If it’s action thrillers, it’s Tom Hardy. This genre is where he truly shines and has built a huge part of his career. After celebrating success as Eddie Brock in Marvel’s Venom: The Last Dance, he is back again, stronger. Havoc deals with balanced substance content to full-range action carried by the depth of the hero’s longing for familial love. Let’s see more details of this newest Netflix release.
The Plot
Homicide Detective Patrick Walker, aka Tom Hardy, is a rogue agent working on the payroll of a real estate tycoon, Beaumont. He gets assigned to locate and protect his son Charlie, who is accused of murdering local Triad leader Tsui. In the past, Charlie, along with Mia, was a gang of thieves that accidentally stole a shipment of cocaine along with loot. They visit Tsui to sell them, but things go wrong as they are framed.
There’s an assigned Narcotics team chasing the shipment, while Tsui’s mother, the real leader of the Triad, is chasing Charlie. Also, they have a fluke in the police who are working behind the scenes. With all the chaos, can Walker save Charlie? Whose shipment is it? What’s the real motive for Walker’s involvement in narcotics? Curious! Binge Havoc on Netflix.
Fights, Fights, and more Fights
The popular director and screenwriter Gareth Evans is the mastermind of Havoc. We can see his love for violence, gangs, and guns. In the world of John Wick or the topic of Havoc, rifles have unlimited magazines, everybody is crooked & breaks rules like it’s nothing. However, earnest action fans will love the slow-motion sequences and detail.
The carnage is wild, but the camera work is a deal in this movie. Right from the beginning, the truck jumps and car chases are shot uniquely, which is a pleasure to see on the big screen. I enjoyed the brutal bloodbath scene in the pub. Tom is hardcore handsome, and being a bad boy cop and gangster works in his favour.
What’s the Backdrop
As it’s said, action films with more action and more fighting leave barely any room for acting. It became true in the case of Havoc. Even with such a potential cast onboard, the story could neither support nor justify any person’s vendetta. It becomes a cat & mouse chase between good police to bad police, then a Chinese gang chasing some pseudo crooked youngsters whose stealing has zero motive. The story surely sets the right mood and is grippingly complex with good music. But at one point, it’s predictable.
Final Verdict
The Havoc feels like Tom Hardy is in his true element throughout. His raw intensity in the fight scenes is unmatched. The supporting cast did decent acting in a very limited scope for character development. The movie’s theme is supposedly catch or kill. On the plus side, we have impressive fights and cool CGI, but it still feels empty because the complex story has no core substance to convince the audience. So if you love Tom and gritty action, then go for it. I say it’s a good weekend watch if you loved “The Raid” film.
IMDb: 5.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
My Rating: 3.2/5
Written by: Meghana Pinninti
