A Working Man Review: Jason Statham Is A Killer Girl Dad In A Generic John Wick Knockoff

It's a truth universally acknowledged, that even the most balanced moviegoing diet needs some cinematic junk food thrown in there every now and then. Don't get me wrong — it'd be nice if every action blockbuster rose to the same heights of a "Mad Max: Fury Road" or if every popcorn flick could channel the ruthless efficiency of a Tony Scott film. But we don't live in that ideal world and, frankly, it'd probably be a little boring if we did. Make no mistake: At a time when we can't afford to be picky about what brings audiences to theaters, there is definitely room for empty calorie entertainment.

Into this wildly imperfect ecosystem steps "A Working Man," the next collaboration between star Jason Statham and director David Ayer, the pair that last brought us the ridiculous B-movie joys of "The Beekeeper." This time around, they've teamed up for another gimmicky, shoot-em-up thriller in much the same vein. Here, the English action hero plays yet another blue-collar, ex-military type hiding his very particular set of skills while minding his own business and working an unremarkable day job (now a construction worker rather than, you know, a beekeeper) ... that is, until the bad guys mess with precisely the wrong loved one. Sure, nobody will ever confuse Statham for a chameleon, but there is something charming about Hollywood pretending that one of the world's most recognizable performers is actually the epitome of an everyman. The crowd-pleaser understands every narrative beat it needs to hit, in fact, which becomes clear as soon as it kicks things off with a hilariously over-stylized opening credits sequence brimming with rah-rah patriotic imagery: from faceless soldiers bleeding out on battlefields, to multiple closeups of American and British flags emerging from flames, to (I kid you not) cement trucks with larger-than-life grenades in place of the actual mixer. It's all very subtle, you see.

Despite all this goofy potential, however, "A Working Man" can't quite establish itself as a contender to the crown of junk food cinema. Where "The Beekeeper" had the benefit of a hilariously over-the-top premise and a heightened tone to match, this latest Statham vehicle struggles mightily to recapture that same magic and ultimately delivers far less spectacular results than hoped for. Based on author Chuck Dixon's novel "Levon's Trade," the adaptation takes the bones of a working-class vigilante and disjointedly filters it through the lens of Ayer and Statham's blunt tendencies. This leads to a plot that's somehow straightforward and needlessly convoluted all at once, action that's unexpectedly more restrained than it ought to be (until the fireworks go off in the final act, at least), and an overall approach that aims for "John Wick" ... but can't even reach "The Transporter."

If you've seen even just one Jason Statham movie, you'll only need one guess as to how the premise of "A Working Man" unfolds. We first meet the unassuming construction foreman Levon Cade as he delivers a stirring speech about workplace safety (of all things) while on the scene of a build site. Henpecked boss Joe Garcia (a woefully underutilized Michael Peña) is busy keeping this business afloat, while his talented and fun-loving teen daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas) tries to score some funds from her dad to blow off steam with her party-going friends over the weekend. Levon, who we learn is a PTSD-ridden widower fighting his own father-in-law for custody of his young daughter Merry (Isla Gie), takes all this banter in with a soft smile. But this is simply too innocent to last, and the brazen kidnapping of Jenny that soon follows shatters the idyllic family dynamic. After refusing the call for approximately a minute and a half, all Levon needs is a heart-to-heart conversation with old disabled war buddy Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour, gruff and endearing as ever) to convince him to go full Jack Reacher on the human traffickers unlucky enough to get in his way.

On one level, the mere existence of the "John Wick" franchise makes it unfair for any action movie with the misfortune of debuting in its wake, but "A Working Man" does itself no favors by its pretty blatant attempts to follow in its footsteps in the early going. Some obligatory reconnaissance and high-tech gadgetry (which feels weirdly at odds with the film's own blue-collar sensibilities) leads our antihero on an ever-descending crusade into the criminal underground embedded within Chicago. It's never made entirely clear how Levon actually traces Jenny's steps to the exact alleyway where she was taken or how he picks out those responsible, but this trail of clues only leads him from one big bad to another. Even before the absurdly stereotypical Russian villains show up as the mysterious "Brotherhood" pulling the strings, the plot mostly resembles a series of nesting dolls where one apparent mob boss gets brutally offed in Levon's relentless quest for vengeance ... only to get replaced by another as quickly as they arrived. And when the film finally develops any visual style to speak of, it only manifests as the same vibrantly-lit club sets that "John Wick" pulled off so effortlessly.

Yet the similar boogeyman myth of Levon Cade, which the script tries so hard to manufacture (from credited co-writers David Ayer and, yes, Sylvester Stallone), rarely matches the ease with which we see this supposed underdog mowing down enemies. Everything comes just a little too easy for our protagonist, the many cheer moments feel just a little too pat, and the end result is a breezy adventure with a final act that comes as too little and too late.

This isn't to say that there won't be any enjoyment to be had from "A Working Man." Cinematographer Shawn White brings a largely handheld perspective behind the camera, keeping the action legible enough when the punches land and the bullets fly. Although we don't get nearly enough of him, David Harbour's brief supporting turn as a blinded war vet intersects with Levon's domestic subplot concerning his daughter Merry in surprisingly touching ways. And watching arguably some of the most incompetent and well-cast goons to ever grace the silver screen in years — courtesy of Cokey Falkow's biker gang member Dougie (who looks distractingly like Tim Blake Nelson), the bumbling pair of Emmett J. Scanlan's Viper and Eve Mauro's Artemis, and especially Maximilian Osinski's ineffectual sleazebag Dimi Kolisnyk (who might as well be named "Russian Jared Leto") — provides much-needed dashes of levity. As a whole, the movie probably needed to be 25% goofier and 50% funnier than it actually is. Still, there's no denying the unmistakable sincerity at its core (and a laugh-out-loud Dropkick Murphys needle drop) that earns it just enough goodwill to get by, as does a gonzo final act that finally finds the right tone it was searching for all along.

But watching Jason Statham snuff the life out of mustache-twirling criminals with whatever random tools happen to be at his disposal can only take things so far, as it turns out. Levon's use of pickaxes and mallets and knives quickly becomes the only moments where "A Working Man" actually remembers its working-class roots. Statham might win hearts and minds as the most convincing girl dad in recent cinema history, willing to torture and brutalize his way through the ranks of a sinister, globe-spanning organization. But anyone hoping for even a marginally interesting thematic point beneath the hood is bound to be disappointed. Compared to the "What you see is what you get" workmanlike drama of "A Working Man," I actually found myself pining for the coked-out "What if Hunter Biden and Hillary Clinton were secretly responsible for everything bad" hysterics of "The Beekeeper."

True to its source material, which spans 10 total books (and a novella, for good measure), "A Working Man" includes a throwaway moment late in its 116-minute runtime that sets the stage for any number of sequels to follow. It's far too early to state whether that feels like a threat or a promise, as I'm still holding out for this annual Ayer/Statham partnership to reach its full potential. There's a place for brainless, R-rated action movies like this in theaters, and there always will be. But, hopefully, it's not asking too much for one that properly justifies the average moviegoer's time and hard-earned money. A lunch pail guy like Levon Cade can surely appreciate the irony of that.

/Film Rating: 5 out of 10

"A Working Man" hits theaters on March 28, 2025.