Twenty-four years after its 2002 release, Bruce Willis’ WWII drama Hart’s War is set to debut on Plex for free starting July 1—bringing a troubled critical reception and a harsh box-office reality back into the spotlight.
A WWII thriller about the 72 hours before D-Day is drawing attention right now through PVOD, but the free-streaming conversation soon shifts to a different era of the war. Hart’s War, a 2002 film starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell, is set to be available for free on Plex starting July 1.
Set in 1944 after the Battle of the Bulge. Hart’s War follows Willis as Colonel William McNamara. a senior-ranking Allied officer. McNamara’s mission meets a wall when Lieutenant Thomas Hart (Colin Farrell) is tortured in a German prisoner of war camp and gives up information that proves valuable to the Allied strategy. The fallout doesn’t stop there. McNamara then recruits Hart to defend Lieutenant Lincoln Scott (Terrence Howard). a Black prisoner of war accused of murdering a white prisoner.
Hart’s War first arrived in theaters on February 15, 2002, with a runtime of 125 minutes. The film is based on the novel by John Katzenbach and was directed by Gregory Hoblit. best known for directing 1996’s Primal Fear. Hoblit also directed Hart’s War as one of the last movies he made before his death.
Its journey has been shaped by uneven reception. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored 60%. Roger Ebert, however, delivered a three-quarters-of-a-star review. On the business side. the results were even tougher: Hart’s War brought in just $33 million in global revenue against a $70 million budget. landing it among the biggest flops of 2002.
The film also didn’t debut into an easy marketplace. When Hart’s War opened, it faced box office competition that included Black Hawk Down, A Beautiful Mind, and Peter Pan: Return to Neverland.
That’s a lot of history packed into one title—time. reviews. and expectations all colliding long before the release date. And now. with Plex offering Hart’s War for free starting July 1. it’s set to find a new audience without the same gatekeeping that once came with theaters and box-office pressure.
Whether viewers come for the star power, the D-Day-adjacent WWII stakes, or the courtroom tension at the center of the plot, the film’s return to screens comes with a clear promise: the war drama that once struggled to land with critics and the box office is about to stream free, and soon.
Hart's War Bruce Willis Colin Farrell Terrence Howard Plex streaming free Gregory Hoblit WWII drama John Katzenbach Rotten Tomatoes Roger Ebert