Collision Course Netflix Review: Why I Gave This Twisty Heist Thriller an 8/10 (No Spoilers)
This is my spoiler-free Collision Course Netflix review. I gave Netflix’s new Spanish heist thriller an 8 out of 10, and the short version is that it’s a twisty puzzle that’s worth clearing a night for. The longer version, with how scary it gets, whether there are any animals in it, and who it’s best for, is below.
I watched it at home on release weekend in the original Spanish with Korean subtitles, since Korean is my first language. It came out on Netflix on Friday, October 30, 2026, and runs 1 hour 46 minutes.
Reading up before I watch is a habit of mine, and it helps a lot with a movie that jumps around this much. So along with my review, you’ll find the real 2013 backstory, the Goya-winning cast and a parents guide, all without spoilers.
| Release date | October 30, 2026 (Netflix, worldwide) |
| Runtime | 1 hr 46 min (Netflix listing) |
| Rating | TV-MA for violence and language |
| Genre | Spanish heist thriller |
| Language | Spanish (original title: Colisión) |
| Scare level | 2 / 5 (a few jumpy moments, nothing that follows you to bed) |
| Post-credits scene | No |
| Dogs or other animals | None that I noticed |
| Where to watch | Netflix only |
| My verdict | 8 / 10, worth a focused movie night |
| Best for / Good to know | Best for viewers who love twisty crime puzzles. Good to know: it’s in Spanish, rated TV-MA, and told out of order, so it’s best in one sitting. |
What Collision Course Is About (No Spoilers)
The story is set in Spain in 2013. A crew robs a bank in Madrid, and then the getaway car crashes. That crash is where the movie really opens up. According to Netflix’s own description, the crash starts to expose a hidden side of each person involved, and some of the lies and betrayals between them started long before the robbery.
So this isn’t a “plan the perfect heist” movie with blueprints and gadgets. It’s more about the people in that car and what they’ve been hiding from each other. Netflix sums it up as a thriller where nobody is quite who they seem.
One thing that helps going in: it isn’t told in a straight line. After the crash, the movie circles back and plays out more than one “what if” version of what happens next, and it moves between the robbers and the people investigating them. Several reviews mention that the first stretch can feel a little puzzling before the pieces click, so it’s a good one to watch when you can give it your full attention.
In Spain, the movie is called Colisión. If you look it up on a Spanish site, that’s the name you’ll see.
Why I Gave Collision Course an 8/10
On my scale, an 8 means a movie is worth clearing a night for. Two things got Collision Course there for me.
- The puzzle. This is the part I liked most. The movie keeps going back to the same crash and showing a different version of what happens next, and I loved putting the pieces together as each version filled in a little more of the picture. It’s the kind of structure that makes you lean in instead of reaching for your phone.
- The mood and the look. The other thing that stuck with me is how it looks and feels. The 2013 Madrid setting has a tense, heavy mood, and the crash is staged like a real set piece. It’s a really good-looking movie.
If you like movies that you have to actively solve, this is a great pick. It isn’t a background movie, and that’s a big part of why I enjoyed it.
Meet the Collision Course Cast (Six Goya Winners)
Netflix pointed out that all six leads have won a Goya, which is Spain’s version of the Oscars. That’s a stacked cast for a streaming thriller.
- Laia Costa as Carla. She won Best Actress at the 2023 Goyas for Lullaby, and that’s the trophy she’s holding in the photo above. She was also in One Love.
- Luis Zahera as Ernesto. He won Best Supporting Actor at the 2023 Goyas for The Beasts, a tense rural thriller.
- Karra Elejalde as Pedro. He’s best known for Spanish Affair, one of the biggest box office hits in Spanish history, and While at War.
- Tamar Novas as Tomás. You might remember him from The Sea Inside or the series Gangs of Galicia.
- Álvaro Cervantes as Raúl. He’s been in Deaf and the Netflix rom-com Crazy About Her.
- Lluís Homar as Luis. A veteran actor from Pedro Almodóvar’s Bad Education and Broken Embraces.
Because of the “what if” structure, the actors are basically playing several versions of the same people. That’s the part early reviews keep coming back to, and the cast gets a lot of credit for keeping each character recognizable from one version to the next.
Spain in 2013: The Background Worth Knowing
This is the part worth reading up on before you watch. The movie takes place during Spain’s economic crisis, and the setting isn’t random. Spain’s unemployment rate hit a record 27.2% in the first quarter of 2013, and more than 6 million people were out of work at the same time. Banks were at the center of a lot of public anger in those years, from bailouts to risky loans to families losing their homes.
You don’t need to know any economics to follow the story. But knowing that a bank was a loaded place to walk into in 2013 Madrid is useful context for the opening. Netflix doesn’t bill Collision Course as a true story, so think of it as a fictional crime story set in a very real moment.
A First Thriller From a Director Known for Dramedies
Collision Course is directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, and it’s his first thriller. He’s mostly known in Spain for warm, funny family stories like DarkBlueAlmostBlack, Cousinhood and Seventeen, which was also a Netflix movie.
He co-wrote this one with producer Ramón Campos, whose company, Bambú Producciones, is behind series like Cable Girls and Velvet. Netflix shared that Campos was the one who asked him if he wanted to try a different genre, and he said yes right away. The movie was filmed around Madrid, filming was announced in late October 2025, and the score is by Federico Jusid and Lorenzo Perelmuter.
Reviewers have compared the way it plays with time to Sliding Doors, Rashomon and The Usual Suspects, which tells you a lot about the kind of puzzle you’re signing up for.
Dog Scene Guide: Are There Any Animals in Collision Course?
Good news for animal lovers: I didn’t notice a single dog or any other animal in Collision Course. To double-check, I went back through several reviews and Netflix’s own descriptions of the movie, and none of them mention one either. So there’s no animal scene to brace yourself for here.
All the danger in this one is aimed at people: the robbery, the crash and everything that comes after it.
If you’re a dog person like me, here’s my daily supplement routine for my three dogs, from the 14-year-old down to the two 3-year-olds.
Is Collision Course Scary?
I’d put it at 2 out of 5 on my scare scale. It’s a crime thriller, not a horror movie, so there are no ghosts, monsters or creepy houses. A few moments made me jump, but nothing followed me to bed afterward.
The biggest jolts come early, with the armed robbery and the crash that follows it. After that, most of the tension comes from the lies and the not-knowing rather than from anything jumping out at you. Netflix tags it as exciting and suspenseful, and that sounds right to me.
Collision Course Netflix Parents Guide: Is It OK for Kids?
Netflix rates Collision Course TV-MA for violence and language, which means it’s made for adults. Singapore rated it NC16, so 16 and up there. Sex isn’t one of the reasons Netflix lists for the rating.
Here’s what to expect, without spoilers:
- Violence: It opens with an armed bank robbery, there’s a bad car crash, and characters die along the way.
- Language: Language is one of the two reasons for the TV-MA rating, so expect strong language (in Spanish, and in the subtitles).
- Scares: A few jumpy moments, mostly early on, and no horror elements at all.
Based on the TV-MA and NC16 ratings and what I saw, I’d save it for 16 and up. For a younger teen who loves heist movies, I’d wait a couple of years.
Does Collision Course Have a Post-Credits Scene?
No, there’s no post-credits scene in Collision Course. Once the credits start to roll, you’ve seen everything, so there’s no need to wait around.
How Long Is Collision Course?
Netflix lists Collision Course at 1 hour 46 minutes. You’ll see other numbers online, like 1 hr 30 min on one site and just over 2 hours on another, but the Netflix listing is the one that matches what you’ll actually stream.
Because the story jumps around in time, this is one I’d plan to watch in one sitting instead of splitting it over two nights. Coming back to it a day later makes it harder to keep track of which version of events you’re in.
Is Collision Course in English? Subtitles vs the Dub
Collision Course was made in Spanish. I watched it with the original Spanish audio and Korean subtitles, and English subtitles are on Netflix too. Since I stuck with the original audio, I didn’t try a dub. As of release weekend, Netflix’s public title page doesn’t list the audio options, so the quickest way to check for an English dub is the audio and subtitles menu once you press play.
If you’re deciding, here’s how I think about it. Subtitles keep the actors’ real voices, which matters a lot with a cast like this, and that’s how I watched it. A dub is easier if you’re folding laundry or half-watching, but with all the time jumps in this one, it really helps to be paying attention either way.
Who Should See Collision Course
I’d especially recommend it if:
- You like crime stories where the twist is about the people, not the vault.
- You enjoy puzzle movies that replay the same moment in different ways, like Sliding Doors.
- You want a thriller that’s tense without being horror.
- You’re happy to watch in Spanish with subtitles.
- You already like Spanish actors like Luis Zahera or Laia Costa.
In the mood for a thriller with a different kind of pressure? Last Breath is a true story about a deep-sea dive gone wrong, and I reviewed it the night it hit Hulu. And if you love a twisty adult thriller with a big reveal, my Verity review covers the Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson movie I saw in Dolby Cinema. And if you’d like another Spanish-language Netflix series, my Under Siege parents guide covers the Colombian true story about the 1985 Palace of Justice siege.
Watch the Collision Course Trailer
Here’s the official trailer from Netflix, if you want a feel for the tone before you press play.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you take one thing from this review, make it this: watch Collision Course in one sitting, with your phone face down. It keeps circling back to the same night, and the fun is in catching how each version changes the picture. And with a TV-MA rating for violence and language, it’s one for a grown-ups’ movie night.
My next Movie Nights review is up too: Black Bag on Hulu, a sharp British spy thriller that I also gave an 8 out of 10. Did you watch this one with subtitles or the dub? Tell me in the comments. And if you’re in the mood for another thriller to watch at home, here’s my Last Breath review.
About me: I’m Emily. My AMC A-List lets me see up to four movies a week in theaters, and I watch the big new Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ releases at home. Thrillers yes, horror never. I always read up on a movie before I press play, and I share that homework here too. See all my Movie Nights reviews.
Got a dog at home too? Here’s how I make homemade dog food with chicken for my three, and my daily supplement routine. And every movie I’ve reviewed this year is in My 2026 Movie Log.
