When The Beekeeper got here out early final 12 months, I used to be blown away by the sheer craziness of it. Jason Statham is often one of the vital dependable film stars whenever you want a badass motion hero, however David Ayer‘s 2024 revenge flick had so many insane twists and turns that it was merely irresistible. Title one other film the place Josh Hutcherson performs a villain who’s the coked-up love youngster of quite a few political figures. Suffice it to say, A Working Man was one which I could not wait to see, particularly since it would be Ayer and Statham teaming up so quickly after The Beekeeper.
With a script co-written by Sylvester Stallone, adapting the primary e-book in Chuck Dixon‘s Levon Cade collection of novels (If you happen to’ve ever stepped foot in an airport bookstore, you’ve got in all probability seen the duvet of 1 or two of the books), A Working Man is the sort of throwback to the motion films of the late-80s and early-90s, that may have each your inner-action buff and your Dad hooting and hollering within the theater. Is that this going to be taking house any Oscars? After all not, however in the event you’re trying ahead to seeing Statham as soon as once more kicking ass and taking names, you will get precisely what you need.
What Is ‘A Working Man’ About?
Statham performs Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marine who now tries to stay a quiet life as a development employee in Chicago. Levon likes his job fairly a bit, and he actually likes who he works for, the common-or-garden, self-made entrepreneur Joe Garcia (Michael Peña), who he considers to be like household to him. Ever because the demise of his spouse, Levon has been caught in a rut, particularly since he has misplaced custody of his cute younger daughter Merry Cade (Isla Gie). Within the meantime, he is been preserving his head down, solely utilizing his particular army abilities when wanted.
When Joe’s 19-year-old daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped by human traffickers, he and his spouse Carla (Noemi Gonzalez) are determined to seek out assist, particularly because the police appear to be ineffective. That is once they flip to Levon, who’s initially reluctant to take issues into his personal arms, however quickly provides in. With the help of his blind struggle buddy Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour), Levon dives headfirst into the felony underworld to rescue Jenny and take down a hoop of harmful human traffickers with connections to the Russian Mob.
If you happen to simply learn that synopsis and thought to your self, “Gee, that feels awfully much like Taken,” you would be proper in that assumption. A Working Man takes itself much more critically than The Beekeeper ever did, however let’s be sincere, who’s strolling into a brand new Statham film for the plot? Actually not me.
If You Like Jason Statham Motion pictures, You will Most likely Like ‘A Working Man’
If you happen to’re a longtime devotee of Statham’s filmography, you will know precisely the sort of film you are going to get with A Working Man. Simply this time, he is going the Taken route. Statham as soon as once more performs the gruff, badass motion hero with ease. Levon Cade is not too completely different from Mason Hargreaves in Wrath of Man or Adam Clay in The Beekeeper. He is principally simply Statham, besides this time, he is a widowed development employee. Even nonetheless, Statham’s slickness and physicality, paired together with his distinct British accent, make him a compelling protagonist. The film tries to provide him no less than some kind of background, as he’s continually preventing to see his younger daughter towards the needs of his father-in-law, however there’s nothing all that fascinating there.
Ayer has A Working Man play out much more simple than The Beekeeper. Naturally, it’s nonetheless fairly foolish, particularly because the movie’s antagonists are a bunch of cartoonishly over-the-top Russian mobsters led by Jason Flemyng. Every time the motion scenes do come into play, there’s greater than sufficient pleasure to maintain you entertained all through the movie’s two-hour runtime. Nearly all of the set items are satisfying, and although a big majority of the movie takes place in and round Chicago, Ayer and his group discover methods to maintain issues visually fascinating. Positive, the film may have dialed it again just a few notches on the smoke machines, that has our hero beating up a bunch of goons surrounded by mist, however that is additionally the sort of film the place one of many henchmen sits on a throne made out of motorbike elements.
After slowing down within the second act, A Working Man picks itself again up with a crowd-pleasingly bloody third act battle, which sees Statham punching, kicking, and gunning down grunts left and proper. It is also the part the place it seems like Ayer and Statham lastly felt as if they might let unfastened. The villains are so hammy that they do not even really feel actual, which is clearly intentional, so you’ll be able to cheer on Statham as he enacts acts of brutal violence round each nook.
‘A Working Man’ Is a Responsible Pleasure By and By
A Working Man is not some new motion film basic, however it’s that responsible pleasure film that feels destined to be continually rewatched by dads all around the globe. Alas, typically A Working Man‘s lack of substance turns into an excessive amount of of a detriment, particularly in the case of the supporting forged. David Harbour’s Gunny makes his amusing entrance by casually capturing a crossbow that comes alarmingly near Levon (it misses, clearly). After that, the character would not get all that a lot to do. The movie retains teeing up that we’ll see Harbour be a part of forces with Statham, however he primarily simply serves because the “weapons man.” Make no mistake, Harbour is terrific every time he pops up on display screen, however the film desperately wanted extra of him. Particularly since everybody exterior Statham, Rivas, and Gie, by no means actually makes a lot of a long-lasting impression. The normally dependable Michael Peña can also be failed by the plot, together with his character solely designated to a couple scenes in the direction of the start, or transient moments the place we see him grieving in his daughter’s bed room.
Regardless, A Working Man nonetheless has greater than sufficient moments that may maintain your consideration simply sufficient to take pleasure in your self. There’s additionally an additional layer of sweetness within the scenes between Levon and his daughter, in addition to with Jenny. Characters that would have merely simply been there simply so as to add an additional layer of stakes, however really give the film a bit extra coronary heart than even The Beekeeper had.
With two films below their belt, Statham and Ayer have proved to be the right match for delivering entertaining and easy motion flicks to the massive display screen. Whereas it is already been introduced that Ayer will not be again for The Beekeeper 2 (though that sequel appears to be in secure arms with Timo Tjahjanto), I can not assist however clamor for extra collaborations between Statham and Ayer. They’re at their finest when working collectively.
A Working Man is now taking part in in theaters.
Whereas by no means as gloriously dumb as The Beekeeper, David Ayer and Jason Statham have delivered one other future Dad film basic in A Working Man.
- Launch Date
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March 28, 2025
- Runtime
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116 Minutes
- The at all times dependable Jason Statham as soon as once more proves that he is nonetheless a badass.
- The film has a suprising quantity of coronary heart within the moments between Statham, Arianna Rivas, and Isla Gie.
- The third act motion setpiece is gloriously violent and satisfying.
- A Working Man has an alarmingly comparable plot to Taken.
- Whereas David Harbour is a pleasure to look at, he isn’t given as a lot to do as you’d hope.
