Statham Leads Action-Packed Thriller With Personality

The fear Jason Statham can strike with just one menacing glare is impressive. In Wrath of Man — directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay by Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies — he gets to angle that perilous, tempered gaze at several men in this high stakes revenge-heist action thriller. The film balances multiple storylines with intense action sequences and, despite pacing issues, packs a major punch that will keep audiences riveted.

Wrath of Man follows Patrick Hill (who goes by “H” for short), a cash truck security guard who’s new on the job at Fortico Securities. He starts months following the tragic murders of two other cash security guards, who were killed during an armed heist. While he keeps to himself and does the job he was hired to do, H shows off his exceptional sharpshooting skills during another attempted heist. After which, his coworkers — namely, his partner Bullet (Mindhunter’s Holt McCallany) and Dave (Josh Hartnett) — begin to suspect H isn’t at all who he says he is. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military men, led by Jackson (Jeffrey Donovan), are planning one last heist that would make them millionaires, but they’ll have to dodge obstacles to smoothly pull it off.

123MOVIES-[WATCH] Mortal Kombat (2021) Online FREE Movie HD Download

Based on Nicolas Boukhrief’s French film Le convoyeur, Wrath of Man is slick and engaging right out of the gate. The first quarter of the film is spent on H’s meticulous infiltration of the Fortico Securities. The man is on a mission and there is nothing standing in his way. However, just as viewers get comfortable with unwrapping the mysteries surrounding his character, the film changes gears, backtracking to reveal exactly how H landed in his current predicament without missing a beat. Once the story falls into another lull, with hints that the backstory would finally align with the events of the present, Wrath of Man presents yet another major subplot twist that unites the stories and characters, combining the best of a revenge thriller with the drama of a heist.

The film never grows tiring, keeping the audience on their feet as Ritchie moves between one story and another. The tension is built through the slow-burn, with the film offering enough swift action sequences to keep things interesting. This allows the story to simmer for a bit before it culminates in a ruthlessly dark and virulent final act. The antagonists in this situation are the ex-military men, who are clearly good strategists, but frustratingly can’t distinguish between Arabs and Afghans and have no qualms about killing civilians. Scott Eastwood, a typically unmemorable actor, is particularly at home in his role as Jan, the wild card of the bunch. Statham, meanwhile, pulls out all the stops portraying H. He’s controlled, all steely gazes and pursed lips, precise in his actions, but briefly tender when he needs to be. McCallany is charismatic, which makes it easy to like Bullet (for better or worse).

123MOVIES-[WATCH] Demon Slayer: Mugen Train (2020) Online FREE Movie HD Download

The film hinges on the premise that all the men involved in the story are varying shades of terrible (and they truly are!) and it works to the extent that it needs to, so long as viewers don’t expect it to go any further than that. Wrath of Man does spend some time developing Jackson and his men’s side of the story, but they're introduced too late in the film for their dynamic to be as well established as Statham's H. Where the film also falters is in its final stretch. There are pacing issues that hinder the seamless merging of storylines, which is especially glaring as the focus moves away from Statham’s character for too long, somewhat clunkily attempting to bridge the gap made by his absence. 

All that said, Wrath of Man has enough twists and turns to keep viewers interested in the story and the action sequences, which can get incredibly brutal, are confidently filmed in daylight. Despite certain missteps and a lull in the story right near the end, the exceptional editing by James Herbert brings everything together as scenes of Jackson and his men preparing for the final heist are intercut with that of the action happening in real time. It makes for an exciting, somewhat chaotic, finale that is full of suspense and comeuppance. Ritchie excels directing movies like this one and Wrath of Man doesn't disappoint.

123MOVIES-[WATCH] Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Online FREE Movie HD Download

Wrath of Man, the new action thriller from Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham, has revealed its action-packed style in a new trailer. The film will be Ritchie and Statham’s fourth collaboration after Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Revolver, and their first since 2005. Statham will lead a cast that includes Scott Eastwood, Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan, Laz Alonso, Raúl Castillo and Post Malone.

Ritchie originally made a name for himself in the film industry as a director of gritty, stylish crime films like Snatch, Revolver and RocknRolla. He later rose to prominence as the director of the Robert Downey Jr.-led Sherlock Holmes films and Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake in 2019. Ritchie’s most recent film, The Gentlemen, harkened back to his crime thriller roots - a trend that looks to be continuing with the release of Wrath of Man, which will tell a tense story about armored car heists in Los Angeles.

The Wrath of Man movie trailer shows Ritchie’s newest crime saga in action, with Statham’s “H” character leading the fray. The film certainly looks to have the director’s signature grit and violent style, and it’s great for longtime fans to see Ritchie and Statham together again after so many years. Watch the Wrath of Man trailer below.

123MOVIES-[WATCH] Wrath of Man (2021) Online FREE Movie HD Download

While Wrath of Man undeniably carries Ritchie’s aesthetic pedigree, it also looks to be taking cues from the modern era of revenge action movies that John Wick set off. Statham’s character seems to join the armored truck company to hunt down and punish the criminals who killed his son - not necessarily an original story, but one that the action legend is perfectly suited to star in. With the Bob Odenkirk-led Nobody having just released on March 26, and John Wick: Chapter 4 entering production soon, fans of the genre have a good deal to enjoy and look forward to.

Of course, that darker tone also means a bit less of the dry comedy Ritchie’s films are known for. The director’s early work blended gritty street-level crime action with absurdist dark comedy, and while those films received R ratings, they maintained a level of levity throughout. That lighter touch appears to be gone in Wrath of Man, with Jason Statham’s hard stare and brutal killings supplanting any hints of comedy. Longtime fans of Ritchie's work will be able to judge that change for themselves soon. Wrath of Man is scheduled for release in theaters on May 7.

123MOVIES-[WATCH] Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) Online FREE Movie HD Download