“Wrath of Man” was a movie that I was surprised to discover even existed, walking past a parked bus that had a giant poster of Jason Statham starring in a new Guy Ritchie movie. The poster assumed that Statham working with Guy Ritchie again would be enough information to entice an audience. The lead star and the director’s name were given equal size on the poster, a rare sight, and showing the confidence in the marketing strength of their names together alone.
And that was it, all the poster told me and all I knew going in to see it.
Turns out, it’s a tense, violent revenge story set around the world of armoured cash trucks and their would-be robbers.
Jason Statham plays a man simply known as H, who enters the film with a cold demeanour and a mysterious past. Getting a job as a security guard for an armoured truck company, his lethal efficiency is quickly shown dealing with an attempted robbery. Statham has a long career of action man roles, and this role is another excellent addition to his resume, showing his range even in what could be a one-note role.
A welcome appearance of Josh Hartnett as one of the main supporting cast, who hasn’t been seen in a major film like this for years. And he seems to be having a great time, playing a character only ever called Boys Sweat Dave, and it comes across in his performance.
Holt Mcallany gives a good performance if a little straightforward and predictable. Other names such as Jeffery Donovan and Andy Garcia also all gave fine performances.
The other true standout in the cast is Scott Eastwood. Unlike some of his contemporary actors who also have famous family names (Wyatt Russell and Jack Quaid), Scott seemed, to date, to rely on both his fathers’ name and resemblance. Here though, Scott Eastwood plays a terrible person, and he really shines through. It may be that Scott has found his style.
The film is confident in its direction, showing Guy Ritchie’s long experience with the genre. However, most of the stylings usually seen in a Ritchie film, even in his King Arthur movie, are absent here. While some of the surface details are here, the nicknames and quality, quick-witted dialogue is used in a noticeably different manner. This is far more serious work, filled with mostly bad people doing terrible things. Action scenes aren’t moments of high fun, they are tense and violent that leave people dead on the floor. This leaves the film purposely dour, with only brief moments of levity.
The most interesting thing in the movie is the main character H, and his portrayal by Statham, in what is a clear example of how someone can be the protagonist without being a hero. H is a cold, detached person who would be called emotionless if it weren’t for the brief glimpses of anger hiding just below the surface. It becomes clear as the movie goes on, that H is most likely a psychopath in the true meaning of the word, not just as Hollywood shorthand. It’s what lets him do terrible deeds in this movie, and never for a moment show any remorse or regret.
The film also has a surprising subversive streak, in how it depicts the fake bravado machismo of the cash truck guards, and the beliefs the robbers continually tell themselves to justify their crimes. Those in the film that praise or even idolise the cold H end up suffering, and those that are aware that he is not to be looked up to are the ones who get out with their lives.
This is most notably shown with Eddie Marsan’s character, a middle manager type who in other movies would be a convenient scapegoat trying to stop the film’s kick-ass heroes. Here, he is a practical man who never buys into the machismo of the guards and sees the danger of a man like H. Instead of being mocked by the film, he appears as the voice of reason.
As the film progresses, in a surprisingly non-linear fashion, it comes to its inevitable violent conclusion. And proves that having a film poster relying entirely on the names of Statham and Ritchie was a good choice.