Wrath of Man

This film from director Guy Richie opens with an armoured truck carrying a significant amount of cash being ambushed in Los Angeles. By the time the attack is over the guards and one bystander are dead and the crooks have vanished with the money. Five months later Patrick 'H' Hill applies for a job at the armoured truck company; he just passes the entrance test and is hired. Soon afterwards a truck he is aboard is attacked. Instead of just handing over the money he fights back, shooting the attackers with military precision. It is obvious that Hill is more than the average person he initially appeared to be. Without giving any details; he is a man on a mission and he is going to end up head to head with his target when a team of thieves plan a robbery that could net then over one hundred and fifty million dollars!

I found this film to be a lot of fun. There is the sort of action one would expect from a crime thriller directed by Guy Richie or one starring Jason Statham... having both virtually guarantees it. While we can guess how things will ultimately work out there are some surprises along the way. The action scenes are exciting, and quite bloody, with frequent shots to the head. The cast is solid with Statham of fine form as Hill. The action is impressively handled with plenty of shooting and a good sense of tension. The story is told in a way that involves quite a few flashbacks; during these we learn more about key characters in a way that avoids revealing too much too early in the film as would have happened with a more linear narrative. Overall it is a solid crime thriller; definitely worth watching if you are a fan of the genre; even more so if you are a fan of Jason Statham and/or Guy Richie.

In L. A., an armored truck is robbed and the two drivers are killed. Patrick Hill (Jason Statham) barely passes the tests to be the new hire at the company. When his truck gets hit, he turns into the Terminator.

This is a Guy Ritchie film. It's a mid-level action thriller. It mostly works although it insists on following the story from all sides which leaves the film at almost two hours. By grouping the different sides separately, they do feel a bit split especially the story of the robbers. I do wonder if the search for the inside man would be a more compelling path. Ritchie is trying for a tighter thriller than his usual. It's him slimmed down. He uses his action skills but this is not going to be considered one of his best or most inventive.

I am surprised of some reviews that are saying about frustration from this movie. What did you expect from the Ritchie's film with Statham in 2021? Sophisticated drama with Oscar winning plot?

In fact I got from "Wrath of Man" exactly what I expected - charismatic and not very complicated action movie of a good quality. The only surprising moment for me is a gloomy atmosphere of the whole story. But Jason 100% fits this dark drama.

Guy Ritchie is after Quentin Tarantino and The Coen Brothers one of my favorite directors. With sublime movies like Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and The Gentlemen, he's one of those directors you follow and are curious and excited about when a new movie comes out. But not all his movies are of the same quality. Like Sherlock Holmes for example (which I found mediocre) Wrath of Man is just passable. It's all well directed but the quality is just not there. And it's a movie with Jason Statham, so it speaks for itself what you will get. Statham never laughs, Statham can't be beaten, Statham wants revenge, in short Statham plays the same character every time. A bit like Liam Neeson. I don't say those are bad actors, certainly not, but it's just always the same. Wrath of Man is full of mindless action, a lot of dead people, a lot of questionable scenes (like the heist for example that looked like doomed to fail). I watched the movie trying not to yawn, I was hoping to get those great dialogues Guy Ritchie is known for, but that just never happened. Wrath of Man is just okay to watch once, but that's it, certainly not at the same level as the other movies from Guy Ritchie.

Well, wow. Just wow. Guy Ritchie does it again.

I have to say that if you enjoy movies from director Guy Ritchie or enjoy movies that has Jason Statham on the cast list, then you definitely have to sit down to watch the 2021 action crime thriller "Wrath of Man". This movie was through the roof.

The title of the movie, though, was something that sort of gave off a biblical vibe, so I personally didn't think it was a title suitable for this particular movie.

The storyline, as written by Guy Ritchie, was one that swept me up from the very beginning and took me along on a very exciting thrill ride. And I do like the fact that the movie wasn't all that linear and predictable. Writer and director Guy Ritchie managed to come up with something that is every bit as much action packed as it is intense. And that made for a very enjoyable movie.

"Wrath of Man" has a rather impressive cast ensemble, with the likes of Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood and Andy Garcia, along with others that were also nicely cast. I must say that Jason Statham was really good in this movie. But I was very thrilled with the performance that Scott Eastwood put on, he was just phenomenal in "Wrath of Man".

And the character gallery in "Wrath of Man" was quite well written, and there were some very interesting and nicely detailed characters throughout the movie.

This movie provided me with genuine entertainment from the very beginning and up to the very end. So this is indeed a movie that I can - and will - warmly recommend you sit down to watch, should you find yourself presented with the opportunity to do so.

My rating of "Wrath of Man" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.