Jon Bernthal has always been an actor who can make danger feel lived-in, from The Walking Dead and The Punisher to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. His latest role as Menelaus puts him inside one of 2026’s biggest cinematic spectacles. But while Bernthal is enjoying another major moment, one of his quieter recent appearances is getting a second look. 

Sometimes, streaming does what the theatrical window cannot: it digs a forgotten film out of the algorithm and gives it another life.

The Amateur has become a sleeper hit after spending much of its theatrical run in the shadow of louder franchise fare. Released in April 2025, James Hawes’ espionage thriller arrived with Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, and Jon Bernthal in its ensemble, yet its relatively modest theatrical footprint meant it never quite became the conversation piece its cast suggested. The film eventually grossed around $96 million worldwide against a reported $60 million budget, before moving into the streaming ecosystem where overlooked movies often get their second act. 

Now, that second act is becoming increasingly visible. The appeal of The Amateur is not really the familiar spy-thriller machinery, but the way it turns the genre inside out. Charlie Heller is not Jason Bourne, Ethan Hunt or James Bond. He is a CIA decoder whose greatest weapon is his intellect, and whose transformation into a revenge-driven operative is fueled more by grief and obsession than physical prowess. 

Bernthal, meanwhile, brings the hard-edged authority that has become one of his trademarks, playing CIA operative Jackson O’Brien, also known as The Bear. 

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And that distinction may explain why the movie is finding a fresh audience now.

Based on Robert Littell’s 1981 novel, The Amateur follows Charlie Heller, an intensely private CIA cryptographer working from a basement office at Langley. His life collapses when his wife, Sarah, is k***** in a t******** attack in London. When his superiors refuse to pursue those responsible, Charlie decides to force his way into the field, using his intelligence to track the people behind the attack. 

For Jon Bernthal, it is also another reminder of how comfortably he can move between bruising genre roles and more controlled dramatic performances. The actor has spent years building a career around characters who seem capable of exploding at any moment, but The Amateur uses that energy differently. His presence helps sell the institutional machinery surrounding Charlie, even when the story belongs to Malek.

A year on, The Amateur is proving that a theatrical underperformer does not necessarily stay forgotten. Sometimes the algorithm simply needs time to find the right audience. With its cerebral revenge story, strong ensemble and unconventional take on the spy genre, the film may finally be getting the second look it missed the first time around.

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What do you think of The Amateur and Jon Bernthal’s role in it? Share your thoughts in the comments.