Gareth Evans isn’t a filmmaker with an extensive portfolio, but cult classics The Raid and The Raid 2 were enough to cement his legacy in action cinema. Any avid fan of the genre recognizes these movies as a major influence – not just for the intensity of their fight set pieces, but for the technical mastery of their long, brutally choreographed takes. His minimalist yet effective narrative approach served as the perfect stage for stunt teams and practical effects departments to shine.
With that in mind, expectations for Havoc – Evans’ sixth feature film as both writer and director – were clear: a straightforward story anchored by memorable, highly stylized action. With Tom Hardy (Venom, Dunkirk) in the lead role as Detective Walker, the movie follows a morally ambiguous cop dragged into the criminal underworld after a drug bust goes wrong. In his attempt to rescue the son of a powerful politician, Walker dives into a labyrinth of conspiracies, betrayals… and bullets. Lots of bullets.
Unfortunately, any hope of recapturing the excellence of The Raid fades before the end of the first act. Evans feels like a shadow of his former self, with his once-clear vision and contagious enthusiasm now replaced by an aesthetic exercise where martial arts are swapped for a flood of visual and sonic pyrotechnics. What was once a distinct harmony between narrative and action has become a chaotic, noisy parade of endless shootouts and disposable characters.
The first hour of Havoc is especially painful. Slow, uninteresting, and unnecessarily convoluted, it seems to go out of its way to mask the predictability of its story. The film takes almost sixty minutes to deliver its first major action sequence – something that could be forgivable if it were building toward something meaningful or memorable. Instead, Evans multiplies the antagonists, cloaks generic motivations in layers of empty intrigue, and perpetuates a constant sense of déjà vu.
That said, Havoc doesn’t lack energy or adrenaline. The title is well-earned, delivering bloodbaths, shootouts with infinite ammo, and gallons of blood splashing in every direction. The overall brutality is undeniable, and Evans doesn’t hide the movie’s darkly humorous tone, which attempts to soften its most excessive moments. However, the complete lack of restraint or balance makes it all overwhelmingly too much – even for fans of unhinged action.
Every character needs seven or eight bullets to die. There are so many shots fired that even the VFX team can’t sync the muzzle flashes properly. The internal logic of Havoc drowns in a sea of deafening noise – even during home viewing, the sound design becomes unpleasantly aggressive. CGI in the car chases and nighttime scenes is visibly artificial, and the sets repeat themselves monotonously.
The biggest disappointment, however, is the near-total absence of hand-to-hand combat – Evans’ signature. There are no standout fight scenes, no well-structured sequences. Just one indistinguishable shootout after another, in hallways and buildings that blend together without any innovation. The structure repeats itself: forced entry, armed resistance, miraculous survival. That pattern sets in and never lets up, with little to no variation to maintain interest.
Despite the occasional flash of visual charm – Evans still knows how to compose a stylish shot – chaos often outweighs clarity. The frantic camera work and excessively rapid editing hurt the stunt performers’ efforts, whose work gets lost in the visual confusion. It’s frustrating to watch a film that clearly demanded so much physically from its cast be sabotaged by creative choices that obscure talent rather than showcase it.
Thematically, Havoc is predictably empty. But to be fair, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that – not every movie needs to carry elevated subtext, despite what some elitist ideas in the industry suggest. The problem isn’t a lack of message; it’s the absence of anything engaging, whether emotional, technical, or even purely spectacular. In a film where action should be the main course, the fact that it’s repetitive, incoherent, and unimpressive is a fatal flaw.
Tom Hardy, for his part, delivers with professionalism. His physical presence and charisma carry a few scenes, but the material he’s given doesn’t allow him to shine.
Final Thoughts on Havoc
Havoc is exactly what its title suggests: absolute chaos. Unfortunately, it’s chaos without purpose. Gareth Evans may have had carte blanche to realize his vision, and there’s always something admirable about that kind of creative freedom. But the intensity and energy that should be strengths instead become a loud, repetitive, confusing, and – worst of all – forgettable experience. Style without clarity, action without emotion, violence without impact. For a movie that should be a visceral thrill ride, it ends up as superficial insanity that – even for fans craving bloody spectacle – will hardly deliver surprises.
Rating: C-
Havoc will release on Netflix on April 25, 2025.
Learn more about the film, including how to watch, at the Netflix site for the title.
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