Wrath of Man

Starring: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Jeffrey Donovan, Andy Garcia, Niamh Algar, Laz Alonso, Raul Castillo
Director: Guy Ritchie
Based on the film "Le Convoyeur" by Eric Bresnard and Nicolas Boukhrief,
Three months after the robbery of a Fortico security truck, where two guards and a civilian were killed, Patrick Hill (Jason Statham) begins a job as a new security guard. He is paired with Bullet (Holt McCallany) and "Boy Sweat" Dave (Josh Hartnett), who dubs Patrick with a new moniker, "H.” After a few days on the job, Bullet is held captive while making a pick up. While "Boy Sweat" Dave panics, H does not and calmly saves Bullet on his own, taking down six armed captors. H is dubbed a hero and becomes the face of the company. It soon becomes clear that H isn't who he says he is, when during another attempted robbery he scares off the would be criminals just by showing his face. As H's connection to the events of the past is revealed, the criminals behind the events of that day a few months ago (Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood, Raul Castillo) plan one bold final heist.
I'll get this out the way right now, this is the best thing Guy Ritchie has done since Snatch. Yes, that includes both Sherlock Holmes films and the criminally underrated The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Many of the trademarks of his films are still here, including his penchant for a convoluted and non-linear narrative and some flashy editing. However, his sense of humor has essentially vanished, replaced by a grittiness as he tries to make a film that‘s a combination of Heat and Den of Thieves. I like gritty Guy Ritchie and would love to see him tackle more things like this.
As much as I ultimately enjoyed the film, it does have some glaring issues. First off, it feels like two separate movies. The first half is dominated by Statham's "H" and his time at Fortico before rewinding back to discover his connection to the past and catching back up to the present. The second half is dominated by the criminals, starting with the lead up to the events of the past and catching up to the big heist they are planning at the end. The third act combines the two stories for an action packed blood bath where no one is safe. The third act is fantastic but it can't help but feel like everything would have been served better by a linear story that had more of a balancing act between the two stories. This is something Den of Thieves accomplished much better.
This is also very much a dude movie, both in terms of type of movie and character wise. There is only one female character, played by Niamh Algar, that has any significant influence on the plot and she is very much a secondary, or even tertiary character. It would have been nice to see her or some other female characters have more of an impact on the plot to help balance the film‘s heavy dose of machismo.
Statham can play this type of role in his sleep by now: a badass with a shady past. It's always a blast to see him in action and he doesn't disappoint. The rest of the film is rounded out with reliable actors like Josh Hartnett who makes a welcome return to studio films. Scott Eastwood and Jeffrey Donovan make for compelling villains although I wish their relationship would have been fleshed out. This is a rare movie that clocks in under 2 hours (not by much, but still does) and I appreciated that it didn't overstay its welcome. However, I couldn't help but think their side of the story could have used some more screen time.
I wasn't the biggest fan of Ritchie's last two films (Aladdin and The Gentleman) so I wasn't expecting much from this. Despite my issues with the film, I still enjoyed this gritty heist flick.
Grade: B
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