This underrated Cillian Murphy film is now a hit on Netflix

The 2019 Cillian Murphy thriller Anna has emerged as a surprise hit on Netflix, with the film becoming the fourth most-watched movie globally on the streaming platform.

• READ MORE: ‘Oppenheimer’ review: Christopher Nolan’s mind-blowing biopic hits like a bomb to the brain

Anna, which is available to stream on Netflix US, sees Sasha Luss star as a former KGB agent-turned-model who is forced to return to her old profession, become a double agent and avenge the death of her previous employer in exchange for her freedom.

Oppenheimer‘s Murphy plays CIA agent Leonard Miller, with Helen Mirren and Luke Evans also starring.

The official synopsis reads: “Beneath a Russian woman’s striking beauty lies a hidden secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill and lead to her becoming one of the most feared assassins on the planet.”

At the time of its release, Anna performed poorly with critics, receiving a score of 33 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it was far more popular with fans, receiving an audience rating of 81 per cent on the same site.

The film is directed by Luc Besson, who is known for the 1994 action-thriller Léon: The Professional, starring Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman. Some of his other major credits include The Fifth Element, Lucy, Taken and Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets.

Anna is not currently streaming on Netflix UK and Ireland but is available to rent or buy via Prime Video and Apple TV+.

In other news, it was recently announced that Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes will be joining Murphy for 28 Years Later – the highly anticipated sequel to the 2002 zombie apocalypse film 28 Days Later.

28 Years Later, first announced earlier this year, will be directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, both of whom led the original film.

The new film will reportedly mark the beginning of a new trilogy for the franchise, with Boyle set to direct the first of the three films, while Garland writes all three. The budget for each film in the trilogy, per The Hollywood Reporter, is currently USD $75million.