A Kevin Costner Action Flop From The 2000s Is Streaming For Free (And Finding New Fans)

These days, Kevin Costner is best known for his television work on the "Yellowstone" franchise — and also, for behind the scenes drama such as reportedly getting into physical altercations with co-stars. But there was a time when Costner was not only a movie star, but a pretty huge one at that. That said, for every "Field of Dreams," "Dances with Wolves," and "The Untouchables" in his oeuvre, there's a massive bomb that almost tanks his career. 

That being said, not every box office flop is necessarily a bad movie, at least not in the eyes of the moviegoing public at large. And those who frequent free movie streaming site Tubi seem to think that about Costner's 2006 action flick "The Guardian." At press time, it's the top-ranked movie on the service, according to recent data from FlixPatrol. Not bad for a nearly 20 year old $70 million film that couldn't even cross the $100 million threshold worldwide during its initial release. 

"The Guardian" stars Kevin Costner as Ben Randall, an aviation survival technician in the U.S. Coast Guard who is the sole survivor after a helicopter crash. Struggling to deal with the trauma, he shifts gears to becoming an instructor. That's when he encounters Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher), a student who has the talent to be the best but lacks the ambition to get there. A series of events puts Ben and Jake together on a dangerous rescue mission, where they must prove to each other that they have what it takes.

Movies like this have to be something pretty special to win over critics, and "The Guardian" failed at that attempt with a paltry 37% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences seem to consider this action movie bomb worth watching, as its Popcornmeter score sits at an impressive 80% from over 250,000 reviewers. If only that many people had shown up to see it in theaters. But at least streaming has given "The Guardian" a new lease on life, where viewers seem to be enjoying the film's exciting action set pieces and inspiring story.