Wrath of Man will give fans of Jason Statham exactly what they want: an action-packed crime thriller where Statham kicks a whole lot of ass. It’s also pure Guy Ritchie, with lines like “you’re a cold, cold cunt” and “Dave, you just worry about putting your asshole back in your asshole and leave this to me” hammering in the director’s trademark quippy dialogue. After opening with an intense armed truck robbery, we follow the mysterious H (Statham) as he begins a new job at Fortico Securities. His performance test only scores a just-barely-passing 70%, but secrets hide beneath the rough surface. When a second robbery attempt is easily dashed by H, his coworkers grow suspicious of his cutthroat level of skill. “He’s not a cop, he’s a dark spirit,” Bullet (Holt McCallany) muses. Black Friday approaches, with the amount of money being transported sitting at well above 100 million. It’s only a matter of time before the thieves strike again…
The twists and turns are unpredictable, as each moment I thought I was ahead of the narrative, I was actually two steps behind. The script jumps around in time and perspectives; it plays the same situation from multiple viewpoints that leads to expanded understanding of the plot’s machinations. This also serves to flesh out these characters into more than they appear at first glance. Josh Hartnett’s Dave initially seems like an intimidating hard-ass, but he’s actually a bumbling coward in the face of danger. Scott Eastwood was a great choice to play the villainous Jan, using his charming image to play against type. The entire ensemble is great, though I do have to question Andy Garcia’s bizarre accent choice. Of course, my favorite character here had to be Jason Statham’s H. H’s past unravels as needed with the story, painting him as deeply complex. Statham is entirely believable, and when his motivations are revealed, his distant and determined attitude make perfect sense.
At the end of the day, the strength of the action scenes will make or break a film from this genre. Wrath of Man is bold, exciting, and fast-paced. I love a good heist film, and the third act allows a huge chunk of the screentime for its big caper. Editing precision shifts the focus from brutal hand-to-hand, to a wide arsenal of weaponry. Guy Ritchie is no stranger to this kind of frenetic action. Though I’m not always a fan of his particular style, all the pieces line up perfectly to prove Ritchie has plenty more exciting stories to tell. Let’s just hope a fourth re-team with Jason Statham is in the cards…
Wrath of Man comes to theaters on Friday, May 7th.
