Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from director Guy Ritchie and United Artist is a story of revenge and diversions when it comes to the WRATH OF MAN.

H (Jason Statham) has recently been hired for a security company that is dealing with constant robbery. Passing the test, he is paired up with Bullet (Holt McCallany) and Boy Sweat Dave (Josh Hartnett) to see how everything works. It is not long before H has to come to the rescue of his co-workers, and it makes everyone wonder who he really is, especially boss Terry (Eddie Marsan).

What they do not know is that H is looking for somebody, somebody in particular that he wants to make pay. Revenge is his motive and there is a good reason. Taking one step at a time, he calls in his own crew to start looking at every person possible.

Jackson (Jeffrey Donovan) has a crew of men with Jan (Scott Eastwood), Brad (Deobia Oparei), Carlos (Laz Alonso), Sam (Raul Castillo) and Tom (Chris Reilly) who served together. Unhappy with how they have been treated, they decide to make a point and that is when things start to come together in the worst way.

Follow the money!

Statham as H is as quiet and stealthy as ever. He does not talk much and keeps his focus on finding who is responsible for causing his family pain. Slowly and surely the character of H is not about to let any bad guys get away with anything. That’s typical Statham! This actor has also shown he can cover most genres with action, humor and even a megalodon (I can not wait for THE MEG 2 personally).

Hartnett as Dave does not like H one bit and has no problem making it clear he finds him annoying. It is not until his armored car is hit that H is not as quick to get on H’s nerves. This is an interesting role as Hartnett is not exactly the hero type. McCallany as Bullet takes H under his wing and actually enjoys his standoffishness. Watching how he handles the crew actually amuses him a bit. McCallany gives us a laid-back armored car driver who is just trying to stay clear of robberies. 

Donovan as Jackson is equally as focused as H in the job he wants to get done. Calm and cook, the problem is that the same cannot be said for the rest of his crew. Eastwood as Jan has a hair trigger both on the gun and with his attitude.

Other cast include Niamh Algar as Dana, Tadhg Murphy as Shirley, Alessandro Babalola as Stuart, Mark Arnold as Super, Gerald Tyler as Armourer, Alex Ferns as John, Eli Brown as Dougie and Andy Garcia as Agent King.

United Artists is an American production company founded in 1919 by DW Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (now THAT is a line up!). The premise was to allow actors to control their own on-screen destinies but was later acquired by MGM.

WRATH OF MAN is just about everything you would expect from both director Ritchie and star Statham. There is action, chasing, weaponry, twists in the story, egos and not knowing who to trust. The film takes on every angle of revenge you can possibly imagine. Advanced warning, it can get pretty bloody at times.

Do not blink or you can easily become disoriented but then again, I think that is what was intended all along. To make sure we focus (in my case on Jason Statham) on what H is up to leading to the film examining and re-examining why all of it is happening.

Coming in a smidgen under two hours, it is an assault on the senses and does not stop to give anyone a breather. Every time you think the story is wrapping up, think again! There is always more to the story and this film is going to make sure every bit of it is told.

In the end – he will never stop, ever!

Comments

comments