How to Watch Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist on Netflix in the US with a VPN (2026)

Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist (2019) is currently listed on Netflix Ireland under the official streaming title Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella. Directed by Andrew Loveday, this British crime thriller stars Craig Fairbrass as Pat Tate, Terry Stone as Tony Tucker, and Roland Manookian as Craig Rolfe. The story follows Tate as he travels to Spain seeking revenge, only to become involved in a dangerous drug deal. You can find the movie on the official Netflix Ireland page for Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella, which displays the film’s description, cast, and language options.

Unfortunately, Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist is not currently available on Netflix US. American viewers can watch the movie through other streaming services, but Netflix Ireland has an international listing for it. Private Internet Access (PIA), ExpressVPN, and NordVPN all provide Irish VPN connections. PIA lists Ireland as a standard location, ExpressVPN offers Dublin, and NordVPN operates more than 50 servers in Ireland. These services can provide Irish IP addresses, although connecting to one does not automatically grant access to Netflix’s Irish catalog.

Before trying a VPN, understand that Netflix can detect VPN connections and restrict regional movies. According to Netflix’s official VPN support policy, viewers using VPNs may only see movies and television shows with worldwide licensing. Netflix also does not support VPN connections on ad-supported plans. Private Internet Access additionally prohibits using its service to circumvent geographic restrictions imposed by content providers. Consequently, no VPN provider can guarantee access to Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella from the United States.

How to watch Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist on Netflix with a VPN

Netflix Ireland currently displays the movie under Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella, rather than The Heist. The following steps explain how to check its availability through an Irish VPN connection when your intended use complies with Netflix’s rules and your VPN provider’s terms.

1. Choose a VPN provider. Private Internet Access is our first recommendation for general privacy and connection flexibility, followed by ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Review the provider’s streaming restrictions before proceeding.
2. Download and install the VPN application from its official website or your device’s app store. Open the application and sign in using your subscription credentials.
3. Connect to Ireland if your intended use complies with the applicable terms. PIA offers Ireland, ExpressVPN identifies Dublin, and NordVPN provides Irish servers in Dublin.
4. Close Netflix completely. Exit the application or close every Netflix browser tab, including sessions running in the background.
5. Reopen Netflix after establishing the VPN connection. Allow the application or website to load before searching.
6. Sign in to your existing Netflix account. You do not need to create another account simply because you changed your VPN location.
7. Search for Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella. You can also try Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella or Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist if the first search produces no results.
8. Start playback if Netflix displays the correct movie and permits viewing through your connection. If Netflix detects the VPN or restricts the title, follow its official guidance.

The movie’s Netflix title ID is 81498434. You can check the Netflix Ireland listing for Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella to confirm the title, release year, cast, and synopsis.

The film follows Pat Tate after his release from prison. Although he returns to his nightclub business in Essex, his desire for revenge takes him to Marbella, where he finds himself involved in a potentially lucrative drug deal.

His friends Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe must transport the money needed to complete the arrangement. Predictably, their journey creates complications that threaten the deal and everyone involved.

The movie runs approximately 85 minutes and belongs to the Rise of the Footsoldier crime film series. It is the fourth installment, following Rise of the Footsoldier 3.

Netflix Ireland lists English original audio and English subtitles. Its public page also indicates that the film supports offline downloads on compatible devices.

However, the United Kingdom’s Netflix page currently displays an unavailability warning, despite some UK streaming directories continuing to list the film. This is why Ireland serves as the selected country for this guide.

Remember that an accessible Netflix movie page does not guarantee playback through your account. Netflix may restrict regional titles when it detects a VPN connection.

Best VPNs for watching Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist on Netflix

All three recommended VPN services offer Irish IP addresses, but their networks differ in server selection, infrastructure, and connection protocols.

VPN	Server locations in Ireland	Option to try first
Private Internet Access (Editor’s Choice)	Ireland; no separate Irish city or streaming-optimized location documented	Ireland for permitted connections
ExpressVPN	Dublin, Ireland	Dublin with automatic protocol selection
NordVPN	Dublin; more than 50 Irish servers	Ireland with automatic server selection

These are officially documented VPN locations, not independently verified Netflix-unblocking connections. Netflix can detect VPN traffic and restrict Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella regardless of the provider or server you select.

1. Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is our Editor’s Choice for users who want customizable privacy settings, straightforward server selection, and support for WireGuard and OpenVPN.

According to the official PIA server directory, Ireland appears as a standard VPN location.

PIA does not currently list separate Irish cities such as Dublin, Cork, or Galway in its public directory. It also does not provide a dedicated Ireland Streaming Optimized location.

Therefore, users should select the regular Ireland server option rather than search for an Irish streaming-specific connection that PIA has not documented.

To connect, open the PIA application and select the VPN SERVER area. Type Ireland into the search field and choose the available location.

After establishing the connection, the application displays its status and assigned VPN IP address. You can reconnect if your internet connection becomes unstable.

PIA distinguishes physical servers from virtual locations. With a virtual server location, the VPN assigns an IP address associated with one country while routing traffic through hardware located elsewhere.

However, Ireland does not appear in PIA’s current official virtual server locations directory.

PIA states that most of its locations use physical servers and registered IP addresses in the same country. Its public documentation does not identify an exact data center or hosting address for every Irish server.

One of PIA’s main advantages is WireGuard, a lightweight VPN protocol designed to establish efficient encrypted connections.

WireGuard can reduce unnecessary connection overhead and help maintain responsive browsing, downloading, and other bandwidth-intensive activities.

To enable it, open Settings, select Protocols, and choose WireGuard. Reconnect after making the change.

PIA also supports OpenVPN, which provides additional compatibility options for networks that interfere with WireGuard.

OpenVPN may offer more configuration flexibility on certain devices, while WireGuard often provides a convenient balance between performance and simplicity.

The official PIA WireGuard guide explains supported devices and available connection settings.

For most users, WireGuard is a sensible starting point. However, neither protocol guarantees a specific connection speed.

Users connecting from the United States to Ireland should expect additional latency because their traffic travels across the Atlantic.

Performance also depends on the internet provider, local Wi-Fi quality, international routing, server congestion, and the device running the application.

If websites load slowly, first test your regular internet connection without the VPN. Then reconnect to Ireland and check whether the issue continues.

You can also update PIA, compare WireGuard and OpenVPN, and clear outdated browser cookies or cached website data.

PIA includes additional privacy tools such as a kill switch and MACE, which can block certain tracking and advertising domains. If legitimate websites fail to load, review whether optional content blocking contributes to the problem.

However, these steps only address ordinary connectivity issues. They cannot override Netflix’s licensing restrictions.

There is also an important contractual limitation. According to PIA’s official streaming policy, subscribers must not use the service to circumvent geographic restrictions imposed by content providers.

PIA recommends choosing a streaming server that matches the country where the subscriber physically resides.

For American viewers, this means that PIA’s Irish server should not serve as an unauthorized workaround for accessing Netflix Ireland.

PIA remains our first recommendation for general VPN privacy and configurable connections, but users must respect its streaming restrictions.

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN provides an Irish VPN location in Dublin, making it another option for people who need an Irish IP address for legitimate internet activities.

According to the official ExpressVPN Ireland server page, the provider offers high-speed connections through Dublin.

ExpressVPN does not currently list additional Irish cities such as Cork, Galway, or Limerick in its public server directory.

To connect, open the ExpressVPN application and select the server location picker. Search for Ireland and choose Dublin.

ExpressVPN also offers Smart Location, which recommends a server based on performance-related factors.

However, Smart Location does not necessarily select Ireland. If you need an Irish IP address for a permitted activity, choose Dublin manually.

ExpressVPN distinguishes physical server locations from virtual destinations. Virtual servers provide IP addresses associated with one country while using hardware located elsewhere.

The official ExpressVPN virtual server documentation does not identify Ireland as a foreign-hosted virtual location.

ExpressVPN also does not mark Dublin as virtual in its main directory. However, the company does not publish the exact physical hosting address of every Irish server.

ExpressVPN supports Lightway, WireGuard, and OpenVPN on compatible devices and server locations.

Lightway is ExpressVPN’s own VPN protocol, designed to establish connections quickly and maintain reliability when users switch between networks.

WireGuard provides another lightweight encrypted connection option, while OpenVPN offers broad compatibility with different devices and network environments.

The application normally selects the protocol automatically. ExpressVPN recommends keeping this setting unless you encounter connection problems.

If your network is unstable, you can compare Lightway UDP, Lightway TCP, WireGuard, or OpenVPN where your operating system supports them.

ExpressVPN’s Dublin infrastructure includes upgraded 40Gbps server capacity, according to its official Ireland page.

However, this figure describes the server network’s potential throughput. It does not represent a guaranteed download speed for individual subscribers.

Your actual performance depends on available bandwidth, server congestion, international routing, and the device running the VPN.

ExpressVPN’s official connection speed troubleshooting guide recommends checking your normal internet connection before changing VPN protocols.

If the connection feels unusually slow, reconnect to Dublin, update the application, and compare the available protocols.

You can also test another internet connection to determine whether the problem comes from your home network or internet provider.

However, successful VPN connectivity does not establish that Netflix will display Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella.

Netflix may identify the ExpressVPN connection and limit access to movies with worldwide licensing.

ExpressVPN’s Dublin location, automatic protocol selection, and connection settings make it useful for general Irish connectivity, but its server network cannot guarantee Netflix Ireland playback from the United States.

3. NordVPN

NordVPN offers another established VPN service with more than 50 Irish servers, automatic server selection, NordLynx, and SmartPlay technology.

According to the official NordVPN Ireland server page, the provider operates more than 50 servers in Ireland.

NordVPN identifies Dublin as its Irish server city. Its country overview also lists more than 7,100 servers worldwide, although that figure should not be confused with its Irish server count.

To connect, open NordVPN and select Ireland from the country list or interactive map.

The application automatically chooses an available server. Users can also inspect server information when they need more specific connection details.

If the VPN becomes unstable, disconnect and reconnect to allow NordVPN to select another available Irish server.

NordVPN’s public Ireland documentation identifies Dublin as its server location. It does not classify that destination as foreign-hosted virtual infrastructure or disclose the precise data center for each server.

Users should therefore avoid assuming an exact physical hosting address without additional official confirmation.

One of NordVPN’s main features is NordLynx, its VPN protocol based on WireGuard technology.

NordLynx uses an efficient connection design intended to provide strong encryption while minimizing unnecessary processing overhead.

For most users, automatic protocol selection offers a convenient starting point. Users who want additional control can select NordLynx manually on supported devices.

NordVPN also includes SmartPlay, which combines VPN protection with DNS-related technology.

According to NordVPN’s official SmartPlay documentation, the feature activates automatically whenever users connect through the NordVPN application.

You do not need to install SmartPlay separately or enable another setting.

SmartPlay operates alongside VPN encryption and IP address protection, allowing users to access their permitted streaming content privately.

NordVPN also offers SmartDNS, but SmartDNS works differently. It changes DNS settings without providing the same full VPN encryption and IP address protection.

However, SmartPlay cannot override Netflix’s regional licensing agreements.

Netflix can still recognize the VPN and restrict movies that are unavailable in the user’s physical region.

If NordVPN feels slow, reconnect to Ireland and allow automatic server selection to choose another available connection.

You can also check whether NordLynx performs more reliably than another supported protocol on your network.

NordVPN offers specialty servers for certain privacy and connectivity needs, but these should not be confused with guaranteed Netflix-compatible locations.

Its Irish server network makes NordVPN worth considering for secure connectivity through Dublin. Nevertheless, its server count and SmartPlay technology do not guarantee access to Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella through Netflix.

What to do if Rise of the Footsoldier: The Heist does not appear

The movie may not appear in Netflix search results even when your VPN application shows an Irish connection. Netflix can recognize VPN traffic, while cached browser information, profile restrictions, and licensing changes can also affect the available catalog.

If your intended connection complies with the applicable service terms, these steps can help diagnose ordinary browser and network problems.

1. Close Netflix completely, including browser tabs and application sessions running in the background.
2. Disconnect from the VPN using the provider’s application controls.
3. Reconnect to Ireland if your intended use complies with Netflix’s rules and the VPN provider’s terms.
4. Try another available server within the same Irish location if the connection itself has problems.
5. Clear Netflix cookies and your browser cache to remove outdated session information.
6. Open an incognito or private browser window to check whether cookies or browser extensions contribute to the issue.
7. Reopen Netflix and sign in using your existing account credentials.
8. Search for Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella again and check whether Netflix displays the correct movie.

PIA users can reconnect to the regular Ireland location or compare WireGuard and OpenVPN when troubleshooting ordinary connection problems. PIA does not currently document another Irish city or a dedicated Irish streaming-optimized location.

ExpressVPN users can reconnect through Dublin and compare supported protocols if their connection is unstable. The provider does not publish additional Irish city locations.

NordVPN users can reconnect through Ireland and allow the application to choose another available server. NordVPN lists more than 50 Irish servers, although Dublin remains its only documented Irish city.

Make sure you are searching for the correct installment. The 2019 movie stars Craig Fairbrass as Pat Tate and was directed by Andrew Loveday.

The official Netflix title is Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella. Other listings identify it as Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella or Rise of the Footsoldier: The Spanish Heist.

Do not confuse it with Rise of the Footsoldier (2007), Rise of the Footsoldier 3 (2017), or Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021).

Netflix title ID 81498434 can help you identify the correct film.

If the movie still does not appear, consult Netflix’s official missing-title troubleshooting guide.

Netflix explains that regional licensing, profile maturity restrictions, language settings, and VPN recognition can affect search results.

Changing VPN servers does not guarantee that a restricted movie will become available. If Netflix blocks playback, disconnect and consider an authorized US streaming or rental service.

Netflix may detect the VPN

A VPN routes your internet traffic through another server and changes the public IP address visible to websites.

When you connect through Ireland, Netflix may see an Irish IP address rather than your normal US connection.

However, changing your IP address does not automatically grant access to Netflix Ireland’s complete catalog.

Netflix licenses movies separately across different countries. A movie available through an Irish subscription may not have the same streaming rights in the United States.

Netflix can identify IP addresses associated with VPN services and restrict the catalog to movies and television shows with worldwide licensing.

Therefore, you may establish a successful Irish VPN connection and still find that Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella does not appear.

You may also encounter a playback error asking you to turn off your VPN or proxy.

According to Netflix’s official VPN policy, users may need to disconnect their VPN to access movies available in their physical region.

No VPN provider can guarantee continued access to regional Netflix content, regardless of its server network, connection protocols, or streaming-related features.

Can you use a Netflix ad-supported plan with a VPN?

No. Netflix does not support VPN connections on its ad-supported experience.

If you connect through a VPN while using an ad-supported Netflix subscription, the service may display error E121 or a message asking you to disable your VPN or proxy.

According to Netflix’s official VPN playback error guidance, disconnecting the VPN is the recommended solution.

An ad-free Netflix subscription avoids this specific plan restriction, but Netflix can still identify VPN connections and limit country-specific movies.

Therefore, upgrading to an ad-free subscription does not guarantee that Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella will appear through an Irish VPN connection.

Does changing the VPN location change your Netflix account?

No. Connecting to an Irish VPN server does not automatically change your US Netflix account into an Irish account.

Your email address, password, profiles, viewing history, and subscription billing remain associated with your existing account.

A VPN primarily changes the public IP address associated with your internet connection. Netflix separately manages account information and regional streaming access.

According to Netflix’s account country documentation, subscribers cannot change their account country simply by selecting another VPN location.

Netflix catalogs can also change over time as streaming agreements expire or new movies arrive.

If you want to watch the film without relying on international Netflix availability, check current US streaming options for Rise of the Footsoldier 4: Marbella on JustWatch.

As of October 2026, JustWatch US lists Amazon Prime Video and ad-supported streaming through Tubi and Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads. It also identifies Hoopla as a free option for eligible users.

Digital rentals and purchases are available through supported services, including Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango at Home.

These domestic services offer American viewers a way to watch the movie without depending on Netflix’s regional catalog or uncertain VPN compatibility.

Which VPN should you use?

Private Internet Access is our first recommendation for general VPN privacy because it offers customizable connection settings, WireGuard and OpenVPN support, and an officially documented Ireland location. Its current directory does not list a dedicated Irish streaming-optimized connection or classify Ireland as a foreign-hosted virtual location. However, PIA explicitly prohibits using its service to circumvent geographic restrictions imposed by content providers, so US subscribers should not treat its Irish server as an authorized Netflix workaround.

ExpressVPN offers a documented Dublin connection, automatic protocol selection, and support for Lightway, WireGuard, and OpenVPN on compatible devices. Its virtual server documentation does not classify Ireland as a foreign-hosted location. NordVPN provides more than 50 Irish servers in Dublin, together with automatic server selection, NordLynx, and SmartPlay. Both services offer useful privacy and connection features, but neither guarantees access to Netflix Ireland.

As of October 24, 2026, Rise of the Footsoldier: Marbella is absent from Netflix US, while its official Irish Netflix page displays the movie without an unavailability warning. However, catalog listings, regional licensing, Netflix VPN detection, subscription restrictions, and provider terms mean that playback from the United States is not guaranteed. If Netflix prevents access, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Hoopla, and authorized US rental services offer alternative ways to watch the film.