A Working Man Review
Much like the hands of its title character, A Working Man isn’t smooth sailing; but let go a little and you’re bound to have a good time.
Levon Cade (Jason Statham) left his profession to work in construction, trying to win back custody of his daughter. But when the daughter of his boss vanishes, he has to return to his former skills to track her down and rescue her from a shadowy underworld.
Jason Statham returns in what is one of the most Jason Statham movies of all time, A Working Man. For many viewers, you will not be able to look past this films’ flaws. And the flaws are many.
There’s the plot, which flies all over the place, obsessed with throwing a new character at our screen every fifteen seconds, not lining up in any sense of logic, and constantly expanding the world while doing little to make it feel real or lived in. Statham seems to pull on a string that continues unravelling into a bigger and bigger issue, right up until the final scene - there’s no sense that he’ll ever be able to finish fighting these big baddies.
Alongside that is the straight up nonsense of how he does get his man in the end. His investigatory style is laughable, and the screenwriter often just has him remember or stumble on things - like when he remembers that he has the bartenders phone about ⅔ of the way through the film. Or that he tries to hide his truck for surveillance of a bar behind a tree, is immediately discovered, and then escapes so effortlessly.
Then there’s the action, which is completely chopped to shit. The fight sequences are uninventive and, frankly, typical David Ayer fare, and the editing makes it tough to follow or feel anything. The gunfights are ridiculous.
The colouring can at times be grating, with wild changes in tone affected by the grade, and one sequence with the largest moon you’ve ever seen again takes you out of the film.
Oh, and the characters themselves! The villains are cardboard cutouts, completely replaceable, with absolutely no interest in them whatsoever other than being so repulsed by their personality and outfits (costuming also hilarious). Statham also has a coterie of friends who crop up, in particular a blind David Harbour who mutters such lines as ‘Brother, you’re home’ with such self-seriousness you’d think he was in a different movie.
All in all, it’s a trainwreck. But that doesn’t matter one ounce, because for a certain type of audience, it’s all bloody perfect.
Now look, no one is saying this is as perfect a representation of this genre of Statham actioner based on sheer ridiculousness as The Beekeeper. But it’s not worlds away. If you’re predisposed to give this man a pass, crack a beer and chat about the ridiculousness over a burger after, then you are going to LOVE A Working Man. The flaws and weirdness - some terrible dialogue, the missing girl and her friends doing a choreographed dance in a Chicago nightclub, the bloody mattress he sleeps on - all become just more elements to love. There’s enough action and sheer weirdness on display here to give that inner cultish movie fan a big, healthy drink, and you’re going to leave the cinema in rapt pleasure. And it starts right from the start, with an intro credits sequence that will go down in the books as one of the all time greats - mixing grenades and cement trucks in ways that will have you cheering.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of A Working Man is going to depend 100% on what type of moviegoer you are. If you hated films like The Beekeeper, then you aren’t going to have a good time with this. But if you’re a Statham apologist, a fan of his oeuvre, then you might just have a blast.
