Jason Statham and David Ayer Ship One other Badass Dad Film
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 usually one of the crucial dependable film stars once 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 might be Ayer and Statham teaming up so quickly after The Beekeeper.
With a script co-written by Sylvester Stallone, adapting the first book in Chuck Dixon‘s Levon Cade series of novels (In case you’ve ever stepped foot in an airport bookstore, you have in all probability seen the duvet of 1 or two of the books), A Working Man is the type of throwback to the motion motion pictures of the late-80s and early-90s, that can have each your inner-action buff and your Dad hooting and hollering within the theater. Is that this going to be taking residence any Oscars? In fact not, however in case you’re wanting ahead to seeing Statham as soon as once more kicking ass and taking names, you may get precisely what you need.
What Is ‘A Working Man’ About?
Statham performs Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marine who now tries to reside a quiet life as a building employee in Chicago. Levon likes his job fairly a bit, and he actually likes who he works for, the standard, self-made entrepreneur Joe Garcia (Michael Peña), who he considers to be like household to him. Ever for the reason that dying of his spouse, Levon has been caught in a rut, particularly since he has misplaced custody of his lovable younger daughter Merry Cade (Isla Gie). Within the meantime, he is been preserving his head down, solely utilizing his particular army expertise 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 assist of his blind conflict 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.
In case you 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 way more significantly than The Beekeeper ever did, however let’s be trustworthy, who’s strolling into a brand new Statham film for the plot? Definitely not me.
If You Like Jason Statham Films, You will Most likely Like ‘A Working Man’
In case you’re a longtime devotee of Statham’s filmography, you may know precisely the type 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 mainly simply Statham, besides this time, he is a widowed building employee. Even nonetheless, Statham’s slickness and physicality, paired together with his distinct British accent, make him a compelling protagonist. The film tries to present him at the very least some kind of background, as he’s continually combating to see his younger daughter in opposition to the desires of his father-in-law, however there’s nothing all that fascinating there.
Ayer has A Working Man play out way more easy 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. At any time when 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 though a big majority of the movie takes place in and round Chicago, Ayer and his workforce discover methods to maintain issues visually fascinating. Positive, the film might have dialed it again a couple of notches on the smoke machines, that has our hero beating up a bunch of goons surrounded by mist, however that is additionally the type of film the place one of many henchmen sits on a throne made out of motorbike components.
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 looks like Ayer and Statham lastly felt as if they might let free. The villains are so hammy that they do not even really feel actual, which is clearly intentional, so you may cheer on Statham as he enacts acts of brutal violence round each nook.
‘A Working Man’ Is a Responsible Pleasure By way of and By way of
A Working Man is not some new motion film traditional, however it’s that responsible pleasure film that feels destined to be continually rewatched by dads all around the globe. Alas, generally 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 does not get all that a lot to do. The movie retains teeing up that we will see Harbour be a part of forces with Statham, however he primarily simply serves because the “weapons man.” Make no mistake, Harbour is terrific at any time when he pops up on display, 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 can hold your consideration simply sufficient to get pleasure from 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 truly give the film a bit extra coronary heart than even The Beekeeper had.
With two motion pictures underneath their belt, Statham and Ayer have proved to be the proper match for delivering entertaining and easy motion flicks to the massive display. 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 am unable to 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 traditional 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 related plot to Taken.
- Whereas David Harbour is a pleasure to observe, he isn’t given as a lot to do as you’d hope.
