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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
The Raid: Redemption is often hailed as one of the best action films of its time. With his first return to feature filmmaking since 2018, writer-director Gareth Evans’ (V/H/S/2, Apostle, Gangs of London) newest film, Havoc, is sadly another action film made for Netflix that will inevitably be lost in its catalogue.
Rather than the most typical action character development, Havoc features much of what Evans is known for. That is, John Woo-esque action, off-the-wall martial arts on display, and character-driven action. However, that is unfortunately all the film can provide. The film might be fun enough, but that’s about it, which is slightly annoying.
An Odd Plot for Havoc
Havoc features a time setting around Christmas Eve, which is such an odd feeling for a film release in April. While it does make for some interesting beats, the film could have been better set around Detective Patrick Walker’s (Tom Hardy) daughter’s birthday, rather than Christmas. Early on, his partner, Officer Ellie Chung (Jessie Mei Li), attempts to arrest a domestic abuser in a nearby apartment building. The scene feels like the simplest form of foil ever, which is offsetting within the pacing of the film. The scene is never returned to or spoken of again by either character. On the bright side, Li and Hardy bounce off one another quite well.
Havoc could have also been set within a northern region to make more sense of the snowy environment. Using a Christmas setting also makes for this excuse and continues to bring questions rather than answers. Moreover, the mix of the action within the setting is indeed fun, and Hardy absurdly defeats the Triads throughout the film.
Charlie, the Secondary Character
While it is constantly alluded to throughout the Netflix film, we never really know just what exactly Walker did to become so corrupt. In the pocket of aspiring mayoral candidate Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker), Walker seemingly feels the need to owe it to Lawrence in revealing that his son, Charlie (Justin Cornwell), was involved in a heist gone wrong.
Charlie is also technically an accessory to the attempted murder of a different corrupt cop, Cortez (Serhat Metin). Charlie and another from his crew threw a washing machine out of a moving truck towards Cortez’s car during a chase sequence. It’s hard to recall the last action film, or any at all, that had a washing machine thrown at someone, so bonus points for that. Walker is forced to find Charlie or risk everything coming out. The issue is that the viewers are never told why or what he did. Walker never really does anything that corrupt within the film’s narrative either, which is an odd choice.
Technical Difficulties
While the action is on par with some of the best on screen today, the film is unfortunately held back by Evans’ odd screenwriting choices as well as the out-of-control, handheld shaky cam direction. Stunt coordinators Jude Poyer and Gary Connery’s design of the action sequences is great on their own. Yet, the action is truly Havoc’s best part and saving grace. The action is maybe some of the best on Netflix alone. It’s hard to name many other action films wherein the main character kills a villain with a harpoon through the throat, surely.
Final Thoughts on Havoc
Is Netflix “saving” the world of cinema? Not quite, especially if they continue to pump out these one-note “expensive” action films. With the budget between $80-$100 million, you would like to imagine it to be slighter better than just good enough. While Havoc is quite fun, that is unfortunately it. Tom Hardy remains a strong enough leading man for mediocre films. Timothy Olyphant (Scream 2, Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard, Terminator Zero) also portrays a great villain; he should take on more roles, such as in this movie. Otherwise, this film will unfortunately be lost within the category of action films on the streamer. However, with Walker surviving the carnage, maybe he will see another Christmas on screen. Hopefully, it will be better than this.
2.5/5 stars.
Gareth Evans’ Havoc is now streaming on Netflix!
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
