Taylor Sheridan’s favorite 108-minute action thriller just roared onto streaming

Bit of a Zoe Saldaña moment right now. She’s already in the spotlight thanks to Special Ops: Lioness – that’s back for a third round on telly next month, by the way – and just as she’s gearing up for that, one of her more talked-about (not always for good reasons) films has quietly turned up on a fresh streaming service. The twist: it won’t cost you a penny to watch.

'Colombiana' – Saldaña on Revenge Duty

Let’s wind back. Colombiana hit cinemas in July 2011. Saldaña plays Cataleya Restrepo, who’s basically an expert assassin with a grudge. It starts in 1992 – she’s just nine, her parents are bumped off by a drug cartel, and she only barely escapes. She lands in the States and is essentially taken under the wing of a dodgy uncle, who gives her a rather unconventional childhood apprenticeship in murder-for-hire. Fast-forward 15 years and Cataleya is hunting down the mobsters who destroyed her family. She leaves an orchid as her murderous calling card at every revenge job, hoping to smoke out the big boss. Naturally, this gets the FBI and CIA sniffing around, cueing a fair amount of running, shooting, and highly improbable action set-pieces, all building toward an inevitably explosive finish.

The film was directed by Olivier Megaton – the same bloke behind Transporter 2 and two of the Taken sequels. The script comes courtesy of Luc Besson, so if it all feels quite French and a bit bonkers, that’s probably why. The supporting cast includes Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, and Callum Blue.

If you don’t remember hearing about this film at the box office, there’s a reason. With a budget of $40 million, Colombiana didn’t exactly set the world alight, scraping together $63 million globally. Not a disaster, but hardly franchise-launching stuff. The interesting bit is what happened after: since then, it’s quietly picked up a loyal fanbase on streaming, and now it’s had a resurrection of sorts.

Starting July 1, Colombiana is part of Pluto TV’s new movie selection for the month. If you somehow missed it first time round, you can now watch it for free. It’s also available for rent or purchase across the usual digital shops, but let’s be honest – if something’s free and legal to watch, that’s where most people are heading.

Critics vs. Viewers: The Great 'Colombiana' Divide

This is where it gets a bit funny. Critics, as a whole, were not impressed. The film has a brutal 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s the notorious green splat – the movie equivalent of being sent off before half time. Dennis Schwartz said it “leaves us not even a second of viewing time that is believable.” Yasmin Shehab described it as “the female equivalent of a Jason Statham film” – which, for action fans, isn’t really a diss.

Despite all the flak, regular viewers have always been far more generous. On Rotten Tomatoes’ own audience meter, Colombiana sits at 67%. Not Oscar bait, but definitely not unwatchable either. Some viewers do find it over-the-top, but for every critic rolling their eyes, there’s at least one fan saying Saldaña gives an intense, gripping performance – the sort of action-thriller energy that’s pretty rare, even now.

The Essentials – Who’s Who?

• Zoe Saldaña as Cataleya Restrepo – the lone wolf assassin on a vendetta
• Michael Vartan as Danny Delanay
• Cliff Curtis as Emilio Restrepo – the dodgy uncle
• Lennie James as Special Agent Ross
• Callum Blue as Richard

If you fancy catching Saldaña doing her thing in Colombiana, Pluto TV has you covered. Meanwhile, she’ll be back on Paramount+ in August with Lioness Season 3, reprising Joe McNamara.