Six superb Jeremy Renner movies (and where you can watch them right now)

Nearly lost to the world after being involved in a recent snowplough accident, Jeremy Renner’s acting skills are brilliantly showcased in the second series of Mayor of Kingstown (which has just arrived on Prime Video).

As well as being one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Mission: Impossible franchise’s unsung heroes, the now 52-year-old has been one of Hollywood’s most under-rated talents during the past two decades, able to handle blockbuster material and more intimate dramas with equal aplomb.

To celebrate the return of his hit Taylor Sheridan-penned show and road to recovery in real-life, Stuff to Watch has picked out six of his best performances, while detailing where you can watch them right now.

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Arrival (2016, iTunes, YouTube, AroVision, Academy OnDemand, Deluxe AtHome, GooglePlay)

Before tackling Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, Hollywood’s now sci-fi-go-to-guy Denis Villeneuve directed this thoughtful drama about a troubled linguistics professor (Amy Adams) who is tasked with interpreting the language of alien visitors to our planet.

Based on Ted Chiang’s 1998 short tale Story of Your Life, the movie version also featured a thoughtful performance by Renner as .

“Those expecting a whiz-bang film should be prepared for a more cerebral and emotional experience, admirable for its ambition and tone,” wrote CNN.com’s Brian Lowry.

Avengers: Endgame (2019, Disney+)

Of all Renner’s appearances as Clint “Hawkeye” Barton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which started with 2011’s Thor), this is the one that resonates the most. It’s his loss of family to Thanos’ Snap that provides the emotional arc and heart of the Avengers’ seemingly impossible mission to find the Titan and undo all that he has wrought.

“The final battle is giddily cathartic, but the catharsis arises from prioritising character development over plot and spectacle. This, I imagine, will be the Avengers’ legacy,” wrote Observer’s Simran Hans.

The Hurt Locker (2009, Prime Video)

Gripping and raw and greatly enhanced by director Kathryn Bigelow’s naturalistic approach, including hand-held cameras and little if no score, this Oscar-winning drama places the audience in the middle of a succession of dizzying, disorienting, nail-biting scenarios, from a car bomb and a gun turret to a tense attempt to defuse explosive devices strapped to a local.

Impressively, the acting almost matches the visuals and pacing, with Renner outstanding in the main role of a man who lives life on the edge and who, as we later learn, loves only one thing (The moment he realises this is poignant and searing).

Kill the Messenger (2014, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube)

True-crime drama which takes a look at journalist Gary Webb’s (Renner) mid-’90s investigations into the CIA’s role in the 1980s in assisting crack cocaine reach the Black part of Los Angeles to ensure money and weapons reached Nicaragua’s freedom fighters. As a result of his digging, Webb’s career, family and life come under threat.

“Renner brings a dogged yet ebullient quality to Webb. It’s a terrific, wound-up yet thoughtful performance that conveys a sense of conviction with an undercurrent of fragility,” wrote The Age’s Philippa Hawker.

The Town (2010, Netflix)

Adapted from Chuck Hogan’s 2004 novel Prince of Thieves, this Boston-set, Ben Affleck-directed crime-thriller focuses on a bank robber (Affleck) who begins to develop romantic feelings for a previous victim, while contemplating one final “big score”.

While part of a fabulous ensemble that also includes Rebecca Hall, John Hamm, Pete Postelthwaite, a believably-unhinged Renner is a stand-out as the dangerous James Coughlin. A cut above the average crime drama, thanks to its emphasis on character over carnage.

Wind River (2017, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube, Academy OnDemand, AroVision, Deluxe AtHome, Lumiere Online)

Taylor Sheridan’s Wyoming-set crime thriller sees Renner’s US fish and wildlife tracker team up with Elizabeth Olsen’s FBI agent to try and solver a murder on the Indian Reservation of the movie’s title.

What starts out as very much Renner’s movie, quickly changes viewpoint with the arrival of the excellent Olsen, who becomes the audience’s guide into what seems a harsh, unforgiving, very patriarchal landscape.

The haunting visuals are backed up by a superb Nick Cave and Warren Ellis soundscape, while the film’s dark narrative is given an extra chill by the final real-life revelation that Native American women are the only demographic for which no missing persons information exists in the US.