Review: Wrath of Man

Jason Statham plays a mysteriously motivated man who gets a gig at an armoured car company working for Holt McCallany. He quickly impresses on the job by thwarting a robbery attempt whilst big-talking co-worker Josh Hartnett crumbles under pressure. As the film progresses, we see flashbacks that tell more of Statham’s story and why he is where he is. Meanwhile, ex-military man Jeffrey Donovan leads a gang of armoured car robbers, including trigger-happy Scott Eastwood. Andy Garcia plays an FBI guy, Eddie Marsan plays the manager of the company, Post Malone turns up as a would-be robber, and Darrell D’Silva plays an associate of Statham’s.

 

I’m not a Guy Ritchie fan in the slightest (I’ve previously only enjoyed “Sherlock Holmes” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”), so when I tell you that this 2021 remake of a 2004 French film is his best film to date, just bear in mind that you’re probably coming at the film from a different place to me. Adapted by Ritchie, Marn Davies (Ritchie’s very average “The Gentlemen”) and Ivan Atkinson (another Ritchie associate), nonetheless I will go on record as saying that this rather serious, very un-Ritchie action flick is damn good. A real pleasant surprise for me (although it is very dark and uncompromising at times), this was like watching a blockbuster American action film from the 80s or 90s. You may not dig that, but I sure did here.

 

I’m not a fan of the style Ritchie tends to bring to films, but here he’s a bit more restrained and the style works. There’s a cool opener including rather Bond-esque titles, a nice music score by Christopher Benstead (“The Gentlemen”), and overall Ritchie gives the film snap and muscle. The cast is interesting and eclectic, with a no-nonsense Jeffrey Donovan perfectly cast, Holt McCallany standing out as the veteran armoured car guy, and Scott Eastwood has never been better, playing a villain (his first scene involves a Sergio Leone extreme close-up. Priceless). He might want to stick to that lane. We also get a good performance from British actor Darrell D’Silva, whose American accent is much more stable than Eddie Marsan’s. Playing an almost mythic bad arse, Statham is Statham here but it’s one of his better turns and he is certainly well-cast. As is Post Malone of all people, in a small part. I certainly wasn’t expecting him here let alone a solid performance from him.

 

Flaws are minimal for me here, though some of the plot elements are a touch convenient, and I did dislike the non-linear narrative structure quite a bit. I understood why it was being done, I just didn’t personally like it in a film where I otherwise enjoyed most everything. I enjoyed the twists and turns but the out-of-sequence structure  just adds unnecessary complication. I also felt Andy Garcia was poorly wasted in a nothing role, failing at whatever the hell kind of accent he’s going for here.

 

Given that it’s a relatively straight-forward Jason Statham action film, I understand why some people – especially Ritchie fans – might not respond terribly favourably to this film. However, to me a good film is a good film, whether it’s indicative of its maker’s usual output or not. This is a good film and Ritchie proves adept at traditional action cinema, with the action being the best thing here. Entertaining, well-directed, well-scored. I enjoyed this one a lot and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it at all.

 

Rating: B-