(Credit: Netflix)

Tommy Lee Jones reached the pinnacle of the industry when he played Samuel Gerard for the first time, but it’s his second outing as the no-nonsense federal marshal that’s been making waves on Netflix.

As the law enforcement officer tasked to apprehend Harrison Ford’s Richard Kimble in The Fugitive, Jones earned an Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, although nobody was expecting there to be plans afoot for a franchise at the time.

After all, as displayed by his Oscar, Jones wasn’t the leading man. Ford’s character was vindicated by the time the credits came up, so that seemed to be the end of the line after Andrew Davis’ robust action thriller hauled in more than $300 million at the global box office and notched an additional six nominations, including ‘Best Picture’.

However, studio Warner Bros evidently believed there was more gas in the tank, bumping Jones up to top billing in US Marshals and drafting in another popular star as his adversary. Director Stuart Baird had previous in the genre after making his feature-length directorial debut on Kurt Russell’s airborne actioner Executive Decision, so there was plenty of heavyweight talent attached on either side of the camera.

This time around, Jones is overseeing a prison transport plane that crashes in the remote wilderness, presenting Wesley Snipes’ Mark Sheridan with the ideal opportunity to escape. A prisoner convicted of murdering two government agents, Gerard grows suspicious when the so-called ruthless and remorseless killer continues evading the authorities while going out of his way to ensure there are no casualties.

Coming along for the ride are an eclectic bunch of character actors, including Joe Pantoliano, Tom Wood, and Daniel Roebuck, reprising their roles from The Fugitive as Cosmo Renfro, Noah Newman, and Bobby Biggs, along with Samuel L Jackson’s wife LaTanya Richardson, and Robert Downey Jr as an outside agent with ulterior motives that eventually become clear.

US Marshals is fine for what it is and delivers plenty of serviceable thrills, but it never comes close to escaping from the shadow of its illustrious predecessor. The Fugitive is a vastly superior movie in every way, but fortunately, it isn’t available on Netflix.

The sequel is, of course, and subscribers have responded in kind by watching it in their droves. After being added to the content library in the United Kingdom, US Marshals immediately caught on with at-home audiences and ended its first week as the fourth most-watched movie in the country.