He could be playing a realistically violent Marvel character, portray one of TV’s most complicated villains, or appear in flashbacks where he doesn’t say a word, and there’s a chance Jon Bernthal is still giving an unforgettable performance on the silver and small screens. There’s this certain quality about the talented and versatile actor that makes you want to see more of any of his characters long after the movie or show has finished.
With his new HBO drama, We Own This City, quickly approaching on the 2022 TV schedule, now feels like a good time to go through some of the best Jon Bernthal movies and TV shows, talk about why they should be required viewing, and all the ways you can watch them streaming and a variety of other ways.
Punisher (2017 - 2019)
Just when Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), better known as “The Punisher,” thinks everyone who had a role in his family’s vicious murder has been brought to his twisted form of justice, the ex-Marine learns this is just the beginning and heads back out onto the streets of New York City to end the pain once and for all.
Perhaps the most violent show available to anyone with a Disney+ subscription, The Punisher is also one of the best Marvel shows brought over from Netflix. Multiple actors have played Frank Castle in the past, but none of those actors capture the emotionally damaged and vengeful assassin who will do anything to free himself from the pain of grief as well as Bernthal. Let’s hope we haven’t seen the end of him yet.
Stream The Punisher on Disney+.
Buy The Punisher on Amazon.
Baby Driver (2017)
Edgar Wright’s incredible 2017 crime flick, Baby Driver, follows a talented wheelman named Baby (Ansel Elgort) as he serves as a getaway driver in a series of high-stake heists. But, upon meeting a waitress named Deborah (Lily James), Baby sees a way out of his life of crime and puts a plan in motion to turn the corner.
Just about everyone in Baby Driver is performing at the top of their game, and the same can be said about Jon Bernthal, who briefly appears as a cocky bank robber named Griff. Despite being in the movie for all of 10 minutes, Bernthal milks every second of it in dazzling, albeit annoying, fashion.
Rent/Buy Baby Driver on Amazon.
Buy Baby Driver on Blu-ray on Amazon.
The Walking Dead (2010 - 2012, 2018)
The long-running AMC horror drama series, The Walking Dead, has followed what’s left of humanity as its members attempt to survive not only millions of zombies walking the earth, but also the more dangerous and sinister humans who have control of small pockets of the American landscape in the years following societal collapse.
Countless members of The Walking Dead cast have come and gone over the years, and one of the most prominent of those is Jon Bernthal, who portrayed Shane Walsh during the show’s first two seasons (though he did reappear as hallucinations later on). The friend-turned-rival of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Shane slowly morphed into the show’s antagonist part-way through Season 2 in a heartbreaking yet captivating performance by Bernthal.
Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.
Buy The Walking Dead on Amazon.
Wind River (2017)
Upon finding the mutilated body of Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille), a young American Indian woman on a reservation in Wyoming, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) teams up with FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to solve the mystery surrounding her death. Although their mission finds some truths, it also brings them face-to-face with pure evil.
Jon Bernthal’s character, Matt Rayburn, is technically only in one scene in Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western thriller Wind River, but it happens to be one of the most intense and memorable sections of the entire movie. The scene, which is a flashback showing how Matt and Natalie were killed, quickly goes from a happy moment shared by two lovers to an incredibly traumatizing display.
Stream Wind River on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Wind River on Amazon.
Buy Wind River on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Show Me A Hero (2015)
Taking place between 1987 and 1994, David Simon and William F. Zorzi’s Show Me a Hero follows several high-ranking officials and various residents in the city of Yonkers, New York, after the municipality is ordered by the federal government to construct a public-housing development and put an end to the city’s segregation.
Whenever the 2015 limited series is brought up, the conversation quickly turns to Oscar Isaac’s Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Nick Wasicsko, who was famous for being the youngest mayor in the country at the time. Though Isaac was phenomenal, another actor who doesn’t get brought up nearly as much is Jon Bernthal who played civil rights attorney Michael H. Sussman, who was a major proponent in getting the housing block built.
Stream Show Me a Hero on HBO Max.
Buy Show Me a Hero on Amazon.
King Richard (2021)
From the crime-ridden streets of Compton, California, to the gated communities of Florida, Richard Williams (Will Smith) trains his daughters — Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton) — to become two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Although King Richard primarily focuses on Richard Williams and his quest to make something of his daughters, the movie also features a large ensemble cast of characters who are just as committed to the young girls’ success. Case in point, Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), the decorated tennis coach who agrees to take the budding stars under his wing as they prepare to go pro. The look, the accent, and everything else about Bernthal’s performance is electric throughout the second half of the movie.
Stream King Richard on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy King Richard on Amazon.
Buy King Richard on DVD on Amazon.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
In the wake of losing his job on Wall Street, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) joins a penny stock brokerage firm before branching out on his own with one of the most successful yet morally bankrupt financial companies the world has seen. Over the course of many shady deals and run-ins with ever shadier individuals, Belfort tries in vain to keep afloat professionally and personally.
The Wolf of Wall Street cast is stacked from top to bottom with outstanding talent, including Jon Bernthal, who portrays Belfort’s quaalude dealer and deeply loyal friend. This is another example of Bernthal getting a lot out of something small and turning a secondary character into one of the most fully-realized roles in the entire movie.
Stream The Wolf of Wall Street on Showtime.
Rent/Buy The Wolf of Wall Street on Amazon.
Buy The Wolf of Wall Street on Blu-ray/DVD on Amazon.
Ford V Ferrari (2019)
Despite their differences, driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) team up to create a powerhouse of a race car in hopes of defeating the famed Ferrari team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
You would think that it would be hard for an actor to stand out in a movie led by Christian Bale and Matt Damon, but Jon Bernthal is up to the task with his portrayal of Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca, who puts the famous driver and car designer together in the first place. The way in which Bernthal embodies the character is truly something else.
Rent/Buy Ford v Ferrari on Amazon.
Buy Ford v Ferrari on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Fury (2014)
David Ayer’s 2014 military drama, Fury, follows a close-knit tank crew fighting in World War II as they are joined by a new member. Over the course of several battles and difficult encounters with German soldiers and non-combatants, the group becomes even closer.
One thing about Fury that makes it such a great watch is the camaraderie shared by the members of the titular tank crew. Although their earlier battles aren’t shown (they have been fighting together for years at this point), you can see it in the eyes of Jon Bernthal, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Logan Lerman that these men have been to hell and back with one another.
Stream Fury on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy Fury on Amazon.
Buy Fury on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)
Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) goes through an incredible change after he and best friend Earl Jackson (RJ Cyler) befriend Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke), a classmate who has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s moving Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is anchored by the three outstanding young leads, but the adult supporting cast is also worth mentioning, with one of the highlights being Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of the gang’s history teacher Mr. McCarthy. One of the best examples of a “cool teacher,” McCarthy constantly has Greg and Earl’s back and offers some much need advice during one of the film’s crucial scenes.
Rent/Buy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl on Amazon.
Buy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl on DVD on Amazon.
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
Upon escaping his care facility to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, a young man with Down syndrome named Zak (Zack Gottsagen) forms an unlikely bond with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), an on-the-run fisherman, who takes the would-be grappler under his wing.
Jon Bernthal doesn’t have any lines in The Peanut Butter Falcon, and only appears in a handful of short flashbacks experienced by Tyler, but you can feel the bond shared by the two brothers and the impact his life and death had only his younger sibling. It’s honestly one of the most beautiful aspects of this incredibly moving comedy-drama.
Stream The Peanut Butter Falcon on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy The Peanut Butter Falcon on Amazon.
Buy The Peanut Butter Falcon on DVD on Amazon.
With several projects in the works, expect to see even more titles added to the list of the best Jon Bernthal movies in the very near future. If you want to know when and where you’ll see the star in action, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie premiere dates schedule.
