A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard named H (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

In Wrath of Man noted writer-director Guy Ritchie applies his unique brand of filmmaking to an intense and dark story of bloody revenge. As a filmmaker who is all business, and deeply devoted to his craft, Ritchie brings everything to the table with Wrath of Man and he anties up in good form. Taking inspiration from 2004 French film Le Convoyeur, Ritchie reshapes the narrative into Wrath of Man, a no-holds-barred dark-noir revenge, action thriller that delivers one hell of a punch and hits with the force of an M4 on full auto. Blending together a group of dangerous villains, and a compelling story, Ritchie never eases off the tension with this one, and re-teaming with long time friend and collaborator Jason Statham results in one hell of an intense watch.

Ritchie makes Wrath of Man his darkest and most brutal film to date and he uses his own unique film stylings and the length and breadth of the film noir genre to help him accomplish it. This film is film noir that cuts right to the bone, and with a narrative that features bad men doing bad things, Ritchie is able to take things right to the edge. Cinematographer Alan Stewart gives the film it’s own unique swagger and cool, while composer Christopher Benstead’s dark and moody score builds out the atmosphere that guides H’s deadly hand as he exacts his brutal plan for vengeance.

Jason Statham got his start with Guy Ritchie’s cult classic gangster film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrells, and both men have come a long way since its 1998 release. Now regarded as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, it’s excellent timing to see Statham re-teaming with Ritchie for Wrath of Man and these two old pals don’t waste a second with this one. As H, a mysterious and highly-skilled stranger, Statham oozes brooding cool as this dangerous and calculating individual and when he starts to go to work, the bodies soon pile up, and his ultimate agenda reveals itself piece by bloody piece.

Ritchie knows how to use Statham in the best way possible and he lets him work his brutal magic as the mysterious H. And this is a character who will scare and enthral you all at the same time. Wrath of Man is Statham’s darkest film to date and he brings this unhinged and stalking animal predator quality to H as he goes through the motions of hunting down those he holds responsible for a great tragedy in his life and the results will have audiences hooked. Statham is the ultimate anti-hero in Wrath of Man and he gives a seriously intense performance with material that works for him in all the right places.

Providing a great measure of support within Wrath of Man is an eclectic group of supporting characters who all have their moments to shine. There’s Holt McCallany as the affable, working stiff Bullet who has the run of the depot and all of its inner workings. Josh Hartnett changes things up as the cocky and loud-mouth Boy Sweat Dave, who isn’t as tough as he pretends to be and quickly ends up on H’s shit list. And then there’s Niamh Algar as the tough-talking and capable Dana, the only woman working in the depot and who quickly earns the respect and admiration of H. Ritchie lets all of these performers shine in their roles and each as their role to play in this dark and twisting narrative.

Facing off against Statham’s mysterious H are a crew of technically proficient and dangerous armed robbers lead by the calculating Jackson (Jeffery Donovan) who has his eyes set on the cash truck business. Donovan’s Jackson brings a keen sense for strategy and tactics to the table and it’s a role he excels in. But while Donovan’s Jackson might be the brains behind the operation it’s Scott Eastwood’s Jan who is the trigger man. And he’s one dangerous foe to contend with. Best described as a cold and calculating psychopath with a hair-trigger temper and itchy trigger finger, Eastwood excels as this full-on bad guy who is the real impulse of his particular crew and he’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch up on screen because of it.

Ritchie and his team crank up the action with Wrath of Man and this is one film that goes downrange with plenty of spent led. A combination of sophisticated action set-pieces and in-your-face-violence marks Wrath of Man out as something different in our current cinema age and when the bullets start flying prepare for your adrenaline to spike. Ritchie again uses action as narrative and when we see H behind the barrel of a G-36 the results are explosive and deafening all at the same time. Ritchie wastes no time in seriously cranking this one all the way up and the action is delivered with the director’s trademark intensity that results in one hell of a show.

In terms of its thematic quality, the idea of vengeance, a visceral and in-your-face vengeance is thoroughly explored as are the inner workings of different sets of the criminal underclass. Ritchie also explores the ideas of villain vs villain instead of the usual hero vs villain motif and I must say that this narrative exploration makes it that much more interesting as a narrative presentation. We view the entire length of H’s vengeance throughout this movie, and it’s interesting to see the emotional impact that it has upon this cold and distant character through the interactions and relationships held between fathers and sons, and Wrath of Man is a film that certainly has an effect on audiences who watch it.

Wrath of Man is a revenge film with a capital R and this film delivers an uncompromising dose of gritty action that will make you sit up and take notice. You won’t find a more badass film to watch this year than this one.

Image: Studio Canal

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Watch the all-new trailer for Wrath of Man now:

Here’s the official synopsis:

A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard named H (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Ritchie and Statham go old school with the action here in Wrath of Man, and this is a back to basics action piece that brings to life that classic no-holds-barred action of the late 1970s, and audiences who are seeking a rush will be in for all kinds of fun with this one.

Set to a dark and moody remix of Johnny Cash’s famed ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ the first trailer for Wrath of Man goes for it with everything that it’s got and promises an intense ride with plenty of turns and twists. Ritchie by all accounts has had a blast going to work again with Statham, and these two really have created something intriguing, with action that goes right for the jugular.

Ritchie has also assembled a cracking supporting cast for Wrath of Man which includes Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonzo, Raúl Castillo and Scott Eastwood as the film’s lead bag guy and the target of H’s fury.

Wrath of Man is shaping up to be the perfect action vehicles for film fans who have been wishing for a rush, and after the long-dry spell of COVID-19 I can think of no better film to get audiences back out into cinemas for an experience that is sure to get them amped up as Statham cracks skulls and takes names.

Get ready for a hard-boiled serving of explosive action cinema when Wrath of Man arrives in cinemas on April 29.

Image: Studio Canal

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Ten years have passed since the Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still but restless. But when the Kaiju threat arrives again, Jaeger pilot Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of the legendary Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), is tasked to lead the fight against the Kaiju’s and save humanity once more from the brink of extinction.

I must admit that I was extremely intrigued by Pacific Rim Uprising and was excited by what would come next as I was a huge fan of the original. While I was still disappointed that Charlie Hunnam could not return as Raleigh Beckett, I must say that Pacific Rim Uprising was one adrenaline-charged piece of cinema that took a stance on doing something different and original.

Rising Hollywood star John Boyega takes centre stage as Jake Pentecost, the near-do-well son of the legendary Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) who gripped by potential has made a life for himself as a second-rate burnout. Facing some serious jail time Jake finds himself back in the Jaeger project ready to make his father proud.

Boyega really commits to the character and channels the spirit of the great Idris Elba in his performance. But while playing the stoic side of the character he also injects a good dose of his own humour into the character with some very funny one-liners. Boyega really has a blast with the character and when he does jump into VR fightscape of The Drift he really throws down with some big hits the topple plenty of kaijus.

Standing next to Boyega is Scott Eastwood as Nate Lambert, a military man who is completely devoted to the cause and who makes a great counterpart to Jake. Pacific Rim Uprising is a real step up for Eastwood who is well on his way to headliner territory and with Nate, he gets to craft a character that fits with his personality and inner character.

Pacific Rim Uprising takes everything to the next level and this includes how it looks at the inner workings of the Jaeger program, The Drift and how Jaeger’s fight together as a pack. This time it’s about the new generation taking over, and these young recruits get their chance when everything goes to hell. Director Steven S. DeKnight focuses on building a world that has a real international flavour to it and you really get the impression that since surviving the first Kaiju War humanity has grown even closer together. And when our extinction is on the line it’s better to have numbers on your side.

The action in Pacific Rim Uprising is bold and in-your-face and DeKnight throws plenty of epic set pieces at his audience. My favourite scene is without-a-doubt the duel between Gypsy Avenger, the new-look Gypsy Danger piloted by Jake and Nate and rogue Jaeger Obsidian Fury. This CGI beatdown is damn impressive, and you feel every punch, strike and blow that Gypsy Avenger delivers. DeKnight puts you right into the action with his emphasis on big thrills and high-stakes action that really lays the world’s fate on the line, and his direction, combined with the impressive CGI will really suck you into this action extravaganza.

You’ll also never see the twists coming with Pacific Rim Uprising. DeKnight and his team take this film in a whole other direction, and I was really impressed with how original the film was. Without going into spoilers I can say that the production team really did something different here and it really heightens the whole film’s atmosphere and environment.

Pacific Rim Uprising is one fantastic blockbuster and I loved every single moment of it. I came into it looking for fun and what I got was a whole lot more thanks to the bigger battles and it’s original approach to its narrative. Pacific Rim Uprising is big, bold fun and you’ll have a blast while watching it.

Image: Universal Pictures

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