'A Working Man' review: Jason Statham's thriller is exhausting, dull
What's the story
A Working Man, directed by David Ayer, stars Jason Statham, Michael Peña, and David Harbour.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the action-thriller drama is based on the novel Levon's Trade by Chuck Dixon.
Incredibly dull and boring, A Working Man has nothing new or interesting to offer, and Ayer and Sylvester Stallone's script is full of generic, done-to-death moments.
Story
A kidnapped girl, the Russian mafia, and an ex-military man
A Working Man focuses on Levon Cade (Statham), an ex-military man who now works as a construction worker for a firm owned by Joe (Peña).
One tragic day, when Joe's daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas), is kidnapped by the Russian mafia, Levon makes it his life's mission to bring her back safely.
Harbour plays Gunny Lefferty, Levon's blind friend.
#1
Nothing you have not seen before
A Working Man is incredibly generic and has next to no surprising or exhilarating moments.
It has a generic template, a run-of-the-mill story, with predictable characters performing predictable, uninteresting actions.
The film starts decently, establishes all the important characters, but then goes awry so quickly that there is no saving it, despite the best efforts of the cast.
#2
No emotional connection to any character whatsoever
A Working Man repeatedly tries to conjure an emotional core, but its ideas never come together.
We are introduced to Levon's young daughter, Merry (to demonstrate his emotional, vulnerable side), and are told that he is locked in a fierce custody battle with Merry's maternal grandfather.
These sequences are begging us to feel something, but they mostly fall flat.
#3
It's extremely predictable and formulaic
Once you watch the first half an hour, it won't be difficult to predict the conclusion.
You already know the ending, the only question is: How will Levon save Jenny?
The craft here isn't exactly sub-par, and the acting is satisfactory, but the film never fully pulls you in.
A lot keeps happening, but most of it is draining to watch.
#4
Action pieces try, but they can't save the lackluster film
Some action scenes are inventive, slick, and stylistic, and there is some fun to be had with some of the eccentric antagonists, but beyond that, A Working Man struggles to keep you engaged.
It is under two hours long but feels much longer than that, and because it's so focused on action and so little on drama/character arcs, it never makes you feel anything.
Verdict
'A Working Man' is more of the same; 1.5/5
A Working Man has some quotable one-liners, there is unexpected humor in some places, and Harbour shines despite his limited role.
However, beyond that, it is mostly a chore to sit through, and a been-there-seen-that feeling seeps in early on while watching it.
More in-depth, gripping storytelling could have saved A Working Man from becoming such an easily forgettable, exhausting watch.
1.5/5 stars.