Wrath of Man (Movie Review)

Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham join forces once again for Wrath of Man, an action thriller based on the 2004 French film, Cash Truck. The two had previously collaborated on the classic crime comedies, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch, with both films being responsible for making them household names. But they'd found significantly less success in 2005 with their third collaboration, Revolver, with most viewers agreeing that the film felt like a step backwards from the highs of the previous two. Their latest effort seems to land somewhere in-between.

In Wrath of Man, Jason Statham plays H, a new recruit at a security company. His job is to help protect the millions of dollars that gets transported through them daily. But after he single-handedly helps to prevent a robbery on one of their bullion vans, he gains a new sense of respect from his teammates. Except H isn't looking for respect. He is looking for revenge, and this has led him right where he needs to be. Now he is barrelling towards his goal with a singular resolve that should have anyone standing in his way shaking with fear.

You can pretty much tell what to expect from a film like Wrath of Man from its title alone. And Guy Ritchie takes that same no-frills approach with other aspects of the film as well. It lacks much of the signature humor from his earlier films, leaning instead on Jason Statham's stone-cold resolve to carry much of the film. Unfortunately, his character comes across as too one-note for my liking, making it hard to truly root for him on his quest for revenge.

The film still has some other vestiges of Guy Ritchie's directorial style on display though. Its nonlinear story structure is just one example of this, where the same event takes place multiple times during the course of the film, with each iteration shedding more light on the overall narrative. The narrative itself is not as complex as that setup would lead one to believe, with very few twists along the way. But each take is at least presented from a new perspective, using some effective cinematography, which makes the repetition feel like less of a chore.

The highlight of the film for most viewers then is certainly the action set pieces. And thankfully, most of it is grounded in reality. So don't expect to see any cars flying from one building to the next like in those Transporter movies. Some action film logic is still on display of course, especially during its climactic final scenes where all hell breaks loose as scheduled. But it never ventures into leave-your-brain-at-the-door territory.

Wrath of Man is a by-the-numbers revenge movie that doesn't try to do too much to distinguish itself from those that came before it. The film might prove a bit too dour for Guy Ritchie fans hoping for something closer to last year's The Gentlemen. But for anyone looking for yet another Jason Statham action vehicle, minus much of the charm and charisma the actor is known for, then the film should still deliver on its promise of a bloody good time.