Havoc is a Netflix action thriller directed, co-produced, and written by Gareth Evans. The film’s star, Tom Hardy, also joined the team as a co-producer.
Corrupt cop Patrick Walker (Tom Hardy) and his rookie partner Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) are called to a club owned by the Triad, where they discover the murdered son of a powerful Chinese gang leader called Mother (Yeo Yann Yann). Patrick secretly realizes that one of the suspects, Charlie (Justin Cornwell), is the son of his boss, mayoral candidate Lawrence (Forest Whitaker). After making a deal, Patrick realizes that a gang of corrupt cops actually killed Mother’s son, led by the psychopathic Vincent (Timothy Olyphant). As he tracks them down, Walker finds himself in a very deadly triangle of thieves and murderers.
Do you know how many bullets can fit in a magazine? It depends on whether it is a rifle or a pistol, no doubt, but the filmmakers do not seem to know. There was a scene where an assassin had an automatic pistol, which, depending on the model, holds anywhere between six and twelve bullets. The thug did not change mags once and blasted away.
Also, the movie was very chaotic. It jumps from action scene to action scene and does not slow down once. It heavily relied on the action to get us to the next plot point. Two minor characters, cited to be friends of Walker, are killed, but the consequences are never explored.
I have to applaud the score as well. Aria Prayogi handled the soundtrack and added a lot of spice to the plot. It perfectly pulled you into the scenes that were happening, complementing the sequences of events.
Aside from that, this was a blast of a movie. While you do not necessarily root for any of the characters, you are hooked on the plot. If you like a good ol’ fashioned shoot ‘em up flick, grab some popcorn and load up Netflix. My adrenaline was pumping the whole time.
The fight scenes did seem a bit stylistic for a crime thriller, but it was still cool. There was a battle in a club where knives, clubs, and bullets were flying everywhere. It was such a cool sequence, even if it was over the top.
Cast members were superb. Alas, no one will win any awards for this movie, but everyone did a good job. Hardy is a strong lead, as usual, and Whitaker always brings his A-game. Everyone else turned out a solid performance and helped sell the film.
Bottom line, Havoc has some hang-ups, but it is a solid movie. It definitely turns up your adrenaline as you go from action sequence to action sequence.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Heavy gory violence, Strong foul language
FAVORITE QUOTE: Don’t make me put you down.
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.