‘A Working Man’ Review – A Brutal, Hard-Hitting Action Film That Feels Repetitive And Overlong

Director David Ayer teaming up with Jason Statham, who plays a vigilante throwing punches like nobody’s business, tackling a current social issue. It could have easily been their 2024 collaboration The Beekeeper description, but don’t let it fool you. It’s also the synopsis of their latest endeavour. Adding even more masculinity and machoism in the form of Sylvester Stallone as co-writer and Ayer swapping phone scammers for human traffickers, A Working Man is just more of the same, and sadly, that’s not always a good thing.

Kudos to the creators of the opening sequence, as that packs as much punch and power as Statham’s hits. It certainly is an excellent opener to an otherwise flat movie. Ayer wants to honour the classic popular genre movies such as Death Wish and Walking Tall with the one-man army – in this case, Statham’s British Levon Cade soldier-turned-construction lead – the stereotypical and underused villains (including Jason Flemyng’s mobster and Chidi Ajufo’s drug dealer) and the extravagant fights. However, unlike those films, A Working Man, which is based on Chuck Dixon’s novel Levon’s Trade, doesn’t reach that same level of quality.

It isn’t because of the lack of trying, though. Statham gives it his all again with another rough, rugged, and great physical performance. While he has taken on more comedic roles and dramatic parts in the past, he always returns to his first and long-lasting love – the revengeful action movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. He and Ayer certainly are masters in creating spectacular fight sequences. The fast-paced action, quick editing and every weapon under the sun ensure that the scenes are tense and thrilling and that every stab, gunshot and grenade explosion leaves a powerful and exhilarating impact.

Each entertaining climax becomes more cathartic and on-point because of Statham’s pitch-perfect comedic timing. Whether it’s when interrogating the bad guys–whose unauthentic accents become a comedic aspect in itself–or right before another unforgettable fight, you know there’s always a catchy one-liner to come. Sadly, those catchphrases are buried underneath dreadful dialogues, which show that the action was much more important for the writers than creating captivating conversation. Especially throughout the second part of the feature, when the extreme violence becomes much more present and over-the-top.

You almost even forget why Levon’s doing this all in the first place, which is a shame because the reason for his dangerous endeavour adds the necessary heart and emotions to this movie. While Levon has left his military career behind to become a construction worker, he has no other option than to take up arms again to save the kidnapped daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas), of his boss, who disappeared after a night out. Because Levon sees his colleagues and boss as his second family, he feels obliged to break his own rules. Whether it’s when gangsters threaten his colleague on the construction site or when they torture Jenny, Levon isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. However, can one man take on a worldwide gang of drug and arms dealers and the entire Russian mafia and live to tell it?

That family aspect comes alive even more because we also get a glimpse into Levon’s troubled and broken family situation. After the death of his wife, he has to fight for custody of his young daughter. Because of his previous dangerous life in the military, his dreadful living situation and the limited financial resources available, he’s only allowed to see his daughter once a week. When they want to cut the number of visits even more, he knows he has no other option than to accept the considerable sum of cash that comes with his rescue mission to cover the attorney’s fees. His biological and work families are equally important to him, leading Levon to war again. It’s clear that a much emotional side lurks underneath the tough exterior, ensuring that A Working Man is more than just a lifeless, entertaining flick.

If that family element and the emotions that come with it weren’t present, this movie wouldn’t have given you anything more than powerful yet uninspiring fight scenes and a lot of stereotypes. Statham portrays a fight-loving man with a dark past who first punches and asks questions later. Like his previous works, A Working Man delivers great moments during which the good guy and the bad guys go head to head, but it all feels too superficial and familiar.

The same goes for the women in this feature. While Rivas and Noemi Gonzalez deliver excellent and badass performances, they don’t get enough to work with. Jenny certainly isn’t your typical kidnapping victim, as sometimes we see her fighting spirit and stamina. Still, her power and combat skills don’t fully come through because the script doesn’t allow her to become more than just another victim. The same goes for Gonzalez’s character. Despite showing us that she can be the headstrong matriarch of the family, the filmmaker reduces her to just the grieving and desperate mother.

A Working Man is a brutal, hard-hitting action film that feels repetitive and overlong—nothing more or nothing less. If you’re looking for familiar action and Statham truly being in his element, this feature is something for you. It certainly goes well with a bucket of popcorn as well. However, it certainly won’t win the prize for originality and uniqueness.

A Working Man is currently playing exclusively in theaters courtesy of Amazon MGM.