Despite what I said recently in my School’s Out Forever (2021) post about not being a fan of British films, I watched a good one (or at least a film from an iconic British director) recently:
Wrath of Man (2021)
Now, before you have a go at me for not liking British films, I do like some. I love the Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright “Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy” (but they’re something else entirely), I’ve seen Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999) and Love Actually (2003) and I’ve enjoyed them all.
I’ve also seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000) and The Gentlemen (2019) but the only one of those last three that really left an impression on me was The Gentlemen, and that was largely due to Hugh Grant’s performance. 🙌
This new movie is different to all of those previously mentioned and stars Jason Statham (Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw), Andy Garcia (The Untouchables), Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin), Scott Eastwood (Fast & Furious 8), Holt McCallany (Sully: Miracle on the Hudson) and Jeffrey Donovan (Hitch).
It’s loosely based on the 2004 French film, Cash Truck.
This is what’s it’s about according to the internet:
“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.”
I have to admit I found myself (for the first 30 minutes at least) questioning the dialogue of this movie. I hate to dissect films but the interactions between the characters just didn’t seem natural to me and I sat there hoping it would get better. Luckily it did!
From the scene in which Statham takes on a gang of would-be robbers/kidnappers, the pace picks up dramatically and things start to take shape which, in my case came just in time to re-capture my attention.
I kind of figured out who one of the bad guys was from the beginning which I’ve said before is an unusual occurrence, and Josh Hartnett’s character irritated me a bit (I’m not a huge fan of his anyway) but it turned out to be a really good action flick. 👌
The film keeps you on your toes for a while and you find yourself wondering who the bad guys are and what connection they have to Statham’s character, but the end payoff is pretty satisfying.
This film isn’t as clever as The Gentlemen or for that matter, any of Guy Richie’s previous films, but it has everything you’d expect from a Jason Statham movie.
If you like action and a good revenge thriller you might want to give this a watch. I really enjoyed it! 👍
Seen it? Let me know what you think.👇