Fredolow

Gareth Evans' Havoc had the potential to be something special. With Tom Hardy leading the charge and a premise that hinted at brooding noir grit and underworld tension, the foundations were there. But what unfolds is a frustrating, sledgehammer-swinging mess-loud, directionless, and entirely devoid of subtlety or emotional depth.

The writing is as ham-fisted as they come. Characters are little more than cardboard cut-outs, shoved through a script that mistakes brutality for tension and volume for engagement. There's no sense of empathy for anyone on screen. People come and go, get shot, punched, or shouted at, and we're expected to care-but there's nothing to hold onto. Even Hardy, who usually manages to ground even the most chaotic material, is wasted here in a role that gives him nothing to work with beyond a scowl and a few bloodied fists.

The direction follows suit. Evans, known for his kinetic action in The Raid, leans hard into the same formula here, but it feels like a parody of his earlier work-frenetic without purpose, stylish without substance. The film is a mish-mash of borrowed moments from far better films, stitched together with the vague hope that action alone will carry it. It doesn't.

What makes Havoc especially frustrating is that it could have been good. With a bit more care in the writing, a bit more restraint in the direction, it might have been a grounded, compelling crime thriller. Instead, it feels like yet another casualty of the fast-food filmmaking era-where attention spans are short, story is optional, and anything can be justified as long as it's dressed up in enough neon and noise.

It's hard not to draw a line between this and the wider decline in mainstream filmmaking over the last two decades. Films like Havoc-and yes, the even more egregious John Wick sequels-seem tailored for audiences raised on TikTok clips and YouTube fight compilations. Quick cuts, empty spectacle, zero patience. Somewhere along the way, craft and storytelling got left behind. And Havoc is just the latest reminder.

Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 is a disappointing misfire that should signal it's time for Scott to step back from directing. Once a master of the craft, his recent output suggests he's out of touch, and this film proves no exception. The script is abysmal, recycling the original film's premise but in reverse, while adding absurd elements like dog-monkey hybrids and sharks in the Colosseum-choices so ludicrous that I half-expected an alien to join the fight. The lead actor's performance is utterly flat, lacking any depth or conviction, leaving me to wonder if acting school was ever part of his journey. By contrast, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal deliver commendable performances, but they can't salvage this mess. After 20+ years of anticipation, this sequel fails to justify its existence, delivering a hollow story that squanders its legacy. Save your time and money-this is one battle not worth watching.