Verdict: 3/5. Collision Course is the kind of film Netflix was built to turn into an overnight talking point: a twisty, fast-moving Spanish heist thriller with a genuinely clever structure and a cast that knows exactly what it is doing. It shot to No. 1 on Netflix’s global chart within a day of release, according to FlixPatrol figures reported by Men’s Journal on October 31, 2026. Beneath the puzzle-box plotting, though, this is a film with a thin emotional heart.
Directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, previously known for intimate dramas and comedies, Collision Course is a sharp change of direction. Known in Spain as Colisión, it is set in Madrid in 2013, in the shadow of Spain’s economic crisis, when a group of robbers storms a bank. What begins as a straightforward heist soon spirals into deception, betrayal, and revelations about the people involved.
| Title | Collision Course (original title: Colisión) |
| Director | Daniel Sánchez Arévalo |
| Writers | Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, Ramón Campos |
| Production | Bambú Producciones |
| Cast | Laia Costa, Karra Elejalde, Luis Zahera, Tamar Novas, Álvaro Cervantes, Lluís Homar |
| Setting | Madrid, 2013, during Spain’s economic crisis |
| Language | Spanish (with subtitles and dubbed options on Netflix) |
| Release | October 30, 2026 (Netflix, worldwide) |
| Runtime | 1 hour 30 minutes (per Rotten Tomatoes listing) |
| Genre | Heist thriller, crime drama |
One Crash, Four Versions of the Truth
The premise is simple to describe and difficult to spoil without ruining the fun. Four masked robbers walk into a Madrid bank aiming for the diamonds in safety deposit box 34. Their getaway is cut short by a violent car crash. From there, the film splits into chapters, each imagining what followed if a different member of the crew had died in the wreck. It is a structure that rewards attention, and it is comfortably the film’s best idea.
The twist underneath the structure gives the investigation scenes their charge: the thieves are also police officers, so the people hunting the truth and the people hiding it are, in several cases, the same people. Sánchez Arévalo cuts between the thieves and the inquiry like someone reshuffling a deck mid-hand, and for long stretches the momentum alone carries the film.
A Cast That Deserves a Richer Film
The ensemble is the film’s other great asset. Laia Costa and Tamar Novas play Carla and Tomás, an unhappy married couple who see the loot as their only way out, while Karra Elejalde brings gruff authority to Pedro, a retired cop, and Álvaro Cervantes plays his son Raúl. Luis Zahera and Lluís Homar round out a deep bench of Spanish talent.
The problem is that the script rarely lets them do much more than that. We learn about the characters’ motives mostly through the aftermath of the heist, so we are asked to care about people before we properly know them. Costa and Novas, in particular, deserved more: their marriage is the emotional centre the story keeps gesturing toward without fully exploring.
Where the Puzzle Starts to Show Its Seams
Early reviews have landed in strikingly similar territory. FictionHorizon awarded 7.5/10, praising the structure and performances while noting the crisis backdrop feels like wallpaper rather than a wound. ComicBasics gave 6.5/10, calling it a clever machine with a thin heart. What’s on Netflix was cooler at 2.5/5, describing a minor genre film that thrives too much on its twists to be memorable. Our verdict sits between those poles.
The pattern is consistent. The film’s economic-crisis setting promises fury and desperation, but the motives it sketches are thin, abandoned almost as soon as they are introduced. The reversals, thrilling at first, begin to pile up until some feel like the writers showing off. The closing stretch reaches for a warmer note that rings a little false, and the photography, while competent, is rarely as inventive as the timeline.
Why It Became No. 1 So Fast
None of that stopped audiences from flocking to it. Within a day of its October 30 debut, Collision Course topped Netflix’s global movie chart, beating even major horror titles in the Halloween window, per FlixPatrol data cited by Men’s Journal. A twisty heist film with a high-concept hook and no prior knowledge required is close to the perfect streaming-night proposition, and language proved no barrier.
Should You Watch Collision Course?
Yes, if you enjoy puzzle-box thrillers and do not need deep character work to stay engaged. The structure is inventive, the cast is excellent, and the 90-minute runtime moves briskly. If you want the emotional weight of the great heist films, you may come away wanting more.
Our verdict: 3/5. A clever, well-cast thriller that is more fun to solve than to feel. Watch it for the structure and the performances, and forgive it the heart it never quite finds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Collision Course about?
Set in Madrid in 2013 during Spain’s economic crisis, it follows robbers who storm a bank, only for a getaway crash to split the story into multiple versions of what happens next.
Who stars in Collision Course?
The cast includes Laia Costa as Carla, Karra Elejalde as Pedro, Tamar Novas as Tomás, Álvaro Cervantes as Raúl, Luis Zahera, and Lluís Homar. It is directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo.
Is Collision Course worth watching?
For fans of twisty heist thrillers, yes. Our verdict is 3/5: clever and well acted, but thin on character depth and emotional payoff.