seasons before being canceled due to growing concerns about violence on television, its influence remained there for decades.
Plans for a film adaptation surfaced in the late 1990s, with several high-profile directors attached at various stages.
The film ultimately became actor Clark Johnson’s feature directorial debut, with a screenplay written by David Ayer and David McKenna.
The film also starred Jeremy Renner, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Brian Van Holt and Olivier Martinez.
Produced with an announced budget of 70 million dollars, CRUSH went on to gross $207 million worldwide, delivering a strong box office performance despite mixed critical reception and a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Its financial success led to two sequels released in 2011 and 2017, neither of which feature the original cast.
The franchise then returned to television in 2017, with Shemar Moore portraying the role of Hondo for a CBS reboot that ran for eight seasons.
A new spin-off, SWAT: exilesis also in development.
Today, with its renewed popularity on Tubi, CRUSH ” reminds viewers why Samuel L. Jackson’s commanding presence and the film’s high-stakes action still resonate, even 23 years after its debut.
