Move over Enola Holmes 3, because there’s a new (well, old) movie topping the charts of Netflix’s Top 10 movie list: A five-year-old indie Western, Old Henry, that released in less than 50 theaters back in 2021.
This is the kind of second life on streaming that small indie film makers dream of for their under-the-radar films. Most Netflix subscribers have never even heard of this movie, much less seen it before. A run in the top 10 on Netflix—where Old Henry has been No. 1 for two days now, less than a week after being added to Netflix on July 4, 2026—could increase the film’s viewership exponentially.
If you’re curious about this Old Henry movie that is suddenly dominating the No.1 slot on Netflix top 10 movies in the U.S. chart, then read on to learn more about the Old Henry movie, now streaming on Netflix.
What is the Old Henry movie?
Written and directed by Potsy Ponciroli (Greedy People, Motor City), Old Henry is a gritty western starring Tim Blake Nelson as a simple Oklahoma farmer named Henry back in 1906. But when a mysterious injured man seeking help wanders onto the farmer, setting off a series of unfortunate events, Henry’s son, Wyatt (Gavin Lewis) starts to suspect there is more to his father than meets the eye. The movie comes with a twist we won’t spoil here—and we advise you to avoid Wikipedia, if you want to stay spoiler-free!
Old Henry first premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. According to The Numbers, it opened to about 30 theaters in the U.S. in October 2021, and made less than $50,000 at the box office. (This was shortly after the height of COVID, to be fair, when very few audiences were going to the movies.) Critics liked the film, generally, praising Nelson’s performance.
But audiences loved it—once they actually watched it. The movie was released on VOD on November 9, 2021, where it enjoyed an eight-week run in the top 10 on the iTunes movies chart in the U.S.
But VOD only reaches certain audiences. Now that the film is on Netflix, far more people are discovering Old Henry.
Who is in the Old Henry movie cast?
Old Henry stars Tim Blake Nelson in the lead role. Nelson has had a long and storied career with too many roles to name, but millennials might recognize him as Delmar from O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Dr. Pendanski from Holes, or Wade Tillman in the HBO Watchmen series. He was also the lead of the 2018 Coen brothers movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Also featured in the Old Henry cast is Scott Haze as the film’s main villain, Curry. Haze worked with Nelson as a co-lead on the 2013 crime drama Child of God, and also appeared in the 2017 war biopic Thank You for Your Service.
Gavin Lewis—a 22-year-old actor known for playing Moody in Little Fires Everywhere—plays Nelson’s on-screen son, Wyatt. Other Old Henry cast members include Trace Adkins, Stephen Dorff, Richard Speight Jr., Max Arciniega, and Brad Carter.
Where to watch the Old Henry movie:
If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you can watch the Old Henry movie streaming on Netflix right now. The movie was added to Netflix on July 4, 2026.
Netflix offers three subscription plans to fit your streaming needs. The plans start at $7.99/month for standard with ads and go up to $24.99/month for unlimited ad-free streaming in up to 4K UHD quality.
If you’re not a Netflix subscriber, you can also watch Old Henry streaming free on Kanopy (with a participating library card), or you can buy the film on digital. Prices may vary depending on which platform you use to buy the film, but on Prime Video, Old Henry costs $2.99 to buy.