Director Gareth Evans made waves with his 2011 film, The Raid: Redemption, and its 2014 sequel, The Raid 2. Both films became modern-day staples of the action genre, delivering a one-of-a-kind experience. They are films that, 10+ years later, still have an impact on the cultural discussion of action movies. It set a high precedent amongst fans who now knew this filmmaker’s (and the genre’s) capabilities. Seven years after Evan’s last film Apostle, he is back with the Netflix action thriller Havoc starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker.
After a drug deal gone bad, Detective Walker (Hardy) is forced to save politician Lawrence Beaumount’s (Forest Whittaker) estranged son from a criminal underworld. As Walker delves deeper into this crime-ridden world, he uncovers something even more profound and sinister. Clocking in at 107 minutes, the film aims to deliver a nail-biting, brutal, and engaging action thrill-ride. That is what makes Havoc a rather unfortunate mixed bag of a finished product.
Viewers who click play on Havoc expecting something similar to The Raid films will be sorely disappointed. The biggest weakness of Evans film has to reside in the screenplay, which he also wrote. Havoc’s dialogue operates in a weird space in time, existing as if its only purpose is to get to the following action sequence. That makes the dialogue come off with an uneasy repetition that feels somewhat grating. It feels particularly grating as the film has to fill space between its action set pieces. The whole momentum of the piece would fall apart without our central performance by Tom Hardy.
Any fan of Tom Hardy’s work knows he can deliver cool, calm, and collected machismo dialogue. He knows how to say a line with serious gruffness, which makes him formidable on screen. While he doesn’t do anything different here, the secret is in Hardy’s physical presence on screen. His bulking physicality is often frightening to behold, which proves effective in this sort of hard-boiled noir story. With Hardy being in almost every scene, it helps viewers immediately engage with the story, as having an actor who can fit the genre conventions is beneficial. That serves as a benefit when the other supporting performances don’t quite have an impact.
When working with actors of the caliber of Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant, one would hope for engaging dialogue. Instead, these capable individuals (and their numerous political and gangster cohorts) are saddled with painful rhetoric. Their dialogue simply isn’t as engaging as one may hope, occasionally feeling like a bad USA TV network cop show, meets an 1980s action movie, meets classic kung-fu cinema.
One could easily close their eyes and hear Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Jason Statham recite these lines. For some viewers, that level of cheesiness will almost immediately make them lose interest. One can certainly not deny that if you feel that way, Havoc won’t be the film for you. Frankly, the film would be a complete disaster without one very key element. Evans is known for his kinetic, thrilling, and all-around exciting action set pieces, and Havoc has plenty to spare.
Evans’ ability to keep the camera steady makes the action all the more impactful. Throughout Havoc, there are three large-scale, exhilarating action set-pieces. In keeping with Evans’ filmmaking talents, audiences can see every action, punch, kick, and stab that occurs. Keeping the camera steady creates a thrilling, visceral energy that only someone like Evans could accomplish. I want to particularly shout out a sequence in a nightclub that is unlike anything I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a rare sequence that I am still thinking about long after the credits rolled.
Some will consider the saying Havoc ‘feels like a cartoon” as somewhat of an insult. Evans wisely sets the story in a heightened world, making the action occasionally feel like something from a comic book. Granted, this includes very blood-splattered set pieces that occasionally teeter on the edge of parody. That would be easy for some to argue is repetitive and gratuitous, which I cannot deny. But seeing the craft put into those sequences is hard to ignore. It’s a reminder of a filmmaker who is willing to push the envelope of the genre, leaving chaos and carnage in his wake.
Regrettably, one of my biggest frustrations with Havoc is not having the chance to see it in a theater. The film has a glossy sheen, similar to many other direct-to-Netflix films. Some may consider this sufficient to say that it fits perfectly on the platform. When paying attention to the care involved in the action sequences, it would more than justify seeing this in a theater. While watching, I simply wished I could see it in a packed theater with a full audience. To have that feeling from a Netflix action movie was something unexpected.
Havoc should not be considered a perfect addition to the cop movie subgenre. It’s filled with cliched dialogue and paper-thin supporting characters. What makes it something worth your time comes down to the pairing of Tom Hardy and Gareth Evans. Looking back on Tom Hardy’s career, he can very much be called a physical performer. He’s imposing, frightening, and has a presence you cannot take your eyes off of. Combine that with Evans’s eye for direction and action sequences, and it’s a winning formula. Havoc does not reinvent the wheel for action cinema, but proves itself to be a nice addition. With some electrifying sequences and a terrific lead performance, it’s perfect to watch for a fun Friday night at home.
Havoc is now playing on Netflix.
Learn more about the film, including how to watch, at the Netflix site for the title.
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