By Dolores Quintana
A Working Man is the second collaboration between director David Ayer and actor Jason Statham, in which an ordinary man, even though he is a highly trained killing machine, goes up against impossible odds to save a young woman from human traffickers.
The first film this duo made, the similarly titled The Beekeeper, was a hit among action fans, but this film does not continue that story. If anything, it is a spiritual sequel with a similar setup: a vigilante fight for justice from a taciturn man who is trying to do the right thing and just happens to be a Royal Marine.
The first thing you might think is that it is a rip of the Taken series, which gave Liam Neeson a career as an action star, but it is not. It stands apart from the John Wick series, too, because its main character, Levon Cade, isn’t an almost supernatural being, the Baba Yaga, but an ordinary guy who will eat canned tuna and peanut butter if the family who owns the construction company where he works doesn’t give him food from their abuela. He’s not hellbent on destroying himself; he is just focused on keeping custody of his daughter.
Jason Statham is an action star who has branched out into more dramatic roles that still allow him to flex his fighting skills. He has a quietly charismatic personality that he is honing in on with these roles. If anything, these movies remind me of the action films that starred Charles Bronson in the 1970s, before Death Wish and the popular and populist Walking Tall series. It’s a bit of a throwback to movies that they don’t make anymore.
His character, Levon Cade, doesn’t want any trouble but will not watch evil go unpunished. He’s a moral character among the chaos of the Russian and American criminals in the movie.
The fighting is pretty dang good, with some nice gunplay. It doesn’t have the sadistic edge that would make this a gorefest or a bummer. Director and co-writer David Ayer gives the film a dark palette that contains just enough style to match the grit of the action. The script, written with Sylvester Stallone, hits familiar action revenge-style beats with touches of humor to keep things moving and show that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Michael Peña, Arianna Rivas, and David Harbour co-star. Peña plays the father, Joe Garcia, who owns the construction company. David Harbour plays the comedic role of his former comrade, Gunny Lefferty, who is blind but refuses to admit that he can’t see. Arianna Rivas gives a strong performance as Jenny Garcia, who was taught to fight by her Special Forces abuelo and has a persona reminiscent of Melissa Barrera.
The underworld gangsters and drug dealers are all well cast and give their characters nuance and charisma, especially Dutch actor Max Croes, who gives a memorable performance with little to no dialogue as Karp. Yep, they named him after a fish.
If you would like a solid action revenge picture that isn’t too gory or sadistic and has a heart, you would do well to buy a ticket to A Working Man. It is satisfying to see a man who will instantly stand up to villains who think they are above the law, given the current political climate.
A Working Man is exactly what its name implies: meat and potatoes vigilante action, nothing too fancy, but a good meal just the same.
