House Of Cards Star Kate Mara's 2025 Thriller Is Dominating Paramount Plus

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A thriller that flew under the radar earlier this year is getting a new shot at life on Paramount+. The movie in question is "The Dutchman," which stars former "House of Cards" star Kate Mara, as well as Andre Holland, of "Moonlight" fame. Holland also starred in "Battle at Big Rock," which is the "Jurassic World" sequel that should have been, but that's neither here nor there. Their mysterious thriller is rapidly finding an audience on the streamer, having recently debuted on the service.

According to FlixPatrol, "The Dutchman" is the fourth-most streamed movie on Paramount+ right now. It's based on the 1964 play "Dutchman" by Amiri Baraka. Plenty of movies have been made based on Broadway musicals over the years, but quite a few plays not centered around song and dance have also been fuel for cinema in Hollywood history. This being a very recent example, one that didn't get a lot of attention in its initial release, but is now finding its audience.

Serving as the feature directorial debut of Andre Gaines, the movie centers on Clay (Holland), a successful but troubled Black businessman. He's been going to therapy with his wife, Kaya (Zazie Beetz), in an attempt to save their marriage. Their mysterious therapist begins to unexpectedly appear to Clay outside of their sessions. Meanwhile, on a New York subway train, Clay encounters the seductive and sinister Lula (Mara), who slowly begins to unravel his life.

Critics were a little mixed on the movie, as it currently holds a 67% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences seem to enjoy it quite a bit, with the audience score sitting at 85%. That certainly appears to be helping its case now that it's opened up to a much wider audience on Paramount+.

Director Andre Gaines and his co-writer Qasim Basir had to do some work to extend the "Dutchman" play as it exists to a three-act structure befitting a modern cinematic experience.

"It was made into a movie in 1967, but it was not an adaptation, it was just a very well-done play on film. They just shot the play as it was — two people on a train," Gaines said to Eye for Film in 2025. "The problem with that from a technical standpoint is that 'The Dutchman' play is a 55-page one-act play. I tried to get away with the easy route of taking the play, dropping it into the final draft and seeing what the hell happened, but that just didn't work. A 55-page play to a 55-page screenplay, we were barely halfway there."

Kate Mara's career has had its ups and downs. Mara didn't have a good time on "Fantastic Four," which ended up being an infamously huge flop for Marvel. "House of Cards," once one of the most praised shows on TV, also ended up being overshadowed by Kevin Spacey's off-screen drama. Spacey was later ordered to pay $31 million resulting from a "House of Cards" lawsuit.

Even in the case of "The Dutchman," it was given a theatrical release by Rogue Pictures in January, but it pretty much came and went with zero fanfare. When that happens, a movie runs the risk of being lost to time in the streaming-dominated landscape, where stuff can just get buried in the endless sea of content. But this movie is getting its day in court.

You can also rent or buy "The Dutchman" from Amazon Prime Video.