A Working Man Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

Yet another instalment in Statham’s blue-collar-verse, in his second collaboration with David Ayer after The Beekeeper. It’s a poor man’s Rambo. This one is really bad! 

Genre: Action / Thriller 

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jason Statham, Ariana Rivas, Maximilian Osinski, Chidi Ajufo, Emmett K Scanlan, Eve Mauro, Michael Peña, Richard Heap, Jason Flemyng & David Harbour.

Run Time: 116 min.

US Release: 28 March 2025

UK Release: 28 March 2025

German Release: 26 March 2025

It’s Wednesday, so time for another catch-up review. Earlier this year, I went to see the newest Statham action spectacle, leaving me asking one sincere question… What happened here? How can someone mess up the easiest of the most basic formulas? Especially given that the screenplay was a collaboration by Ayer plus Stallone - two men who brought us stories like Training Day and Creed, but together they produce the biggest dog shit ever. So, I guess, we should jump into my painful analysis, for one of the worst movies of 2025… let’s review A Working Man.

Having left his former profession behind and now working in construction, Levon Cade needs to use his particular set of skills to find his employees’ missing daughter, who was kidnapped by a mysterious group of people, from a bar. 

Adapted by Sylvester Stallone from a Chuck Dixon novel named “Levon’s Trade”, it was originally intended to be a television show, produced by the actor's company, Balboa Productions. However, the prospect of a potential franchise, centred on the novel series, changed the project into a film script, with Ayer, just like Statham, bound to the project in 2023. 

The script is lazy, applying a generic formula that has been utilised countless times by now, for fast-paced action thrillers, especially the ones featuring Liam Neeson. Combining it with the blue-collar heroism subgenre, which Statham has been paired with in countless other films, it contains the most predictable outcome, lacking any form of originality. Then there is the glorification of military servicemen, woven into the story, beating the message into the audience’s heads in repetition.

While the tone is set up early, the first act springs abruptly into action during its first six minutes, leading one to believe they might have missed a whole introductory segment. The rest of the narrative feels stretched to reach a close two-hour-long runtime, using repetitive violence, unnecessary subplots, as well as secondary villains, that disrupt what would have otherwise been a fast-paced flow. It also suffers from an identity crisis, jumping between an overly serious tone and cartoonish action.

Subtopics about post-traumatic stress, or the difficulties of adjusting to a normal life after service, are barely scratched upon, using it more as a novelty rather than an actual part of the plot. As such, when depicting difficulties in the main character’s private life, it seems insincere. Nevertheless, it delivers on the expected action set-pieces.

Though conversations are usually sporadic plus to the point, it is often overly dramatic, filled with cheesy one-liners. Forced exposition, just like uninspired motivation, reduces any relatability with characters.

Jason Statham, who is fully aware of his acting limitations, returns to another role, as a world-weary, morally driven, hard-working hero, showcasing an extreme physical performance. That said, compared to his usual one-dimensional, but likeable presence, he is completely apathetic in this one. Not even scenes with his character’s daughter Merry, played by the young Isla Gie, seem genuine, as his backstory, concerning a legal custody battle, is barely explored. 

As for the villain, there really isn’t a person or organisation. It is all a string of interchangeable antagonists, displayed in the most clichés ways possible. The Russian Mafia, drug dealers, or even mercenaries, it's all a faceless mass with no personality. 

I also wanted to pinpoint a specific rendition, which grated my nerves every time the person appeared on screen. Eve Mauro, who portrays the villainess Artemis, gives one of the worst performances I have witnessed. Her dialogue lines are either comedically over-the-top, or she simply shouts them out without any sort of emotion. 

As for the casting of Michael Peña, David Harbour or Jason Flemyng. All of them brought a specific gravitas to their roles, yet are completely underutilised, giving unknown B-listers more screen time. 

The cinematography by Shawn White is a mixed bag. On one hand, it delivers on the hard-hitting action fans are accustomed to, with solid combat sequences using visceral choreography, which ends with stylised gore effects. Unfortunately, more often than not, suspense is undone by choppy editing that cuts the fights to pieces. As with the narrative, the visual component suffers from an inconsistent identity, lacking elegance in its execution. 

The colour palette differentiates between warm family life and cold criminal underworld. The bars, pubs or clubs make use of effective strobe and neon lights. Paired with stylish set designs, it creates an uneasy, threatening atmosphere. Nonetheless, the picture is a lot of times badly lit, impacting clarity. 

The soundtrack, composed by Jared Michael Fry, pays homage to classic 80s action soundtracks, yet doesn’t give it a creative spin, sounding more like an uninspired mix of familiar scores. The sound effects do effectively transmit every bone-crunching punch. 

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Verdict: The newest action thriller by David Ayer, co-written by Sylvester Stallone and starring Jason Statham, is a boring, lazy, generic flick. Using tropes of 80s/90s movies of this genre, blending them with the familiar “Taken”-like blueprint plus the blue-collar-hero motive, which the lead is known for to star in, the whole premise feels predictably formulaic, without serving any originality of its own. Statham himself, who usually integrates his personal stoic charm into his characters, gives a complete apathetic performance. However, it is Eve Mauro who gives one of the annoyingly worse renditions as a villain. The camera, just like the editing, is equally uninspiring, deploying a ton of disorienting cuts during fighting scenes, while the music employs uninspiring tunes. A Working Man is bland, emotionless, violent action. It doesn’t deserve more than a 3.5 out of 10. 

A Working Man is by now out on Amazon Prime, though I wouldn’t recommend even seeing it there, save yourself some time! Did you see it? Do you agree with my opinion? Let me know & leave a comment below. As always, thank you so much for reading!