Dog’s Movie House: “Wrath Of Man” Is Guy Ritchie’s “Heat” Which Is A Good Thing!
“Wrath of Man” tells the story of H (Statham) a fellow who, for reasons of his own, takes a job at an armored car company responsible for ferrying millions of dollars around the city of Los Angeles. H is taken on after a robbery claims the lives of three former employees. When the armored car is robbed again, H displays a set of violent skills not included on his resume. This leads to a series of twists and turns in which H’s true motives are learned and another heist is planned. To tell you any more would be to ruin a great deal of the story.
“Wrath Of Man” employs a four act format that switches timelines throughout each act. The script by Nicholas Boukhrief and Eric Besnard is not quite as clever as it wants to be, but through Ritchie’s direction it does more than enough to get by. You have to pay attention or else you might get lost in some of the twists and turns, but that turns out to be part of the fun.
The action is brutal and kinetic without being distracting, lacking some of the flashier camera flourishes Ritchie is known for. The action reminds me more of a lesser version of Michael Mann’s “Heat” but that is in no way a criticism. It’s good quality action that pushes the story forward and the fourth act heist sequence is one of the film’s highlights.
As for the acting, this is Statham’s movie all the way. He doesn’t have to stretch as an actor because playing these types of tough guys is his specialty. Not to say that he can’t stretch his talents when the material suits him (see “Spy” for example) but this is in his wheelhouse. He’s a modern day Charles Bronson, staying in his kick-ass, tough guy action lane and doing better than anyone else. H’s story is a grim one compared to other Statham films, so there is very little of Ritchie’s signature humor, but that single-minded determination is perfectly in sync with the film’s narrative. “Wrath of Man” has a fine supporting cast with folks like Jeffrey Donavan, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, and Andy Garcia. They all get their time in the sun, especially Hartnett as the slimy associate. Hartnett is an underrated actor who’s been absent for far too long.
Overall, “Wrath of Man” is a fine action film that features propulsive set pieces, interesting characters, and a gritty performance by one of the best action guys in the business. Jason Statham is in his element here and makes “Wrath Of Man” worth watching. 3 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!
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