Popular Action Movie To Join Netflix 7 Years After Box Office Disappointment

Deon Taylor's Black and Blue will arrive on Netflix next month—seven years after the film's underwhelming box office run.

The action movie centers around an honorable police officer who witnesses her colleagues kill a criminal in cold blood, forcing her to choose between her integrity and her safety as she goes to war with the institution itself.

Black and Blue is filled with memorable action sequences and thrilling set pieces, but what really stands out about Taylor's film is the way it discusses real-life issues of police misconduct in a way that's consistently entertaining while maintaining a real message at its core.

The film stars Naomie Harris, Frank Grillo, Tyrese Gibson, Mike Colter, Reid Scott and Beau Knapp, and comes from a screenplay written by Peter A. Dowling. It was originally released in theaters across the world on October 25, 2019.

Although Black and Blue received mixed reviews from critics—as proven by its 49% on Rotten Tomatoes—fans of the action genre were generally impressed by the low-budget filmmaking and subversive storytelling.

Unfortunately, this wasn't quite enough to make Black and Blue a box office hit. The film grossed just $22.7 million worldwide against a budget of roughly 12 million dollars (via Box Office Mojo). While it didn't lose money, the film didn't prove profitable for Sony Pictures either.

Many suspected that Black and Blue's underwhelming commercial performance was a result of audiences being "bored with this type of cop thriller", but that isn't necessarily a comment on the film's quality in isolation. For those seeking this kind of cop thriller, it's an excellent example (via Variety).

In their review of Black and Blue, The Wrap wrote: "Black and Blue is chock-full of heart-pounding car chases and suspenseful moments [...] but the film falters when it attempts, beyond its title, to reflect a necessary and under-discussed conversation about societal issues."

Black and Blue will be added to Netflix in the United States on April 2, 2026. The film can currently be streamed on Peacock or Starz via Apple TV with a valid subscription.