Five years after its release, the 2021 film Small Engine Repair is being highlighted as an under-appreciated thriller anchored by a Jon Bernthal performance, now available to stream. Adapted by playwright John Pollono from his own 2011 stage production, the film follows three lifelong friends in Manchester, New Hampshire, whose bond is tested when a quiet evening turns violent, exploring themes of masculinity and loyalty along the way.

Pollono directs and reprises his stage role as Frank, an ex-convict trying to rebuild his life and protect his teenage daughter, Crystal, alongside childhood friends Swaino (Bernthal) and Packie (Shea Whigham). The story, told non-linearly across a 102-minute runtime, escalates when the two friends discover Frank has lured a privileged college student, Chad, to his shop after learning of his role in a traumatic event involving Crystal, propelling the character-driven drama into a tense, violence-laced examination of fragile masculinity.