Wrath of Man

Starring: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Rocci Williams, Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood, Andy Garcia, Deobia Oparei, Laz Alonso, Raul Castillo, Eddie Marsan, Niamh Algar, Post Malone
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mysterious man (Jason Statham) who is more than he appears to be, begins working for an armored car company transporting millions in cash.

Review:

Tim: I was quite excited to see Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie reunite for Wrath of Man. The films starts out exceptionally strong and I really had a great time with it. As the film progresses, though, it starts to fall apart a bit. The ending the film is surprisingly unsatisfying and it feels like something had been squandered. The film's mounting flaws hurt it, but they don't totally prevent it from being a worthwhile movie. I liked the film, but it also feels like it could easily have been better.

I was a big fan of the mysterious approach to the story. After the film sets the stage, we begin the main story by seeing Jason Statham's character going through the interview process to get hired as a guard at an armored car company. He certainly seems to be more than he's letting on and it quickly becomes apparent that there's more to the story than we know. The early stages of the film are great fun, as the pieces of the puzzle slowly fall into place. We learn more and more about who H is and what he's trying to accomplish. The beginning of the film was incredibly entertaining and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and try to figure out what was going on.

Eventually, we do understand the full picture and that's when the film falls apart a bit. Some of this is that the movie is probably 10 minutes too long. It's weird to say that the film is too long when the film's conclusion feels so rushed. It takes a bit too long for things to get going, though. The story would have benefited from editing some of the middle down to create more space for a more engaging conclusion. As is, the film gets bogged down before gearing up for the climax, so it loses some of the momentum it had been building. The conclusion also felt so anticlimactic to me. I know this was a remake of an international film- I truly wonder if they just kept the bad conclusion or made it worse. I was fairly surprised at how the movie concluded. By the end, I'd lost a good deal of the excitement I felt. I still thought the movie was good, absolutely. But, it wasn't a film I would actively recommend.

There are a lot of strengths here, too. Jason Statham feels like he's been on a bit of a losing streak. I've seen him give okay performances in a lot of substandard action movies. This feels like a bit of a return to form for him. He's very much doing the Jason Statham thing where he's reserved and tough, but it works within the context of the film. This role called upon him to leverage his dramatic skills, not just be an action star. He rises to the occasion and is absolutely one of the best parts of the film. It's a reminder that Statham's career should be more than it is. I hope he pursues more roles like this.

I really enjoyed Holt McCallany's performance. I'm a big fan of the actor because of the way he makes movies better with his presence. He's good here- he's just a unique presence and I thought he worked exceptionally well in the role. You like his character and want to see more of him on screen. I was surprised to see Josh Hartnett here- I don't know what he's been doing the last so many years. Hartnett's always felt like a solid actor to me. His role here isn't glamorous and very much supporting, but it was so good to see him on screen again. Jeffrey Donovan seems like he's been popping up everywhere lately and we're all better for it. Donovan can do anything- I've seen him in roles where I just loved him and I've seen him in roles where I couldn't stand to look at him, I hated his character so much. He calls upon both those extremes here for a complicated, memorable performance. I liked seeing Scott Eastwood in this performance, too. Eastwood is someone I kind of like and kind of don't. It's probably that he reminds you of his famous dad (so you feel close to him), but also seems a bit spoiled and likely had an easier path to stardom, which turns you away from him. Clint mostly played good guys, but Scott Eastwood has a penchant for playing villains. He's incredibly unlikable here and that's exactly what the movie needed. I always love seeing Andy Garcia, but I have no idea why he showed up for a few meaningless scenes. Anyone else could have played this role. Eddie Marsan always adds something to his films and he does that here. Deobia Oparci was effective in his supporting role, as was Raul Castillo. Niamh Algar was solid in a role that I wish was a bit bigger. The cast truly worked well and is a big reason I enjoyed the movie as much as I did.

While Wrath of Man has flaws and isn't quite as good as it seemed like it would be, it's still a win and a film I enjoyed. I've seen Statham do a lot of bad-to-not-good movies, so it was a welcome return to what he's capable of doing. Guy Ritchie can't quite get this movie to the level of last year's The Gentlemen, but this was an entertaining, good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Snatch, The Gentlemen; Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels