Jason Statham stars as Levon Cade, reuniting with director David Ayer for The Working Man. But does the film work out for the best?
Last year, Jason Statham and director David Ayer delivered a great time with the movie The Beekeeper. A simple premise was delivered in an ass-kicking action film that entertained the masses and was one of Statham’s best action roles for a while. Now, the pair have reunited for A Working Man. It is based on the novel Levon’s Trade by Chuck Dixon. David Ayer co-writes the screenplay adaptation of the novel alongside Sylvester Stallone. The last time Stallone wrote a movie for his friend Statham, they gave us the highly enjoyable film Homefront. Hopes are high that the trio can again come up trumps with the new movie. But does the film work out for the best? Or is it just a lazy, sloppy job that should be fired?
PREMISE
Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marines commando, leads a peaceful life as a construction worker in Chicago. However, Levon is forced to use his old set of skills to find his boss’s teenage daughter Jenny, who had been kidnapped by human traffickers, and soon uncovers a conspiracy of corruption and government agents’ involvement in human trafficking.
THOUGHTS
As much of a Jason Statham fan as I am, I am sad to report that the film is a convoluted mess. For an action thriller, it isn’t that action-packed or that thrilling. Instead, it lumbers through an extremely slow-paced yarn from set piece to set piece, none of which bar the climax is memorable. Instead of getting a nail-biting, rip-roaring yarn, we get something that crawls along until it finally decides to end. And that is never a good sign. We expected so much more from the trio of Ayer, Statham and Stallone. Sadly, we don’t get it.
SECOND BILLING?
Jason Flemyng as Wolo Kolisnyk gets second billing. The big question is, why? The actor, who always appeals and gives great performances, gets a total of ten minutes before he gets bumped off (not a spoiler, it’s in the trailer), but this merits second billing to his Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels co-star. David Harbour gets the famous ‘And’ billing, but even his role is a token and brief cameo appearance. The same goes for Michael Peña. He appears for a while and then vanishes for almost the remainder of the running time. For actors of this calibre to be shoehorned into a film and then abandoned is criminal. Instead, it falls on the shoulders of the young actress Arianna Rivas as Jenny Garcia to carry the emotional weight of the film as the kidnapped girl.
JASON STATHAM
Jason Statham gives his usual performance here. Now, I like Jason Statham and his movies. This certainly isn’t in Meg 2: The Trench territory. It isn’t that bad. But then again, it isn’t that good either. To be honest, this is more in the Expend4bles range. Again, it isn’t as bad as that film, but it comes close to matching it. Statham is always watchable and is the kind of action hero we can’t help but cheer on. But he is let down by a script that is lifeless and has the impact of a wet lettuce leaf.
Both David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone are at fault here and that pains me to say that. Statham goes about his business, kicking ass, breaking bones, killing the villains, and not bothering to take names. But is too few and far between. It would be acceptable if the film was interesting enough to keep us entertained during these quieter moments. Alas, it fails.
LOCATION ERRORS
When a film is set in Chicago but filmed in London, you should at least know to cover up or digitally remove the UK road signs and parking restriction signage. From the outset, you can see the film was filmed in the UK with a small piece of location shooting in Chicago. It takes you out of the film. At times, I felt as if I was watching Death Wish 3 with the UK locations used. That film replaced New York with Lambeth and Brixton. You can see that kind of thing here. Throw in the fact that, at times, the sound effects drown out the speech, so you can’t hear what’s being said, and it adds up to being irritating.
VERDICT
A Working Man is, sadly, a missed opportunity to begin a new franchise of action movies. Sure, with the open ending to the film, a sequel could easily be made if the film is successful. But David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone need to up their game in any potential follow-up to what we get here. Maybe I’m being too harsh on them, considering they’ve adapted the novel the film is based on. Maybe it is the source material that’s at fault. But whether or not it is, it can’t mask the shallow feeling we get during proceedings. Yes, we feel disturbed by some of what we see, which becomes one of the high points of the film as it depicts the topic of human trafficking. And it is always great to see Statham do his thing. But these can’t disguise the faults the film has.
BE ADVISED
Those going to see the film expecting an all-action extravaganza need to be advised that they will be sorely disappointed. This is more akin to The Killer Elite, in which Statham starred alongside Robert De Niro. That film, too, had a slow build-up. But at least A Working Man has a fairly decent payoff by the climax. Sadly, by this time, it is a bit too late. For all the positives the film has, the negatives outnumber them vastly. It is above average but only barely. For the main part, it is dull and lifeless. A Working Man? No, it is more like A Barely Functioning Slog. And that is a huge shame.
A Working Man opens in cinemas on Friday, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
