Statham’s Latest: A Working Man Fails to Impress

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In a nutshell, a film that heavily resembles a typical Jason Statham action movie doesn’t manage to carve out its unique persona or truly come alive, as it adheres too strictly to the established formula.

Ever since my success with The Transporter two decades back, I’ve found myself reprising similar roles – tough, taciturn characters with a clear sense of right and wrong, expressing themselves more through action than words, often backed by a powerful punch.

Movies such as The Mechanic, Safe, Parker, Hummingbird, Homefront, Wild Card, and The Transporters 2 & 3 can essentially be seen as the same film, but since there’s a market for it, Jason Statham continues to produce them.

David Ayer, the writer-director, followed the same approach with “The Beekeeper” in 2024, resulting in one of Statham’s most successful films in recent years, earning over $160 million against a budget of just $40 million. Given this success, it’s not surprising that they have joined forces again for “A Working Man.” However, despite checking all the necessary boxes, the film feels surprisingly devoid of life.

What is A Working Man about?

In the given scenario, Jason Statham portrays a character named Levon Cade, a man with a past as a Royal Marine, now employed in the construction industry in Chicago. He spends his days laboring on a construction site.

He’s an admirable individual, delivering motivational talks to his construction colleagues while also protecting one of his team members from local bullies. However, his private life is in disarray; Cade often sleeps in his vehicle, and he frequently clashes with his father-in-law who thinks Levon has unresolved post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leading him to restrict the amount of time Levon can spend with his granddaughter.

A significant chance to make substantial wealth presents itself when Cade’s boss’s daughter Jenny is kidnapped, as it seems the police are not handling cases like these. In this situation, the boss approaches Cade instead. However, Cade initially declines because he feels he’s no longer that kind of person. Additionally, a story like this typically requires the hero to initially reject the request for action.

However, after a quick conversation with his longtime war comrade, Gunny (David Harbour), Cade reconsiders his decision. Consequently, the pursuit begins, as Levon is ready to go to any lengths to save the girl.

Jason Statham vs the Russian mob

In these tales, there’s an intriguing thrill from watching what appears to be a virtuous character take down clearly wicked individuals. However, instead of following this pattern, ‘Working Man’ starts off on a different path. Here, Cade resorts to torturing his victims – waterboarding one and threatening another with drowning by suspending him over water. This approach is less entertaining, given the harsh and brutal nature of these actions.

Regarding the antagonists at hand, they go by the name ‘The Brotherhood,’ a group of ruthless Russian mobsters with a chilling history. They’re infamous not only for murder, but for eradicating entire family lines, making them a formidable adversary to deal with.

To blend in with their organization, Cade assumes the role of a drug dealer, climbing the ladder swiftly by purchasing large quantities of crystal meth.

It’s evident that the strategy is successful, and it doesn’t take long to realize that Jenny has been a victim of human trafficking. Strangely, every time the scene shifts to her, she appears unusually calm about her situation, suggesting she might be aware that she’s starring in a Jason Statham-type film.

It’s only reasonable for her to uphold that viewpoint, given that the initial part of the film focuses on the chase, but the latter portion deals with the aftermath, which is marked by Levon Cade’s ruthless and brutally violent rescue operation.

A movie in need of a final boss

Instead of having life and energy, it seems somewhat monotonous as though everyone involved is merely following a routine or playing their part. The script for “A Working Man,” adapted from Chuck Dixon’s 2014 novel ‘Levon’s Trade,’ by Ayer and Sylvester Stallone, can be described as repetitive. It guides Cade through various locations like bars, nightclubs, and parties, but the visual appeal of these places is limited, and the cinematography lacks inspiration.

It’s problematic that there isn’t a standout main antagonist among Dimi, Yuri, Wolo, Johnny, Dougie, Viper, and Artemis, who are all unsavory characters. The story seems to be missing a formidable final adversary that would make the climax more impactful and memorable, as A Working Man yearns for a truly epic showdown.

As a gamer, I found the action sequences in A Working Man to be rather routine at best. The rapid cuts and tight framing often left me struggling to decipher who was fighting whom during the battles. Despite his impressive body count of baddies, I’m confident that Levon Cade probably ended up killing more fish by dumping his unwanted meth in the river than people he killed in the game.

Statham continues to be reliable with his menacing growls unique to him, and manages to evoke sympathy as a ruthless character due to his affection for his daughter. However, towards the end of the film, I found myself siding with the father-in-law who believed that it would be best for the girl to stay as far away from Levon as possible.

Is A Working Man good?

In a straightforward manner, a Blue-Collar Hero performs its intended role, portraying Jason Statham as an honorable individual with a turbulent history, who is then tasked with a mission that allows him to exact violence upon numerous characters. Despite this, the viewers continue to sympathize with him throughout.

Although the movie excels in its execution, it’s challenging to feel engaged with the unfolding events. This could be due to the fact that looking for your boss’s child might not be the most gripping starting point, particularly when a sub-plot involving his own daughter is readily available and untouched.

If the trigger event isn’t particularly engaging, it’s crucial for the antagonists to be compelling instead. Regrettably, these adversaries fall short, appearing as vague and unmemorable figures who unfortunately lack the impact needed to leave a lasting impression.

A Working Man review score: 2/5 – Poor

In simpler terms, “A Working Man” isn’t particularly remarkable within the Jason Statham action series. It fulfills its purpose, but fails to contribute anything new or exciting to the genre.

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2025-03-27 15:19