A Working Man - Review

Jason Statham is perhaps one of the few actors who has carved out a career of simply playing himself, anything where he diverges feels off and inauthentic. Statham is plainly put an 80s action figure, with a growly British accent, who usually plays the working class man who can punch himself out of anything. A Working Man is no different, right from the credits paint the film as an over-the-top action film that has military patriotism strapped across its forehead.

In the film, Statham plays Levon Cade (although it doesn’t really matter, he may as well just be called Jason Statham), a construction site worker who sleeps in his car. Levon is an army veteran low on money, which he is trying to build up to gain full control from his father-in-law, who looks after his daughter most of the time. This is after the death of his wife, which his father-in-law incorrectly accuses Levon of because of his unsafe past. He is antagonistic to Levon labelling him as an unsafe parent and a killer. Instead, Levon regards his employers, the Garcia’s as his family. So when the daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas) is taken, he is hired by the parents (Michael Pena & Noemi Gonzalez) to find her.

Levon goes off hunting sex traffickers, following the scent of her disappearance in a film that heavily rips off Liam Neeson’s Taken, and while Statham doesn’t have the acting talent of Neeson, he does have a certain level of charisma in what is an entertaining watch. However, there are a few elements that stop this from being a solid action flick. At times the action direction and choreography are illegible, there are so many cuts and handheld camera moves it is hard to stay focused on what is actually happening. Although it is not the biggest offender, the film does fall into some of the genre’s most recent trends to negative effect. Meanwhile, it is narratively a little bit all over the place. It feels as if Levon goes a long way around in search of the girl as though to extend the runtime, whilst the political geography of the Russian mafia that poses as his obstacle is shoddily done.

Tonally as well, the film can be a little all over the place. For the most part, it stays within a serious avenue, which lends itself to the peril that Jenny is in. However, at times there are some goofier moments, that clash with the gritty action aesthetic. This tonal mismatch is not super distracting, but yet another example where the film lacks direction and focus to bolster the foundations.

A Working Man is not a good film, but it can at times be a fun one. Although Statham is never going to be an awards player, he most certainly has an element of star power within the action genre. The film at times feels like a throwback to 80s action in the best way possible, and Statham definitely helps with the film’s homage to this era. However, it is the execution which leaves much to be desired.