Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Eddie Marsan, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan and Scott Eastwood

“You just worry about putting your a$$hole back in your a$$hole”

That, my dear readers and followers, is one of the more polite pieces of advice the protagonist of this film dishes out to another character. You can expect plenty more of this type of unashamedly woeful lines of dialogue, semi-regular bouts of bad acting and above all else, you can expect to be seriously entertained by this unapologetic B-grade action drama!

A remake of the 2004 French film Cash Truck (Le Convoyeur), Wrath of Man is most definitely directed by Guy Ritchie, but barely resembles the Guy Ritchie films we’re very familiar with. This movie is thematically darker, less blackly comic and its violence is captured and shown in a very realistic style. Those fast-cutting, slow-motion shots that are so quintessentially Guy Ritchie are nowhere to be seen here.

Now, a courteous word of warning before I talk about the film’s plot. Many other synopsis’ I’ve read so far actually reveal one of the key developments to occur later in the film. So, if you prefer to see your movies with little to no knowledge of what transpires beyond the opening act as I’ll provide right here, it’s best you avoid reading anything else.

More than 15 years since they last worked together, Guy Ritchie re-unites with Jason Statham who plays Patrick Hill. Wait, no, that’s way too formal. Wrath of Man prefers to refer to him just as ‘H’. H becomes the newest employee of Los Angeles-based Fortico Securities, a company comprising of almost entirely men and one woman (gender diversity isn’t their thing) who drive armoured vehicles responsible for couriering millions of dollars of cash around the city. Quite clearly a dangerous job at the best of times, its inherent risks are heightened by the fact H’s appointment is to replace one of two former employees recently murdered on the job. As he learns the ins and outs, H emphatically proves his worth and impresses his superiors in no time, but his quiet, cold and rather secretive demeanour results in him being at odds with some colleagues. Soon, it becomes evident that H indeed does have an ulterior motive for choosing to work at Fortico Securities.

The mysterious complexion of H and his probable connection to the violent armed robbery that takes place in the opening scene are enough to maintain solid interest in the film early on, despite the acting and dialogue being severely off-putting at times. Wrath of Man is distributed into chapters; each revealing a curious and separate under-layer to the opening premise while simultaneously bringing us closer to discovering the true identity and motive of our main man. Trying to figure out who these other characters are and how they fit keep the mind occupied enough while our senses are easily catered for. All of this steadily builds towards a climax that is ultimately foreseeable and perhaps a bit soft and short by this film’s own tough-talking and rough-handling standards, but not without excitement along the way.

Wrath of Man is showing in cinemas across Australia from April 29.

Moviedoc thanks Studiocanal for the invitation to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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