Summary
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. ToSpider-Manfans, Simmons is recognized as the face and voice of Peter Parker’sconspiracy-slinging Daily Bugle boss J. Jonah Jameson. ThoughSpider-Manis potentially Simmons' most widely popular role, his catalog spans over 100 films.
Appearing as the angry editor in all three Sam RaimiSpider-Manfilms and reprising his role in the recentSpider-Versetrilogy, Simmons has proven his ability to bark orders and hurl insults.Whiplash(2014) andRed One(2024) are fairly recentexamples of his trademark bravado on display. ThoughWhiplash’s 94% Rotten Tomatoes score outclassesRed 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 onNetflix’s top-10 chart: J.K. Simmons' 2017 European-produced war flickAmerican Renegades.
American Renegades Has Come Out Of Nowhere
Originally titledRenegades,American RenegadesonNetflixstars 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 Renegadeshas surged after years of irrelevancy despite its eyebrow-raising 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Eastern European film, directed byFinal Destination 5’s Steven Quale,is trailing 2022’s hitThe Menufor the most-viewed movie on Netflix. How did this happen? Well, similar to J.K. Simmons' aforementioned holiday featureRed One,the film bombed at the box office, but experienced a renaissance via streaming services. Amazon MGM’sRed Onefailed to recoup its production budget of $200 million, but still went on to set a streaming record onAmazon’s Prime Video platform, with 50 million viewers in just four days.American Renegadesis enjoying a similar, if slightly less historic, rebound.
Netflix Top 10 (as of June 05, 2025, viaFlixPatrol)
4.Back in Action
8.You, Me and Dupree
10.Bogotá: City of the Lost
What Happens With American Renegades Now?
American Renegadeswas 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, andAmerican Renegadewill 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.
UnlessAmerican Renegadesbreaks streaming records, which it’s unlikely to do,it will probably live in cult fandomand 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’sRed One.
Is American Renegades Actually a Good Movie?
Movie taste is subjective, as seen inAmerican 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 jawingfrom 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 onNetflix, even though it took almost ten years to manifest.
