Wrath of Man Review: Guy Ritchie’s Hot Streak Continues

Guy Ritchie‘s 3rd film in the last three years, Wrath of Man, is more than a one-man revenge film.

As enjoyable as 2020’s The Gentleman was, Ritchie’s direction of this film is even better. Similar to 2019’s Aladdin, Ritchie’s slo-mo style of shooting action is almost nonexistent. Ritchie uses a subdued color palette to capture the grittiness of Los Angeles. When the action hits, man does it pack a punch. Ritchie also borrows a little bit from Christopher Nolan by messing with time and perspective. You will see a few scenes from different angles on more than one occasion. Christopher Benstead‘s score ratchets up the tension when needed.

Reteaming with Ritchie for the first time since 2005’s Revolver results in one of the best performances from Jason Statham as H. Calm, cool and collected is a suit that Statham wears just fine. There’s an added tinge of darkness surrounding his character. With a single look, Statham makes you want to run out of the room in fear, but there’s no escape. Statham’s lack of dialogue is a great contrast to a talkative supporting cast.

Wrath of Man is far from a solo outing for Statham. Holt McCallany, Jefferey Donovan, Andy Garcia and Scott Eastwood turn in strong supporting performances. For Burn Notice viewers, Donovan coming up with contingency plans will have you thinking about Michael Weston. Josh Hartnett‘s performance is the lone sour note of the cast. Every character is given the necessary amount of depth.

The time-jumping works well and doesn’t obstruct the flow of the film. However, the film is broken into parts similar to Zack Snyder’s Justice League and that editing decision does slow the pacing down. Like many of Ritchie’s films, there’s no living character in the film worth rooting for, which could impact your enjoyment level until the 3rd act is unleashed. The inside man for the film’s conclusion is predictable. Luckily, H’s involvement in the story has more than enough twists and turns.

With the overview out of the way, lets dive deeper into Wrath of Man. Please note there will be some minor spoilers. Wrath of Man is available in Theaters.

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Fortico is no Match for H

Wrath of Man begins with H’s first day of employment at Fortico. The company is responsible for moving hundreds of millions of dollars each week around Los Angeles.

H isn’t particularly interested in connecting with his fellow transporters (sorry couldn’t resist). Although that doesn’t stop Bullet (McCallany) from trying to stir up the conversation. H immediately draws the ire of Sweat Boy Dave with some lines. Not that Sweat Boy Dave is a threat, Dave’s a former cop with a malfunctioning trigger finger. Dana (Niamh Algar) is the lone female member of the company and takes a liking to H, which is exploited.

A series of robbery attempts are foiled by H. Ritchie shows each truck heist from multiple angles throughout the film. Shooting the scenes in this method allows the audience to put pieces of the mystery together at the right time.

The way H handles each attempt doesn’t go unnoticed. Some of the employees begin treating H like the second coming. Bullet, Dave and H’s immediate supervisor Terry (played by Eddie Marsan) are suspicious. H’s cold and merciless reaction after the fact is more accustomed to a killer than a former cop.

Until H’s post-coital interrogation of Dana, we don’t even know what H is searching for at Fortico. Once Ritchie taps that powder keg, the full background of who H is comes into focus.

History of H in Wrath of Man

H’s history with truck heists isn’t on the law enforcement side. In fact, the personal tragedy that sets him on a revenge tour occurred while he was serving as the eyes for a truck heist. A rival crew shows up and the situation deteriorates quickly.

After healing up from his injuries, H dispatches his team to find the thieves responsible. Statham is fantastic as a Vito Corleone-like boss. His subordinates have a deep respect for H and try their best, but the trail repeatedly runs cold. Their methods are brutal and effective at getting a source, just not the right one. When it’s clear the current strategy won’t pay off, H decides on a different strategy.

He first meets with Agent King (A scene-stealing Andy Garcia). H is given a list of names that can be killed without raising further suspicions at the federal level. Then he receives a new alias that allows him to apply for a job with Fortico.

Statham has such a calm and unemotional command of every scene. His voice and temper never rise above room temp, which makes all of these scenes with the added bonus of Benstead’s score unnerving, to say the least.

Hell Hath No Fury

Jackson (Donovan), also referred to as “Sarge” by his crew, runs the rival crew H is trying to track down. The crew is full of former military. All of them are missing the action.

Similar to H, Jackson barely has to raise his voice. With the exception of Jan (Scott Eastwood in his best role to date), all of his men respect him and are more than willing to risk their lives on a heist. Donovan excelled at selling the plans his team came up with in Burn Notice and that holds true for Wrath of Man as well.

Jan is the hothead of the crew. He’s quick to spend money on a lavish lifestyle and willing to indiscriminately kill anyone who annoys him.

The heists are well planned by Jackson’s crew and their big scheme leads to a thrilling 3rd act where Ritchie’s violence streak pours out with a fury. While you don’t empathize with any character’s decisions in this film, Ritchie provides enough layers to each character. By the time the 3rd act begins, you understand where every character on the chessboard stands and what they’re aiming for.

Final Thoughts on Wrath of Man

Wrath of Man is an improved remake of Cash Truck (a 2004 french drama directed by Nicolas Boukhrief).

A few nitpicks aside, Wrath of Man is an engrossing crime and revenge drama that uses an innovative approach to revealing its mystery. The violence is visceral. Statham is outstanding and the supporting cast rises to meets the excellent script by Ritchie, Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson.

With three outstanding films in 3 years, I can’t wait to see what’s next for Ritchie.

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