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A critically maligned action thriller featuring Marvel actor and Academy Award-winner J.K. Simmons is rediscovering success on Netflix nearly ten years after its initial release. Renegades, or American Renegades in the U.S., debuted in 2017 and has garnered little favor from reviewers, resembling a mash-up of Ocean’s Eleven and The Expendables. Nevertheless, viewers of the genre are now exploring this adventure, which follows a group of Navy SEALs as they attempt to recover stolen Nazi gold hidden beneath a lake during a military operation in a conflict zone.
Directed by Steven Quale, known for his work on Final Destination 5 and as 2nd unit director on blockbusters like Titanic and Avatar, and penned by famed screenwriters Luc Besson and Richard Wenk, Renegades features an ensemble cast including Sullivan Stapleton, Charlie Bewley, and Clemens Schick alongside Simmons. Currently, the film ranks second in the Netflix U.S. top ten, just behind Back in Action starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. The official synopsis reads:
“On assignment in war-torn Europe, Navy SEALs discover gold at the bottom of a lake—a fortune rumored to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Hoping to help the locals, the soldiers go rogue and engineer a plan to recover the treasure and return it to its rightful owners. When the enemy detects the team, the SEALs are suddenly left with only 10 hours to carry out their dangerous mission.”
‘Renegades’ Holds a “Rotten” Score of 11%…but Sometimes an Action B-Movie Is Just What You Need
Despite the talent involved and a captivating premise, Renegades faced harsh criticism upon its premiere. The film currently carries a disappointing 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes, cementing its status with a notorious “rotten” label. However, audience response has been somewhat more forgiving, yielding a score of 41% on the Popcornmeter. Although it may not resonate with critics, J.K. Simmons’ action-driven performance invites a certain curiosity. Reviewer Simon Abrams from RogerEbert.com expressed disappointment, criticizing the film’s attempt to elevate its B-movie roots into a more polished offering.
Abrams noted, “It’s B-movie neophytes trying to sell a slick, but hollow scenario for a high-concept genre hybrid. American Renegades might look good on paper, but it’s pretty tiresome on the screen.”
Similarly, Dennis Harvey from Variety criticized the film as embodying a “particularly dumb kind of gung-ho Ugly Americanism,” while Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times suggested that American Renegades could benefit from deeper substance amid its aggressive tone.
John Nugent of Empire drew comparisons between the film and acclaimed heist movies, questioning whether this offbeat blend of characters would excel on screen: “If Danny Ocean and Barney Ross from The Expendables had a baby, it might look something like this—but should they?” Ultimately, Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian acknowledged Simmons’ effort but concluded that the film resembled a mediocre TV project, stating, “There is a spectacular scene in which someone drives a tank off a bridge, and JK Simmons gives the film some ballast as the guys’ scowling commanding officer, but the rest of the time this resembles a TV movie of egregious averageness.”
Release Date: August 21, 2017
Runtime: 105 minutes
Director: Steven Quale
Writers: Richard Wenk
Producers: Luc Besson
Source
movieweb.com