Movies

Jason Statham’s forgotten thriller remake for “hardcore” fans only is on TV tonight

BBG News

A bonkers forgotten Jason Statham thriller is set to air on TV tonight.

In the 2015 film titled “Wild Card,” Jason Momoa plays the character Nick Wild, a former gambler battling addiction who’s now working as an unconventional bodyguard – or, in his own words, a chaperone – in the vibrant city of Las Vegas.

His friend Holly (Dominik García-Lorido), a practicing escort, comes to see him. She shares that she was brutally assaulted and raped by three unidentified individuals after a date, and asks Nick to help identify these men so she can pursue legal action against them.

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The situation gets more intricate when it’s revealed that one of the perpetrators who assaulted Holly is Danny DeMarco, a mobster associated with Baby, the boss of Las Vegas’ mafia. (Milo Ventimiglia plays Danny DeMarco in this context.)

Tonight at 9pm, you’ll find me captivated by “Wild Card” on Film4. If you happen to miss it, don’t worry! You can still catch the movie on Channel 4 on demand and stream it later. Enjoy the show!

The ensemble is completed with Sofia Vergara, Michael Angarano, Anne Heche, Max Casella, and Jason Alexander.

The action-thriller met with unfavorable criticisms and flopped at the box office, earning only $6.7 million globally compared to its production cost of $30 million.

Wild Card” has a 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Essentially, this means that the movie might appeal to die-hard Jason Statham fans, but for other action enthusiasts, it may not be worth watching.

In simpler terms, The Guardian’s review stated that the movie turns out to be a mix, unfortunately, trying to balance a fun, charming Ocean’s Eleven-like adventure with a violent, action-packed fight fest. However, it provides a taste of both genres, but neither is fully developed enough to completely please viewers.

It can’t help but feel a bit of letdown when a movie that appears to be a brand-new, sizzling piece of action cinema seems more like reheated takeout.

In a review for the Observer, Mark Kermode offered a more lenient perspective, suggesting: “Given Brian De Palma (who was initially assigned to direct) might have approached it differently, practical-minded Simon West, who collaborated with Statham on the remake of ‘The Mechanic’, maintains a straightforward approach.

The movie “Wild Card” is inspired by the 1985 novel “Heat,” penned by William Goldman. This book was later turned into a film titled “Heat” in 1986, with Burt Reynolds as the lead actor.

Director Simon West, having collaborated with Statham on “The Mechanic” in 2011, elaborated on his choice to work alongside the actor again.

In an interview with Den of Geek back in 2015, he mentioned that when we worked together on “The Mechanic”, he had only around eight lines throughout the entire film. Contrastingly, when I received the script for “[Wild Card]”, it was a typical ’70s, ’80s William Goldman script brimming with dialogue.

As a devoted admirer, I must express that this piece seems to boast a staggering amount of dialogue compared to all of Jason’s films combined. Frankly, my initial reservations were running high regarding its execution, but on the very first day, there I was, astounded as Jason flawlessly recited every line in the movie from memory.

On the very first day itself, his performance left me completely reassured. Not only did he convincingly handle a massive role that required numerous lines, but he excelled in every instance.

Tonight at 9pm, you can catch “Wild Card” on Film4. If you miss it, don’t worry! You’ll be able to watch it later on demand through Channel 4’s catch-up service.

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2025-05-08 15:17

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