Everybody’s favourite monosyllabic, brooding hard man Jason Statham is back working with Guy Ritchie, who is mostly responsible for the ‘British version of The Rock’ propelling him to stardom in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are back working together in the gritty heist thriller Wrath of Man.
Mysterious and wild-eyed, a new security guard for a cash truck surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.
Denied a cinema release in the UK, Wrath Of Man has wound it’s way straight onto Amazon Prime, which is a shame because 2021 has seen some decent action thrillers (Top of the list being Nobody), and this would have very defined ply sat near the top of the pile.
It’s a Jason Statham movie so you know what your going to get. Angry, stoic and a human battering ram in Statham throughout proceedings, which is exactly what you get with Wrath Of Man and when you’re so good at this sort of thing, why play against type. He marches in doesn’t say a lot, you know there’s some form of secret hiding in there, before he unleashes a unholy amount. Of punching, kicking, shooting and generally dispatching bad guys in the most violent ways possible. Which lets be honest, this is what you are clicking play for and Ritchie and Statham deliver it in spades, with some to spare too.
Guy Ritchie has assembled a great little action thriller, with a decent story and cracking twist. You know that Stathams ‘H’ has a particular set of skills from the outset, but what you don’t connect so easily is why he has them and certainly the twist that occurs two thirds of the way through is refreshingly new.
The film is at it’s finest when exposition isn’t in the way and the heist set pieces are in full flow with Statham barrelling around destroying everything and everyone, which fortunately makes for most of the run time. The underlying plot at times is somewhat patchy and confusing, but stick with it as when the penny drops, you’ll really enjoy it.
Wrath of Man’s solid supporting cast featuring the evergreen Andy Garcia, Scott Eastwood, Josh Harnett and the outstanding Holt McCallany adds more oomph to the balletic violence around each corner while backing it up with some solid acting. Wrath of Man is definitely better than the average beat ‘em up while giving you what you want. It looks like that Statham is picking up the torch from Stallone and Schwarzenegger to drag the over the top actioner now and so far it’s been a good choice.
Wrath Of Man does not for one minute aspire to be more than the sum of it’s parts which is a good thing, because it really does hit it’s particular right notes without ever getting above it’s station of what it is. Well worth checking out if you need a bit of bang for your buck on a quiet evening in.
Wrath Of Man is available to stream on Amazon Prime Now
