SYNOPSIS: When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Whatever Gareth Evans does, everyone is going to compare it with The Raid and The Raid 2. Two action thrillers that are destined to be classics down the years. Other than Gangs of London, the Welsh born director hasn’t done anything on the scale of The Raid. With Havoc, he seems to be back or at least seems to be.

Set in an unnamed city that resembles a rundown New York or Chicago, a weathered homicide cop, Walker (Tom Hardy) and his rookie partner, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) has to investigate a narcotics deal gone wrong. In short, Charlie, the son of a renowned politician, Lawrence (Forest Whitaker) is suspected to gun down the son of a Chinese mobster (played by a familiar face, Yeo Yann Yann) and she is thirsty for revenge. With Lawrence engaging his help to save his son, Walker not only must face the Chinese but also fellow corrupted cops led by Vincent (Timothy Olyphant).

There is not exactly a lot going on for the plot which is also written by Evans. The narrative here is straightforward and the characters introduced are mostly one dimensional and never make much impact on the overall story except Walker who of course has the most exposure. Come on it’s Tom Hardy. So as we learned, Walker has a six-year-old daughter that he desperately wants to see given its Christmas season and he is guilt-ridden over some dirty work involving Vincent as well. We guess Walker is trying to redeem himself by protecting Charlie.

But then audiences are here for the gang wars, menacing corrupt cops and anti-hero right? And I suppose every Raid fan is assembled here for the bloodshed right?

Well, you are in for a treat if you want to see how Evans on ten crates of Gatorade and Red Bull is like. The brutality and violence is insane and it makes John Wick looks like a G rated action thriller. The countless stuntmen disguising as the Chinese henchmen deserved an award for pulling off the bloodiest practical effects, hard knocks and falls. Trust Evans to casually pulls off a carnage warfare on a busy traffic stop, a nightclub and a hut in the middle of the woods. Now if you think John Woo’s classics, Hardboiled and A Better Tomorrow has an endless supply of bullet rounds, think again.

While it doesn’t top The Raid in terms of story and execution, not to mention the nauseously camera moves, Havoc is still a decent treat for those feeling exhausted from Netflix’s CGI heavy action comedies or thrillers. To be fair, Timothy Olyphant is kind of wasted in the whole affair. But our very own Sunny Pang has a fair part playing a greedy henchman. Bullets, holes and Hardy, at least Havoc truly lives up to its name.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Whatever Gareth Evans does, everyone is going to compare it with The Raid and The Raid 2. Two action thrillers that are destined to be classics down the years. Other than Gangs of London, the Welsh born director hasn’t done anything on the scale of The Raid. With Havoc, he seems to be back or at least seems to be.

Set in an unnamed city that resembles a rundown New York or Chicago, a weathered homicide cop, Walker (Tom Hardy) and his rookie partner, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) has to investigate a narcotics deal gone wrong. In short, Charlie, the son of a renowned politician, Lawrence (Forest Whitaker) is suspected to gun down the son of a Chinese mobster (played by a familiar face, Yeo Yann Yann) and she is thirsty for revenge. With Lawrence engaging his help to save his son, Walker not only must face the Chinese but also fellow corrupted cops led by Vincent (Timothy Olyphant).

There is not exactly a lot going on for the plot which is also written by Evans. The narrative here is straightforward and the characters introduced are mostly one dimensional and never make much impact on the overall story except Walker who of course has the most exposure. Come on it’s Tom Hardy. So as we learned, Walker has a six-year-old daughter that he desperately wants to see given its Christmas season and he is guilt-ridden over some dirty work involving Vincent as well. We guess Walker is trying to redeem himself by protecting Charlie.

But then audiences are here for the gang wars, menacing corrupt cops and anti-hero right? And I suppose every Raid fan is assembled here for the bloodshed right?

Well, you are in for a treat if you want to see how Evans on ten crates of Gatorade and Red Bull is like. The brutality and violence is insane and it makes John Wick looks like a G rated action thriller. The countless stuntmen disguising as the Chinese henchmen deserved an award for pulling off the bloodiest practical effects, hard knocks and falls. Trust Evans to casually pulls off a carnage warfare on a busy traffic stop, a nightclub and a hut in the middle of the woods. Now if you think John Woo’s classics, Hardboiled and A Better Tomorrow has an endless supply of bullet rounds, think again.

While it doesn’t top The Raid in terms of story and execution, not to mention the nauseously camera moves, Havoc is still a decent treat for those feeling exhausted from Netflix’s CGI heavy action comedies or thrillers. To be fair, Timothy Olyphant is kind of wasted in the whole affair. But our very own Sunny Pang has a fair part playing a greedy henchman. Bullets, holes and Hardy, at least Havoc truly lives up to its name.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee