5 Years Later, Jon Bernthal's Violent Movie Is Quietly One of the Best Thrillers Streaming

5 days ago 13

Jon Bernthal with a beard in Small Engine Repair.

Published Aug 20, 2026, 7:56 AM EDT

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

Jon Bernthal has made a name for himself with beloved characters like Shane Walsh and Frank Castle, but the actor is as talented on stage as he is on-screen. In 2011, he starred in the award-winning play Small Engine Repair, which only took a decade to make it to a feature film adaptation. Bernthal reprises his role in the 2021 movie, which had a quiet release but is a powerful story about masculinity in the modern world.

Original playwright John Pollono directs Small Engine Repair as well as reprises his role as the conflicted but well-intentioned Frank. After being released from prison, he cleans up his act and takes care of his teenage daughter to the best of his ability. He forms a found family with his two high school best friends, Terrance Swaino (Bernthal) and Patrick “Packie” Hanrahan (Shea Whigham). Their humble life takes a turn when, one night, Frank invites Swaino and Packie to his repair shop in an encounter that turns violent. Small Engine Repair is a solid character study that is a slow-burn thriller worth every second.

‘Small Engine Repair’ Is Worth the 1 Hour 42 Minute Runtime

Like any stage production, Small Engine Repair’s strength is in its dialogue. The three best friends spend the film’s runtime getting the audience accustomed to the Manchester, New Hampshire culture, which is significant to the story. These men are typical New England stock and prove that they would go to the mat for each other. They are particularly protective of Frankie’s daughter, Crystal (Ciara Bravo), who they have all had a hand in raising in one form or another.

The establishment of these relationships is paramount, so when the final act hits, it is worth the wait. The enduring character study turns into a thriller when Swaino and Packie learn that Frankie has lured a trust fund college student to the shop for a very specific reason. Small Engine Repair is told in a non-linear fashion that benefits the visual medium. This privileged drug dealer, Chad (Spencer House), turns out to be the reason why Crystal attempted suicide weeks before. Lying comatose, Frank is determined to ruin the boy’s life, just as his daughter’s life is ruined.

The thriller that no one talks about isn’t just a movie based on violence alone. The themes come pouring out of the final moments of the story, fully unrestrained like a geyser. The film notes how fragile masculinity can be, juxtaposing it with the brutal violence when Frank attempts to murder Chad. The father's own friends are ruled by how they are perceived by women and are afraid of any threat to their manhood.

Packie rightly identifies that this is a prevalent issue in society and weaponizes it to punish Chad and ensure he never speaks of the encounter. Frank's brushes with rage issues stem from his treatment by his own father, afraid of being emasculated. This all culminates in a movie that is part thriller but mostly a stirring portrait of men of a certain era. Quiet dramas like this rarely see the light of day, and five years later, Small Engine Repair is finally getting its due on Netflix.