A mysterious man gets a job at an armoured vehicle company that transports money to find the people responsible for a crime that cost him dearly.
Crowd-pleasing and entertaining, Wrath of Man makes a decent remake of the French thriller Cash Track (2004). Fourth collaboration between the actor Jason Statham and director/producer Guy Richie that proves to be time and time again a recipe for success – at least financially. You need to remember before or while watching it that the film is not to be taken very seriously by any stretch of the imagination. It probably represents the opposite of the cinematic realism film theorists argue about (for decades). Let’s start with the basics: No one heals and reaches peak conditions that fast from multiple gunshots – if they survive. Also, no one can achieve so many headshots easily. Furthermore, no one would come up with that plan as it will likely fail in more ways than I can count. So, deliberately ignoring the film’s unrealistic scenario, let’s focus on the positives.
Statham is still kicking a$$, which makes him the right man to be in front of the camera. Richie still finds intriguing, non-linear ways to develop the story’s plot, which makes him the right man behind the camera. Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Andy Garcia, and Niamh Algar are great members of the cast (comment to follow on that). Finally, what everyone hoped to be decent is actually more than decent: the action. Wrath of Man is a series of action-packed sequences that satisfy the neurons and neuroglia of the animalistic part of our brain.
I will never mind Statham not changing his accent. I live in Derby, and he’s from Derbyshire, so I wouldn’t want him to speak any other way. I actually love it! Generally, though, and that’s probably because I am not a kid anymore; I do mind the hero/ine not having a decent antagonist or people surrounding him, which is the case here. The film’s great cast (not just the ones mentioned above) is massively overshadowed by his presence, making him look leagues above everyone else. His crew, the enemy, and the security company have nothing on him, something that exponentially reduces the suspense. Eastwood’s character had a lot of potential to be a great psycho and, consequently, a great villain. That is not the case, though. Having said that, the guys guarding the safe are tough as nails, but their role is limited. Something else that would potentially make us empathise with ‘H’ a bit more is the underdeveloped drama he had to endure. Unfortunately, it took the back seat. As a last and trivial note, listening to British humour in American accents is interesting.
To sum up, it’s very enjoyable. Don’t get caught up in the details (like I do), and spend a couple of hours watching a funny and thrilling heist with a lot of shooting and punchlines.
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