Yellowstone Meets The Dark Knight in Aaron Eckhart’s 83-Minute Streaming Hit

Aaron Eckhart is back on the right side of the law, and streaming audiences cannot get enough of it. His 2025 action thriller Thieves Highway has become one of the most-watched movies on Paramount+.

The movie’s rugged setting, cowboy hats, and fight over cattle bring to mind Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. At the same time, it puts Eckhart back in the role of a man sworn to uphold the law, much like his iconic Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Only this time, there is no Two-Face twist.

Eckhart plays Frank Bennett, a small-town lawman who goes up against a violent gang. The movie runs just 83 minutes, making it an easy pick for a quick action fix.

After a limited release in December 2025, it found a second life on streaming. The movie was released on Hulu in the U.S., and it is now a global hit on Paramount+.

Aaron Eckhart’s Thieves Highway Dominates Paramount+

Aaron Eckhart in a still from Thieves Highway | Credits: Vertical

According to FlixPatrol, Thieves Highway was the number one movie on Paramount+ worldwide on November 4, 2026. That is a big achievement for a small film that arrived with very little promotion.

The movie holds the top spot in several countries across South America, where the movie was released on the streamer. This includes Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

This is not the first time the film has surprised viewers. In the U.S., Thieves Highway started streaming on Hulu, where it quickly turned into an instant hit. It climbed to the top of the platform’s charts without any big marketing push, relying mostly on word of mouth and Eckhart’s star power.

Its success is easy to understand. Western-style stories have been on the rise ever since Yellowstone became a phenomenon, and fans of the genre are always looking for something new to watch. A straightforward action movie with a tough lawman, a remote setting, and plenty of gunfights fits that demand perfectly.

The short runtime also helps. At under 90 minutes, it is the kind of movie viewers can start on a whim and finish in one sitting. Streaming has clearly given the film its audience.

Aaron Eckhart Takes on Cattle Rustlers in Thieves Highway

Aaron Eckhart in a still from Thieves Highway | Credits: Vertical

At its core, Thieves Highway is a modern Western. Aaron Eckhart’s Frank Bennett is a lone lawman who stumbles onto a dangerous criminal operation after a deadly encounter.

The gang behind it is made up of modern-day cattle rustlers wreaking havoc on the local cattle business, and they are led by an unstable former military commander. To make matters worse, Frank is left without phone service or his truck. Cut off and outnumbered, he has to stop the gang before they reach the border.

The cattle rustling story feels like something from the Wild West, but the film treats it as a real and current threat. That gives the movie its Yellowstone flavor, while nonstop shootouts keep it moving.

The film was directed by Jesse V. Johnson, who also worked with Eckhart on the 2024 spy thriller Chief of Station. The cast also includes Devon Sawa, Lochlyn Munro, Brooke Langton, and Lucy Martin.

What are your thoughts on the movie? Let us know in the comments below!

In the U.S., Thieves Highway is now streaming on Hulu and Kanopy.