User reviews

As the title says, this movie is another Jason Statham movie where one would expect some Jason Statham action. And once again as expected, he delivers perfectly.

Sure the plot is basic: Levon must rescue his employer's daughter from a gang of russian traffickers, the universe of which is deeper than expected. But the action is good, the filming is well executed, the music is nice and complements the story well, and Jason Statham is, well Jason Statham.

I definitely recommend the watch for his fans or for people that just want to enjoy a simple action movie, perfect for a sunday evening. Enjoy!

If it says Statham on the outside, it's Statham inside. Minor inconsistencies are acceptable. It's always a joy to see him fire about 200 bullets from a 20-round magazine. And of course, he's invulnerable. I almost forgot. 😉. Very much in vogue: a young, smart and powerful woman who was placed at his side so that the male audience wouldn't fall asleep.

The only thing missing was for him to catch the flying bullets with his teeth. So, for a possible second part, one could add more. For the faint-hearted, the film exudes a fair amount of cultural pessimism. The theme of "I scare you, and then I'm the hero who saves you" is inherent in American films. As such, the plot is rather one-dimensional and not for people who prefer a more complex way of thinking. Nevertheless, we felt thoroughly entertained at the end of the film and deeply impressed by the many close-ups of Statham's heroic face.

A Working Man is let down by its overly long run time exacerbated because of how needlessly convoluted its plotting is but it can still deliver the goods frequently enough to be a solid action flick that actually manages to avoid most of the icky issues with these types of stories. From the moment the flashy opening title sequence starts, it's clear this is going to be almost hilariously straight faced and better for it.

Surprisingly, there's a pretty eccentric cast of villains here however, it always remains Jason Statham's movie and him doing his usual extremely serious shtick carries this one as usual. Once again, he's playing squarely to his strengths and it's seriously impressive how him playing this type of character for the umpteenth time doesn't feel anywhere near as stale as when his fellow contemporaries stay in their respective lanes.

David Ayer's direction isn't as strong as his efforts in last year's The Beekeeper whilst keeping the film consistently visually slick despite a couple of weird creative flourishes. The action is unexpectedly choppy when also compared to Ayer and Statham's last collaboration, saved by the stuff that's still easy to see and a wild action packed finale. The overdone score by Jared Michael Fry really helps to nail the throwback feel this is going for.

I just left the theaters about 20 minutes ago . I like it

The movie might draw the usual criticisms. Statham essentially plays the same character that he's played in many of his other films. There are several plot holes (e.g. How can he walk away from a massacre so easily?). The story is predictable and trite. There are impossible tropes, such as a main character who somehow avoids getting shot when the bad guys fire a machine gun right at him

But even with all those "problems" -- the movie is good for just one reason: Jason Statham is so good in the role. He looks and acts the part, and the way he can impart elements of comedy without diminshing the vibe is mesmerizing. For example - even when he's interrogating someone or getting ready to break someone's nose, he can make you smile and laugh with a one-liner or even a mere glance. I just don't know how anyone could watch a Statham movie and not find him likable. When you watch this movie, you just can't help but get behind his character and pull for him to come through unharmed. I love the scenes involving him and his character's daughter too

The movie has some good fighting scenes, as most Statham movies do. The villains are alright,. I do feel that the missing girl brings down the film a few times. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that we see her kick some butt and do other things to appear brave or charming. Instead, she came off as annoying. Nobody buys that this little girl could fight, and seeing her act brave and fearless in front of the villains took some magic off Statham's actions: Statham seems less brave when he confronts the bad Russian mafia because we see a little girl stand up to them. The girl should've played the scared and helpless damsel in distress

7.5/10.

I have a particular set of skills and sitting through this movie is not one of them. This movie tried so hard to emulate others of a genre, the classic revenge flick.... but fails miserabl. I didn't find myself attached to any character or empathetic, sympathetic, or even just rooting for anyone at any given moment including the star of the movie. The pacing is too slow. The action is almost comical. I'm guessing it was meant to be that way, but unlike DC movies that pull it off this was just laughable... I was so disinterested that even by the climactic end it was just going through the paces to see who lives and who dies. Hollywood forgets that great writing makes great movies.... and the writing for this was juvenile, not creative and simply not entertaining... I had higher hopes for something written by and produced by Sylvester Stallone, who knows action movies.

I watch Jason Statham movies for the fun but this is one of his worst. All round the story and direction is bad, it's clunky and boring. You've seen this before in fifty other versions. No originality.

When I saw Stallone wrote the screenplay I assumed he's experienced and this should be interesting. But really it's like a bad 80's action movie, takes itself too seriously and assumes the audience are idiots.

The characters are one dimensional, unexplained scenes all over the place. Audiences are not as dumb as they were in the 80s. I rarely leave reviews but this was just too bad to overlook.

Levon Cade (Jason Statham) is a working man. He is ex-British military. His wife committed suicide while he was away on duty. He is now struggling to raise their daughter. He works construction for the beloved Garcia family. One night, Jenny Garcia gets kidnapped while out at a bar with her friends. Levon takes on the Russian mob to find her.

Jason Statham is well within his comfort zone in this action B-movie. The action is fun. The production is pretty good and better than the average B-movie. The story is fine. Jenny should probably be Levon's daughter instead. The villains are comic-book adjacent. They should really stop asking, "Why he's doing this for one girl?" It gets annoying and dumb. I thought he should leave those missing person flyers every time he kills a gangster. This is mostly fine for what it is.

Jason Statham plays the same character that he does in every other one of his movies, of course, but A Working Man is more of a Steven Seagal-like straight-to-video effort, i.e. An extra dumb plot, big plot holes, cartoonish characters, over-the-top acting, and of course Statham has to say things like "I don't want any trouble" before beating the crap out of everyone. I could probably write a book about all the dumb things that are said in this movie, but I'll just give one: When a mother's daughter is kidnapped by a Russian crime mob, the police tell her "they don't pursue these cases." Ok well, I guess vigilante justice is our only option then.

When it comes to a film starring an action star, things like an excellent script or a good story are somewhat irrelevant, and it's a fact that you can make a very enjoyable film without the need for those elements, unless you want to raise the stakes. Jason Statham's films are no exception, and most of his films simply seek to offer a pleasant dose of action for action movie fans. A Working Man is an action thriller adapted from an obscure novel titled Levon's Trade, which Sylvester Stallone himself was interested in adapting. It was initially planned as a television series, but was later changed to a feature film, condensing the original story and adapting it into a conventional action film.

This film takes on some typical action thriller clichés, such as kidnapping, trafficking, the Russian mafia, and an ex-soldier returning to the battlefield. The opening credits sequence explains without much fuss who Levon was, and at the beginning of the film, it's clear that he's a former soldier who just wants a normal life. We see that things aren't going well for him, having lost his wife, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and his father-in-law doesn't consider him fit to take care of little Merry. Levon is a man who, by chance, returns to combat when he has to rescue Jenny after she's been kidnapped. The rest of the film is no different from Taken, as Levon uses his cunning to find Jenny. The film focuses heavily on suspense and intrigue at the beginning, and the action later becomes more evident when Levon must use force to confront his opponents. The film doesn't give much information about the Russian mafia and only drops a couple of hints that it's a powerful organization. This represents a great challenge for Levon and could offer something very fascinating to explore. The script certainly isn't excellent, but that's made up for with the action scenes. Some are very brief, but most are promising. The action is what matters most and is what makes a Jason Statham film worthwhile. Here, it's clear that Stallone has decided to pass the mantle to Statham, and it's something that was expected since they worked together on The Expendables. Although there's no denying that with The Transporter, Statham proved he was destined to be an action star. This film might not have worked without Jason Statham, so he's the one who saves the film in the same way he did with The Meg.

A Working Man may not be one of Jason Statham's best films, but it's still a pretty enjoyable film. That's something only true fans of Jason Statham or action movies will appreciate. It's a film that can't be measured by its writer, but by all the action moments where it's always nice to see Statham being the action hero he's always been. My final rating for this film is 8/10.

First, I would like to take something off my chest. Who would be dumb enough to build a tracking device with a bright red LED flashing on it? Also, what kind of villain would hire people who can't shoot anything? Also, why are all Russians speaking in English to each other? Also, why does everything have to be so cliché, so exaggerated, and so the same as all these stupid, hyperbolically exaggerated, ridiculous action movies? These kinds of movies contribute to diminishing the IQ of the population. There should be censorship over ridicule. It is not good for some influencable types of individuals.

Overall the movie is pretty solid 90's flick. But it's overwhelming filled with a lot of bad guys and no motivation on why kidnap the girl. I would think of the plot for Rambo: Last Blood but not gonna spoil the ending. I was disappointed with the bad guys because they couldn't fulfill their duties. Plenty of them get killed but they serve no purpose. I'll be honest I was bored with investigating and using stealth mode to retrieve information. I was confused on who was in charge of the human trafficking gang charade. You have the Russians and the kidnappers. Two movies in one. It seems Jason Statham was getting a paycheck even though the movie delivered no plot.

Not even self aware bad, just over the top single line cliche bad. It felt like this was a pet project of Stallones and everyone else helped him finish it, but there was clear insistence to keep a TON of just really bad one liners and character choices in.

One minute he's talking to his military buddy about the classic genius of the M1A and then the next he's killing whole rooms of guys with assault rifles and full on machine guns while lowering and raising the weapon over and over instead of pivoting through actions like a real trooper. Then he sets the gun on the table with all his finger prints on it and does some dumb ritual prayer and leaves it at the crime scene....

There is a good premise here, I mean it's why people loved the first Taken movie. It just lacks coherence mostly, it feels like old rambo writing trying to be new but doesn't really get there. I haven't seen any of The Expendables movies because I kinda expected them to be like this with a unrealistic story base and an emphasis on everyone being too cool for school. I was just looking to kill 2hrs though and thought it could be good, I was mistaken, I mean it was this or Minecraft movie. *shrugs*

In the same vein as Beekeeper although that's better but this is darker and great entertainment! Not that bad but nothing special, the action is genuinely the best aspect. Jason Statham still shines as an ultimate action baddy and story felt mediocre. Regardless of anything I liked the villains fair amount, the music was great and entertainment value was pretty good; I previously saw Death of a unicorn that was better even though that was cheesy too I recommend it.

It helped seeing this in RPX the sounds were incredible, I don't understand why that showing is only available at the end of the day makes no sense. I loved the last half the most awesome action.

"The Beekeeper" was a film I thought would be hilariously bad. Instead, it subverted my expectations by being a fun, solid actioner. Even on rewatch in preparation for "A Working Man," it hasn't lost its sharp edge. I also consider Jason Statham among my Top 2 favorite action stars alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme. Unfortunately, as a Statham fan, I was disappointed, but it may work for you. My criticisms may be your highlights, hopefully.

Even in a mediocre film, Jason Statham always clocks into work, and Levon Cade is no exception. Whether it's his superb fighting skills or his ability to make weak dialogue sound 100 times better, and I'll get to the screenplay, Statham never manages to underdeliver.

Next, while not as fun or as present as "The Beekeeper," the action was (mostly) enjoyable. That can be because of Statham and the solid directing from David Ayer. Many of the action scenes were riveting, and one motorcycle chase scene is one I'll likely remember.

Outside of that, some lines of dialogue were funny and powerful, Shawn White's cinematography was great, and, as I said, David Ayer does a strong job directing-wise.

As much as I wanted to like it, there are too many flaws that I can't overlook.

To start, the screenplay from David Ayer and Sylvester Stallone was weak. If I had any concerns beforehand, Stallone was one of them. He's far from a bad writer, penning the scripts of installments in The Expendables and Rambo franchises. However, I feared that this film would parallel some of their plot points, and they do, especially "Rambo: Last Blood," given that Cade must save his boss's daughter from human traffickers. Aside from the action in the final act, I don't like that franchise closer, but "A Working Man" is better.

The screenplay creates a story I didn't get invested in. Maybe it's because of familiarity, but "The Beekeeper" wasn't entirely original either, so I'm okay with a generic Statham movie. This narrative was too much for me, though.

Finally, it's possible that "The Beekeeper" set my expectations, but regardless, this film was way too serious for its good. Again, it revolves around human trafficking, and they would take it seriously, I get it. It has many moments that try to be comedic as if to indicate that it'd balance the subject matter with the Jason Statham entertainment people like myself expected, not just exclusive to that prior Statham/Ayer offering. Ironically, one of my issues with "The Beekeeper" is the seriousness present, but it mixed the topics of scamming elders with exhilarating action better than this follow-up.

Overall, "A Working Man" was Taken Lite meets Rambo Raw, not the unofficial sequel to "The Beekeeper" I hoped it'd be. Then again, they announced that sequel weeks earlier, and I'm incredibly excited to see what they do. As much as I can't forgive the issues, I understand you may be able to. If The Expendables and Rambo are your thing, even their weaker installments, you'll enjoy your time here.

Technically, the screenplay holds it back, but the acting, directing, and cinematography make the technical score a 6/10.

For the enjoyment score, there's potential for a 7/10 experience if you can ignore the issues I discussed in this review. Otherwise, a 5/10 enjoyment score will more or less be the result. It was a disappointing day at the office, but the action may justify going to the theaters!

Jason Statham movies aren't known for good story, but this is next level bad. You could have hired a random person off the street to write a better script. Not only is it all the common tropes, but it's on fast forward mode. "No I won't help you". Two minutes later, "alright I'll help you". Bunch of random fights and unneeded scenes.

With all that said, it's still what you would expect action wise. Jason just murdering everyone in his way as usual. Luckily I'm a huge fan of these types of movies. People rating this an 8 or higher are on drugs though. This movie will be forgotten in a year........

The Good: Jason Statham. Jason Flemyng. Michael Pena. David Ayer. Sylvester Stallone's retro 80's script. All on paper, at least. So, nothing, really.

The Bad: Cinematography. Editing. Direction. Weak script. Atrocious dialogue. Poor characterisation. Overly convoluted and derivative plot. ADHD pacing.

The Verdict: As mentioned above, the cast, crew, and plot sound awesome on paper, but everyone involved in this movie is just phoning it in. It's both frustrating and heartbreaking given it's potential. I love David Ayer's previous work in both directing (Fury, End of Watch, and even Suicide Squad) and screenwriting (Training Day, The Fast & The Furious (2001)), but fear that a certain studio's interference in one of those (no prizes for guessing which) has left him both disillusioned and broken as a filmmaker. David Ayer wants to be Tony Scott, but has somehow relegated himself to doing Michael Winner-esque revenge thrillers (see last year's The Beekeeper if you don't believe me), which hurts me more, as the late Michael Winner made some decent films in the past (The Jokers, Death Wish, The Nightcomers, Dirty Weekend (THE proto-feminist revenge thriller)). The Michael Winner comparison continues as Jason Statham (who has an awesome filmography including Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, Jet Li's The One, The Bank Job, Crank, Blitz, The Meg, and Wrath of Man (Guy Ritchie's far superior effort compared to this)) has now earned the unofficial Charles Bronson (the late actor) of today Award. The film itself is like a pastiche of Man on Fire (2004), Taken, and Road House without doing anything original or different. It's as if Sly Stallone wrote the screenplay (based on the novel Levon's Trade by Chuck Dixon) in the 1980's, sat on it for 40 years, and gave it to David Ayer to punch it up throwing in cell phones, Tinder (still a thing, really?) and Emoji references (what?!). Then there's the editing that would give Michael Bay a Grand Mal seizure, and the continuity is all over the place. Pay £15 to see this lame and tame garbage peeing on the silver screen or wait a month and have it defecate on your face in the comfort of your own home? Hollywood seriously need to look in the mirror while they cut their nose off to spite their face, as they're destroying a lot of filmmakers and theatres in the process (their bread and butter!). You've been warned... unless you're Gen-Z in which case, you might have a blast. God only knows what Snow White (2025) must be like to lose money to this crap.

Jason Statham and director David Ayer reunite for A Working Man, following their success with The Beekeeper- another adrenaline-fueled ride. This time, they dive into the dark world of human trafficking, and the result is a relentless action thriller that pulls no punches. In his usual no-nonsense fashion, Statham dishes out swift and brutal justice, making every fight sequence feel personal and punishing.

Scripted by Sylvester Stallone and based on Chuck Dixon's Levon's Trade (the first of 12 excellent, fast-paced books which I recommend - they are short novels with lots of action), the film sets the stage for what could be a long-running franchise. Statham's character, Levon Cade, is a former black ops operative trying to live a quiet life- until evil finds him first. One of the film's most memorable moments comes when Cade warns a trafficker, "You had your chance to walk away. Now I take everything." Moments later, the audience is treated to a bone-snapping, full-throttle takedown that leaves no doubt: he means it.

Ayer's signature grit and Stallone's old-school action sensibilities make A Working Man more than just another Statham beatdown; it's a raw, relentless tale of vengeance and justice. If this is only the beginning, action fans should buckle up for the ride ahead. Don't listen to the naysayers; this is a great old-school meets new-school action popcorn flick.

Film looks like it's been done on a £25 budget and they spent £21 of that on snacks. Acting is terrible, effects even worse and a script written by someone who probably used a crayon.

Thinking of some of the big films Jason Statham has been in, it's sad to see how his career is clearly spiralling in a downwards direction. Is it the worse film you'll see this year? Maybe not, however it will definitely be up there with the very worst!

A very familiar formula being used for films like this, land a semi big name for leading role, write a subpar scrip and knock it out to one of the streaming services for content. Boring and lazy!

It's a typical Statham movie similar to Beekeeper although the story isn't as strong.

He's left the special forces putting his life behind him and became a working man.

The daughter of the company he works for gets kidnapped for trafficking by the Russian Mob.

He promised to always have her back and goes all Statham style after them to rescue her.

Statham does Statham, lots of killing, infinite bullets and bullet proof himself and some cheesy one liners.

The story is weaker than the Bee Keeper and they follower similar roles.

I found the story lacking a bit with the Russian Mob who seemed like the local drug dealing gang rather than "boss" level crime villains they would normally play.

Overall I gave it a 7 because it wasn't that bad it did have some strong points although the side story over his own daughter could have been left out it didn't/doesn't carry any weight to the movie and could have been left out.

I found the movie a little dragged out at times but still worth going to see if you enjoyed the Bee Keeper.