An enjoyable bloodbath
Summary
Havoc delivers anything you could want in terms of graphic violence and a huge bodycount; Forrest Whitaker almost steals the movie, but Tom Hardy is understated as the flawed cop trying to do the right thing. There may not be much in the way of dialogue that stands out, but for an hour and 40 minutes you’ll only need the edge of your seat.
Plot: After a drug deal gone wrong, a bruised detective must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, unravelling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.
Review: After literally years of waiting, Gareth Evans’ Havoc starring Tom Hardy has finally been released on Netflix. Like Extraction and The Night Comes for Us I would have loved to have seen this on the big screen as an action movie like this deserves it. Starting off with a rather wonky looking car chase, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Havoc thinking all the action was going to be overly edited and a little shaky.
Thankfully, your patience is rewarded as around the 50 minute mark this movie earns its name with the best nightclub scene since John Wick. This is when the action really kicks in and from then on it doesn’t let up. The noise of the gunfire in this movie will make your eardrums burst as it sounds simply incredible.
As this is from the director of the The Raid you’re going to expect some serious bloodshed and graphic violence and Havoc doesn’t disappoint. People are repeatedly shot in the face and the action has a genuine intensity to it; the shoot-out at the cabin feels like a throwback to classic John Woo with some nice use of slo-mo but it isn’t overused where it could take away the dramatic effect.
One of my fears going in was that Havoc would be all about the action where the characters and script would take a backseat; admittedly there aren’t too many characters that are especially memorable with really only Forrest Whitaker providing any emotional content. Hardy is still perfect as flawed cop Walker who has done things he isn’t proud of, but this is his redemption tale and despite not being an especially sympathetic character, he feels believable and we are 100% on his side by the end. Jessie Mei Li shines as Walker’s “partner” and she is one of the few people who hasn’t been corrupted yet. Timothy Olyphant can look mean easily and makes for a decent villain and Sunny Pang never disappoints either.
Will anyone quote any lines from this movie 20 years from now? I doubt it as there isn’t much in terms of dialogue that stands out. I miss one-liners in action movies, but I guess they wouldn’t feel right in a gritty movie like this.
Overall, Havoc is a glorious orgy of bloodshed with some insane action and a massive bodycount; unlike most Netflix films I actually will watch this again and I’d love a 4K release so it can look its absolute best. With this and The Accountant 2 out this week this is a great time to be an action fan. Strap in and enjoy the ride.