Controversial John Cena movie soars into Netflix's top 10 leaving fans divided

A controversial movie starring John Cena has burst into Netflix's top 10 chart, although not everyone is pleased.

It's fair to say that the WWE star has become an icon - he's as loved off-screen as he is on it, but it doesn't necessarily mean everyone is going to love the films he features in.

That's the case for one of the 48-year-old's most recent productions. Like The Rock, he has the pull factor and can draw in a large audience thanks to his chiseled jaw-line and pumped physique.

A fine example of this is what one person posted on Twitter: "I'd watch John Cena read the phone book."

That remark was made, while citing a picture from the movie in question.

It follows ex-special forces operative Mason Pettis, played by Cena, who takes on a freelance job to protect washed-up journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie) as she interviews dictator Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba), who leads a fictional country.

John Cena stars in the movie alongside Alison Brie (Relativity Media)

While it sounds like a run-of-the-mill operation, a military coup breaks out and the trio has to fight to survive and make it to safety in one piece.

It's called Freelance and unfortunately, it tanked at the box office when it was released back in 2023 - but after Netflix bought the rights to stream it on its platform, it has been given a second lease of life.

It soared up to seventh in Netflix's top 10 movies, with one user posting: "Freelance by John Cena is such an amazing movie."

However, it has a tomatometer of just 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes - which actually sat at zero percent when it first came out.

It received harsh reviews from critics, with Punch Drunk Critics' Travis Hopson writing: "Freelance is an utter disaster that I can't believe John Cena and Alison Brie agreed to be a part of."

Flickering Myth's Robert Kojder added: "A head-scratching disaster that doesn’t so much as mix genres and tones but rather puzzlingly cycles through them with no apparent reason or thematic purpose, desperately hoping something starts to click."

While Movie Nation's Roger Moore wrote: "'Very dumb' barely covers how silly and violent this half-assed Banana Republic riff turns out to be."

Although the audience score is much better, sitting at a comfortable 78 percent.

I think this proves that if you're watching Freelance for an incredible cinematic experience, don't waste your time... but if you fancy an easy-watch, you should definitely flick it on.