Havoc, Movie Review
Tom Hardy gets back to his badass roots in Gareth Evans’ savage actioner.
Havoc is precisely what you would expect from the pairing of Tom Hardy and Gareth Evans, the writer/director of The Raid movies: A ferocious, action-packed thriller. But when the bullets aren’t flying and the blood ain’t spilling, we’re left with trite characters trudging through a sloppy plot where some definite halfwitted stuff just can’t be avoided. So we have to take the good with the bad.
Walker (Hardy) is a damaged, dirty homicide detective who serves Mayor Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker) rather than the people of the city. He’s done a great job justifying all of the terrible things he’s done so far, but its cost him everything and it’s finally catching up with him. The only way out is to find Charlie (Justin Cornwell), the mayor’s estranged son, who goes missing after a drug deal turns deadly. With a partner, Ellie (Shadow and Bone’s Jessie Mei Li), he doesn’t want - he’ll have to butcher his way through a lethal crime cartel and even a few of his corrupt cop buddies, headed by Vincent (a squandered Timothy Olyphant) to obtain any kind of redemption he’s hopelessly searching for.
If you’re a fan of Evans then you know he specializes in the art of violence. The way he captures a fight sequence is damn impressive. And doing what he does best, it’s blood and gore galore with Havoc. It’s extremely excessive to the point where it isn’t killing anymore, it’s slaughtering. Then you have a beast like Hardy to full-tilt deliver the thrills inside the city’s gritty and gross underbelly. He attempts to add layers to his character, but not much gets through except his guaranteed intensity. You can’t discount the physicality that’s involved in a role like this, yet this honestly feels like a walk in the park for him. Even so, good for Hardy for going back to his badass roots.
Chunks of Havoc are convoluted and generic. Basically anything that doesn’t contain relentless brutality. However, when the violence gets going - Evans’ visceral and muscular filmmaking flexes real hard. Not much is required from us other than to simply sit back and watch the insanity that’s destined to be unleashed. The nightclub and cabin brawls are unquestionably enough to keep you entertained while on your stained couch.