Wrath of Man (2021) movie review

This revenge thriller is unlike any Guy Ritchie or Jason Statham movie. Darker than the usual fare from both, it has more in common with revenge classics from the 70s. Wrath of Man is an actor-director venture with each delivering their special skills while bringing a fresh and interesting take on the action genre.

Jason Statham walks in as Patrick Hill at Fortico Security offices to be recruited as an armed guard who drives trucks full of cash. He gets through barely passing the physical and tactical tests. His trainer and supervisor, Bullet (Holt McCallany) introduces him to the team while showing him the ropes of the job. Hill’s mysterious demeanour is detested by some of his teammates. One day when Hill and his partner ‘Boy Sweat’ (Josh Hartnett) are delivering $ 2 million they encounter danger in the face of gunmen demanding cash for Bullet’s life. Hill proves to be far more capable during this crisis than his tests alluded to, swiftly and brutally terminating the robbers.

Hill’s supervisor (Eddie Marsan) wants nothing to do with him while he is seen as a hero by his teammates and Fortico’s owner. But there is more to Hill than meets the eye. He has vengeance on his mind as he is biding time to find his son’s killers.

Despite the dark tone of the film, Ritchie’s locker room, dick-swinging, pissing contest-y, side-splittingly funny banter is ever-present. Enjoyable dialogue like, ‘Did you poo poo or is your diaper still clean?’ keep things moving along just fine. Midway through the film, the bad guys are introduced in a scene often seen in movies but they are never this pulpy.

Jason Statham has the rare opportunity to play a character versus a caricature and he does it ably. There are many characters in the movie and some of them do get lost in all the action but all the actors give decent performances. If you see an actor you like onscreen, you will enjoy their role. The movie also made me think they should put Scott Eastwood in more movies. He is like a young Clint Eastwood from a different world.

The movie is not action-packed. But it is violent. All the characters assemble for the climax which is intense and expertly shot. This may not be the best of the Ritchie’s films as that’s a tall order but it’s definitely one of Statham’s best.