’ final years before his retirement became synonymous with direct-to-video action thrillers, over 20 of them to be precise. Many of them passed without making a ripple, and as they were released before the actor’s medical issues were known to the world, most of them were slammed by critics and dismissed out of hand. One of them was Midnight in the Switchgrass
, in which Willis appeared with Megan Fox and Emile Hirsch. Now the movie is finally getting some unexpected attention after jumping into the Netflix Top 10.
Directed by Randall Emmett in his feature debut, Midnight in the Switchgrass follows two FBI agents, played by Willis and Megan Fox, on the hunt for a serial killer in Florida. The investigation leads them to a troubled local cop (Hirsch) who has been chasing the same elusive murderer. Loosely inspired by real-life events, the film’s premise had potential, but for most critics it was let down by weak direction and poor scripting. The film ended up landing an 8% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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While several of Willis’ movies from the last two years of his career delivered some strong audience reviews in comparison to the opinions of critics, Midnight in the Switchgrass was not really one of them. The film is currently sitting on a 20% Popcornmeter score, but not all the lackluster reviews are because of the quality of the movie. Many complaints are based on the fact that, despite having his name and face front and center of marketing, Willis’ presence in the movie was much less than many anticipated. Obviously, much of this was down to the actor’s health diagnosis, but it really became a final hurdle that the movie just could not really overcome.
Midnight in the Switchgrass Is Unexpectedly Finding an Audience
Even the most accommodating audience will find it hard get over the fact that one of the most glaring issues with Midnight in the Switchgrass is Willis himself. His character, Agent Karl Helter, appears in only a handful of scenes, and when he does, his performance is noticeably disengaged. Clearly, the actor’s health was clearly taking a huge toll on him and that meant his appearance in the movie was a long way from the on-screen commanding presence that fans were used to seeing.
Alongside Willis, Megan Fox takes on the role of Agent Lombardo, but for many viewers, her performance lacks the ability to carry the weight of the film, while Hirsch’s predictable character and Lukas Haas’ one-dimensional antagonist failed to make up for it in any way. Despite that, Midnight in the Switchgrass is now discovering an audience on Netflix.
Curiosity probably plays a significant role in the film’s current position in the Top 10 on the platform. For many, the film is a Bruce Willis title they have probably never heard of, while others will be drawn to it because it is one of the iconic actor’s final roles. Whatever the reason, the film’s reviews have not improved at all, and those watching now are still not able to find much to like, even knowing what they now know about Willis’ condition at the time of filming.
As disappointing as Midnight in the Switchgrass is as a movie, that doesn’t mean that it is any less deserving of a place in Netflix’s Top 10 than some of the other movies that frequent the top of various streaming charts. While streaming provides a platform for many big blockbusters, it also allows many flops and badly received movies the chance to discover a new audience – even if that audience finds that their opinions align with everyone else.
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