Netflix Top 10 Includes A Rotten JK Simmons Action Movie

Spider-Man’s immense success has propelled the careers of many successful actors. One name made famous in part by the superhero franchise is J.K. Simmons. To Spider-Man fans, Simmons is recognized as the face and voice of Peter Parker’s conspiracy-slinging Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson. Though Spider-Man is potentially Simmons’ most widely popular role, his catalog spans over 100 films.

Appearing as the angry editor in all three Sam Raimi Spider-Man films and reprising his role in the recent Spider-Verse trilogy, Simmons has proven his ability to bark orders and hurl insults. Whiplash (2014) and Red One (2024) are fairly recent examples of his trademark bravado on display. Though Whiplash‘s 94% Rotten Tomatoes score outclasses Red One‘s 30%, both resulted in huge success for their production companies. Surprisingly, Red One‘s paltry review score more than doubles what’s currently the second-ranked film on Netflix‘s top-10 chart: J.K. Simmons’ 2017 European-produced war flick American Renegades.

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American Renegades Has Come Out Of Nowhere

Originally titled Renegades, American Renegades on Netflix stars J.K. Simmons as Rear Admiral Levin, a no-nonsense Navy SEAL captain who respects courage and bravery. Levin’s squadron discovers gold beneath a lake, deciding to go rogue as they attempt to return the gold to its owner amidst being detected by enemy forces. J.K. Simmons is as committed as ever in his role as the intimidating commander, with the film showcasing fun action scenes despite a thin plot and some worn war movie tropes.

American Renegades has surged after years of irrelevancy despite its eyebrow-raising 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Eastern European film, directed by Final Destination 5‘s Steven Quale, is trailing 2022’s hit The Menu for the most-viewed movie on Netflix. How did this happen? Well, similar to J.K. Simmons’ aforementioned holiday feature Red One, the film bombed at the box office, but experienced a renaissance via streaming services. Amazon MGM’s Red One failed to recoup its production budget of $200 million, but still went on to set a streaming record on Amazon’s Prime Video platform, with 50 million viewers in just four days. American Renegades is enjoying a similar, if slightly less historic, rebound.

What Happens With American Renegades Now?

American Renegades was produced on an estimated budget of 66 million euros, which converts to roughly $70 million, and grossed $2.6 million worldwide. That’s quite a bit of ground to make up. Thankfully, it gained newfound relevance, and American Renegade will ride out the streaming notoriety in the meantime. Studio Babelsburg and Belga Productions will also enjoy some financial recovery, depending on whether the film earns a percentage per view or if the rights were sold to the streaming platform for a flat fee.

Unless American Renegades breaks streaming records, which it’s unlikely to do, it will probably live in cult fandom and remain a solo property. Considering its weak critical reception and sluggish performance at ticket booths, J.K. Simmons is unlikely to return for a second film as he’s nearly a decade older since filming the first, although he was notably healthy as the ripped Santa Claus in last year’s Red One.

Is American Renegades Actually a Good Movie?

Movie taste is subjective, as seen in American Renegades‘ Rotten Tomatoes audience score. It’s nearly four times higher than its critics’ total. Still, 41% doesn’t exactly indicate a crowd-pleaser.

For interested audiences, fans of J.K. Simmons will appreciate plenty of jawing from the big man over the film’s 100-minute run time, along with some cool gun fights from a director with plenty of experience directing big action set pieces. Despite its bumpy reviews, the film is proving to be a worthy production on Netflix, even though it took almost ten years to manifest.

American Renegades

Release Date

December 21, 2018

Runtime

105 Minutes