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In ‘A Working Man,’ Jason Statham’s tools are hammers, guns and fists

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A Working Man” begins with a mixed medley of gunfire and circular saws, parachutes and cranes. A fallen soldier lies beneath an American flag. A cement mixer chugs towards a construction site. There’s a subtly poignant (yet intricate) storyline about Levon Cade (played by Jason Statham), a former demolitions expert who now constructs buildings, even though the scene might be slightly intense for a Veterans Day advertisement for a hardware store. Director David Ayer is attempting to create a link between this film and his previous work, “The Beekeeper,” where Statham portrayed an assassin turned beekeeper.

Among the two thrillers, “A Working Man” maintains a precarious blend of seriousness and absurdity. The plot revolves around the kidnapping of Joe and Carla’s 19-year-old daughter by sex traffickers. Despite Statham’s stoic portrayal, Levon’s bloody pursuit to rescue her leads him to some questionable locales, from a nightclub featuring fire jugglers to a backwoods speakeasy inspired by “The Great Gatsby” and a biker bar adorned with human skulls and a throne fashioned from chrome tailpipes. The crew seems to be enjoying themselves excessively during the filming process, as evidenced by the over-the-top lighting in outdoor scenes, where the moon appears unusually large and low, allowing for a hypothetical tank drive-through. Perhaps they’re saving his space escapades for a potential sequel.

In simpler terms, Levon encounters and slays an eccentric group of henchmen who dress in various styles ranging from vampire-themed attire to metallic capelets. The fights themselves aren’t particularly engaging; instead, we find ourselves amused by their fashion choices. One particular villain (Maximilian Osinski) boasts a lace cowboy hat and frilled shirt sleeves. He appears as if he has just broken free from an insane asylum in Versailles, but our encounter takes place somewhere in Illinois.

In the movie, there’s no character who points out or comments on the extravagant details. The script is made more captivating by Ayer, as it might have seemed too basic if Liam Neeson had been dressed casually in a gray T-shirt. In the book that inspired the film, “Levon’s Trade” (the first of Chuck Dixon’s 12 action-packed Levon Cade novels), the most unusual attire is worn by a rough character who was said to be wearing the last Members Only jacket left on Earth.

Fundamentally, this film is an old, familiar trope adorned with eccentricities. The blue-collar character angle is abandoned swiftly, like a pile of bricks discarded. A fight occurs near the beginning, where Levon strikes a gangster with a bucket of nails, and afterward, he resorts to his military training skills: He’s eager to use waterboarding techniques. Levon submerges one henchman, followed by another and two more. It’s unfortunate that the title “Aquaman” had already been claimed.

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The project has roots that predate the current trend of bee-related discussions. Sylvester Stallone had previously attempted to transform Dixon’s paperback series for television, and he is noted as a co-writer alongside Ayer. I admire the modifications they’ve incorporated into the book, such as giving female characters a voice. (For instance.) Ayers gained recognition with his gritty LAPD drama “Training Day,” earning Denzel Washington an Academy Award for Best Leading Actor, and he refuses to treat the vigilante genre with reverence. Instead, he regards this type of fear-inducing Fox News content as seriously as it warrants — as a work of silly fiction.

In this reimagining, “The Working Man” transforms the character of Levon into a British soldier, contrasting with Statham’s portrayal. This shift in nationality subtly alters the moral compass of the story, moving away from the stereotype of “‘Merica good, everyone else bad.” After 22 years of covert military service, during which he has performed horrific tasks that remain undisclosed, Levon finds himself in Chicago, grappling with PTSD (briefly touched upon in the narrative), a deceased American wife, and a young child, whose custody was granted to Levon’s affluent father-in-law, Dr. Roth, played by Richard Heap. Contrary to expectations, Dr. Roth dons furry bucket hats and yoga pants, hinting at an eccentric personality that resembles the flamboyance of Dennis Rodman.

Initially, the serious tone of the movie slows down its pace, as it sets up Levon as a morally upright character who lives frugally in his truck during his custody battle. It’s unfortunate that the action-packed scenes don’t incorporate more humor, although it isn’t essential. Audiences familiar with this genre expect characters like Levon to be intense, quiet, and minimalist. If Levon has a quirk, it’s his eagerness to move on to the next act of violence. He dispatches adversaries with unexpected ease, sometimes before extracting much information from them. His main approach seems to be using deceased bodies as decoys, attracting whoever is concerned about his latest victim. As Gunny (David Harbour) puts it, “You got in here by killing; you’ll have to kill your way out.

Arianna Rivas portrays the character of Jenny, a kidnapped college coed who actively participates in her own rescue. Jenny has diverse hobbies such as managing spreadsheets, practicing karate, and playing the piano (she frequently performs “Moonlight Sonata”, which composer Jared Michael Fry incorporates into the score). Interestingly, Jenny boasts of knowing how to break fingers, but this skill is never demonstrated. Despite being somewhat unbelievable, Rivas delivers a convincing performance. The lead-up to Jenny’s abduction is strangely endearing: she and her college friends go out in matching skirt-suits and pearls, cosplaying as political wives, and then perform cheerleading routines on the dance floor. Despite its frivolous nature, these creative details suggest that Ayer isn’t just going through the motions with this production.

In this film, the antagonists serve as expendable forces, yet there’s an emotional moment when one gangster regretfully sighs upon encountering a grenade just before his demise. The casting team deserves praise for selecting actors with intriguing facial features – Max Croes, Cokey Falkow, and Andrej Kaminsky have left lasting impressions on me. Furthermore, I found myself growing fond of Chidi Ajufo’s character, Dutch, a seasoned veteran who added depth to the production through his entertaining quirks such as drinking from an amusingly small teacup and delivering the film’s title line: “You’re not a cop, you’re a working man.

In the film, Dutch’s departure ranks second in emotional impact. However, the most heartrending moment belongs to a gun receiving a solemn military salute. Ayer understands his audience and delivers accordingly. He’s not just any artist; he crafts his work specifically for his viewers.

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2025-03-28 01:31

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