Mark Hamill may always be remembered as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars franchise, but 46 years later, the actor has since been in some rather exceptional films. He may have a long list of hits to his name, but there is one more recent film that seems to be gaining attention. In fact, it is garnering so much attention that it has even become Netflix’s top streaming film, much to everyone’s surprise.

While the actor played the same action genre, this time around, his character was a lot different from Skywalker. So different that the star even received praise for the range of his skill set.

The Mark Hamill film that stole Netflix’s top spot

According to Giant Freaking Robot, Mark Hamill debuted a new film, The Machine, which has now taken over the top spot on Netflix’s streaming list. After its limited release in May 2023, along with The Little Mermaid, the action comedy has seemed to pick up after grossing $10.7 million worldwide. The film is based on the partly true stand-up routine by the comedian, Bert Kreischer.

In the film, Hamill, who revealed a true story about Star Wars, played Kriescher’s estranged father who got caught up in his son’s shenanigans. But that was not all. The storyline saw the two getting kidnapped and forced to work together to overcome their issues and get out of the mess. The film, evidently, is an action comedy that had fans falling over with laughter. Mark Hamill, who is mostly known for his extremely serious yet fabulous role in Star Wars, left the audience falling in love with the star all over again.

While the film may be amazing, it is only partly true. It has also been told at many of Bert Kreischer’s comedy performances. In fact, back in 2016, the comedian even went viral for the story of how he was named ‘The Machine’.

The origin of The Machine’s storyline

Seven years before The Machine was turned into a film, Bert Kreischer debuted this story in a bar during a stand-up night. Though it may have happened back in 2016, the comedian has since told the story almost a million times. The now 50-year-old comedian gave his audience the true story of how and why he was named ‘The Machine’. Even though the story about the Russian Mafia seemed a little over the top, he has stuck to the story over the years. It all began with a drunken college trip to Russia when he was 22 and still in college.

In his story, Kreischer revealed that a Russian guide had given him the nickname following a run-in with the Russian Mafia. While we may never know how true the story really is, it still makes one hell of an action film. But the best way to find out more about the story is to head to Netflix and check out Mark Hamill’s latest action comedy for yourself.

Do you think Mark Hamill’s new film, The Machine, is better than Star Wars? Let us know in the comments below.