Jon Bernthal’s 123-Minute Action Thriller Officially Remains One of the Biggest Movies on Streaming

More than a year after its original release, one of Jon Bernthal’s most underrated movies has returned to find a second life on streaming. With recent appearances in hits like Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, as well as the surprising Netflix thriller His & Hers, Bernthal has become a seal of quality. It almost makes you wonder what would have happened if he had been given a more prominent role in the recent action thriller that audiences are now revisiting on streaming.

This Is a Modern “James Bond Meets The Fugitive” Action Movie With an Impressive Cast

The Amateur follows Rami Malek as Charlie Heller, a CIA specialist in cryptography whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Naturally, Charlie seeks the agency’s help to catch those responsible, but they fail, prompting Charlie to try desperate measures. He decides to blackmail the CIA, forcing the agency to train him as a field operative so he can catch the bad guys himself. Bernthal’s Jackson O’Brien is one of several people who try to stop Charlie from pursuing a personal vendetta, but his thirst for revenge is stronger than he can control.

The film stars Bernthal alongside Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Caitríona Balfe, and Adrian Martinez. It was directed by James Hawes (Black Mirror, Slow Horses), from a script written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli. It is based on Robert Littell’s novel of the same name, which was already adapted into a film in 1981 starring John Savage.

Bernthal’s role in The Amateur is fairly secondary and limited to a couple of scenes where he’s seen interacting with Malek’s Charlie Heller. Most of what we learn about him comes from the main character’s descriptions. However, it is through this deliberately mysterious narrative approach that Jackson O’Brien, a.k.a. the Bear, becomes more interesting. In one of the film’s pivotal scenes, Bernthal’s character delivers a chillingly honest speech about Heller’s likely fate if he continues on his quest. As with so many other scenes he’s appeared in, Bernthal steals it from his first line.

Despite Its Initial Reception, ‘The Amateur’ Remains a Fixture on the Streaming Charts

The Amateur arrived in theaters in April 2025, receiving mixed reviews and failing to gross more than $96 million on a $60 million budget. Despite a great cast, it failed to capture widespread attention, and was quickly labeled as a lesser attempt to resonate with fans of spy thrillers like James Bond.

Nevertheless, the film earned an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s since found a very loyal audience with home viewers. Per the latest update to the U.S. streaming charts, the action thriller remake is still a very popular hit on streaming. It’s currently sitting at No. 6 on the list of most-watched movies on Prime Video, and has remained on the top 10 list for weeks.