'A Working Man' review: Alright, time to clock out
Courtesy of MGM/Amazon
Jason Statham reunites with his “The Beekeeper” director, David Ayer, in “A Working Man,” but lightning doesn’t strike twice for the duo. Written by Sylvester Stallone, who adapted it from a bestselling series called “Levon’s Trade,” “A Working Man,” inherently lacks the same intensity and overall playfulness as their previous collaboration, where Statham played an ex-mercenary out for revenge after a phishing ring robbed his elderly neighbor. Instead, “A Working Man” attempts to be a grounded vigilante crime thriller but falls flat. Its flimsy writing and haphazard execution make the action sequences feel like an afterthought.
To his credit, Statham delivers the same performance we’ve come to expect from him in these movies, though you’d think he might tire of playing characters who repeatedly say things like, “I’m a different person now” or “It’s not who I am anymore” whenever a bad situation arises, and someone asks him to use his unique skill set to help. Rinse and repeat. In a film like “A Working Man,” the only thing that matters is the bloodshed, and while the film certainly has its fair share, it’s missing the silliness that made “The Beekeeper” so fun. That film seemed content to march to the beat of its own ridiculous drum (after all, he was a beekeeper!). “A Working Man,” on the other hand, wants to push the idea that an average person can take on Russian human traffickers and live to tell the tale.
Statham plays Levon, a widowed, Chicago-based foreman embroiled in a costly legal battle to maintain custody of his daughter, Merry (Isla Gie). However, he can still unleash his fighting skills (learned during his time with the British Royal Guard) whenever some shady goons come sniffing around his construction site. Levon’s efforts to prove himself to the court hit a snag when a group of cartoonishly evil human traffickers kidnaps his boss’s teenage daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas). Her father (Michael Peña) pleads with Levon to find her, but Levon initially refuses, saying, “I’m not that person anymore.” And then, not even ten seconds later, he’s promising to bring Jenny home.
Levon’s convoluted path toward redemption takes him back to an old ally, Gunny (David Harbour), who lost his eyesight in combat, along with a string of stereotypical villains that Stallone’s script makes it all too easy to hate. You've got biker gangs, crooked cops, and sniveling billionaires with an appetite for young women—all of whom make it onto Levon’s radar and await their moment in the spotlight of brutal, bare-knuckle action.
At 57 years old, Statham is in excellent shape and still capable of throwing a punch (no one’s doubting that), but the film’s action choreography rarely comes alive, with the exception of the climactic throwdown where the script gives Levon the opportunity to slice and dice his way through anyone with a pulse. Stallone’s script doesn’t help either, leaning heavily on schmaltz with its one-dimensional characters. From the mustache-twirling grandfather who wants full custody of Merry (and hilariously screams, “Violence follows you everywhere!!!” before acknowledging that Levon did, in fact, save him from a burning building) to the Russian mobsters who distinguish themselves by wearing colored tracksuits, the characters are more caricatures than real people.
If you’re into mindless shoot-’em-ups, “A Working Man” might be a smooth ride. But for those of us seeking more rambunctiousness, it quickly becomes a tedious chore. Rest assured, though—since this is based on a book series, it’s likely that more films are in the works. Whoever said the future wasn’t bright clearly didn’t realize that Jason Statham sequels are always just around the corner.
Grade: C-
A WORKING MAN is now playing in theaters.