Directed by: Gareth Evans
Written by: Gareth Evans
Run Time: 1 hour 47 minutes

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There’s no hyperbole in suggesting that Gareth Evans’ Indonesian action flicks The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014) are two of the finest films of their genre. Their ferocious and fast-paced fight sequences are among cinema’s most notable of the century so far. It’s unsurprising then that with new Tom Hardy-led actioner Havoc, the Welsh writer-director has returned to the style of filmmaking that first gained him such notoriety.

Hardy stars as Walker, a formidable homicide detective tasked with retrieving the son of dishonourable mayoral candidate Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker), after he flees a drug deal gone wrong. As Walker pursues his target through the city’s criminal underworld he becomes caught in-between a violent gang war while also being forced to confront a dark secret from his own past.

If the plot sounds generic, that’s because sadly, it is. It’s the classic and cliched tale of police corruption and political deceit. There’s nothing particularly gripping about this narrative, although the brief sections that play out via flashbacks – gradually revealing the truth about Walker’s past – are far more interesting than any of the story unfolding in the present. And while it would be most welcome, admittedly, thrilling writing isn’t the main appeal of a Gareth Evans feature, that of course is the action.

And after a foray into folk horror with Apostle (2018) and his time on television series Gangs of London (2020) it’s exciting to see him making action for the big screen again, albeit hampered somewhat by the fact that Havoc has skipped a theatrical run in favour of its Netflix release. It’s a caveat that encourages some hesitancy in anticipating a project of any great quality. However, the streaming giant isn’t without its genre hits: Triple Frontier (2019), Extraction (2020) and Rebel Ridge (2024) are all proof that as a distributor of action, Netflix can provide the goods. Unfortunately, Havoc will not be joining this list.

After a dramatic and moody introduction from Hardy, the film’s first main action sequence is a police pursuit as a number of cop cars chase a large truck. Despite the sequence’s elaborate action, its artificial aesthetic immediately sets Havoc off on the wrong foot. As the chase rages through the ugly CGI cityscapes the film takes on the unmistakable look and feel of a video game, quickly confirming the reservations about its straight to streaming release.

The subsequent gunfights and hand-to-hand combat are better, yet they are too highly stylised to pack any real punch. The excessive blood splatters are cartoonish, the cinematography is flashy and the majority of sequences just feel largely unoriginal. Another nightclub sequence, really? Collateral (2004), John Wick (2014) and even The Raid 2 have all done it before, and so much better too. The film does unquestionably live up to its title, delivering a relentless onslaught of violence that garners a few moments of effective injury detail, but as a whole it becomes an ordeal to endure rather than a spectacle to enjoy.

Tom Hardy is a reliably watchable presence at the film’s forefront, even if he’s not given a great deal to do – but Havoc certainly won’t go down as one of his best or most memorable roles. The half-assed storyline about Walker trying to see his estranged daughter at Christmas certainly doesn’t do anything to help either. Rather, he’s at his best when he’s intimidating and interrogating his targets, becoming so agitated in places that his voice becomes reminiscent of his work in the recent Venom trilogy – a brief and pleasing distraction from the tedious proceedings on display here.

His co-stars don’t offer anything especially noteworthy either. Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant do serviceable work with their cookie-cutter characters, while Yeo Yann Yann as one of the gang member’s mothers is the closest thing to a standout, while still being underused. Ultimately, there’s too many characters at play, and most are threadbare in place only to be another throwaway victim of the film’s next brawl.

Perhaps with his previous work, Evans has simply set a now unobtainable standard of action. Because to think that the director responsible for two of the genre’s greatest films could go on to churn out an action film as disposable as this, is a harder punch to take than any thrown in the film.

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Star Rating: ★ ★

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