Action Thriller

‘A Working Man’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

At 57-years-old, Jason Statham has made quite a career out of playing the Jason Statham character. Some might say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, I think it’s reached the point where it’s starting to become quite tedious and laborious to see him simply spinning his wheels with his film choices. Do his characters even need names or backstories? You can just call them, ‘The Jason Statham character’. His latest film, “A Working Man,” was directed by David Ayer, who collaborated with him on 2024’s “The Beekeeper.” While “The Beekeeper” was good fun, there isn’t a whole lot of entertainment value in “A Working Man.”

Statham stars as Levon Cade, a man with a background in the Royal Marines. After the death of his wife, he’s now working in construction for the Garcia family in Chicago. He is looking to keep a low profile, keep his head above water, and also spend some time with his daughter. She’s currently staying with his father-in-law who is not a fan of Levon.  As a matter of fact, he blames Levon for the death of his daughter, as she passed away while he was in combat. He’s trying to get more time with his daughter, but his father-in-law is not only extremely rich, but he’s fueled by anger and bitterness. He looks at Levon as someone who can’t control his anger and thinks violence is the only answer.

Arianna Rivas, Michael Peña and Jason Statham star in the film “A Working Man.” (OSV News photo/courtesy Dan Smith, Amazon MGM Studios)

One night, Jenny Garcia (Arianna Rivas), the only daughter of Joe and Carla (Michael Peña and Noemí González) goes missing when she goes out to celebrate an academic achievement. They suspect foul play is involved, so they look to Levon Cade for help, as they get a feeling that he has a background that might lend itself to helping them out. At first, Levon is hesitant to get himself involved in anything, as he says he’s a different person now. He decides to help them out because he’s having a battle for visitation rights over his daughter and he’s fiercely loyal to the Garcia’s who have helped and been patient with him during a difficult time in his life. 

From this point forward, you have a paint-by-numbers revenge flick where Statham is bound and determined to find the men and women responsible for Jenny’s disappearance. On paper, this might sound like a fun flick to sit back and relax while you shut off your brain. This would be true if we hadn’t seen this countless times over with Statham. Let me put it this way—Pizza is great, but if you start to have pizza every night of the week, it starts to make you feel sick. The bad guys in the film are these cheesy, over-the-top Russians who are laughable and can’t be taken seriously. You know what’s going to happen, but it takes almost two hours to reach our destination. I was long checked out of this film mentally by the time it was nearing its conclusion. 

I’m a fan of movies that are so bad, they’re good, but make no mistake about it, “A Working Man” is just bad. This film is all about the action sequences, the kills, and the explosions. I can’t sit through another Jason Statham film unless he plays against type, which I don’t see happening anytime soon.  I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but “A Working Man” is only for diehard Statham fans who want to seek out his entire filmography.  For everyone else, like me, who is feeling extreme fatigue from another Statham film with no imagination, bland kills and a lazy plot, you’ll be wise to skip this one.

* out of * * * *

4K Info: A Working Man is being released on a single-disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 116 minutes and is rated R for strong violence, language throughout and drug content. It also comes with a digital copy of the film.

4K Video Info: The 4K HDR transfer is incredible. The picture is clear, vivid, and full of color and life.  Even though the film isn’t much to watch from an entertainment perspective, it looks stunning in 4K.

4K Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos track really pops on this release as well, as it brings the film to life in your home theater.

Special Features:

NONE

Should You Buy It?

“A Working Man” is an A+ movie when it comes to the audio and visual aspects of this 4K release.  It looks mesmerizing, and it also sounds terrific.  Sadly, it’s a D movie.  Moving forward, unless Jason Statham makes a real effort to think outside the box with his film choices, I’m going to politely decline his future projects. I went into this movie with low expectations, as I thought it would be harmless fun, but instead, it’s just a dull, lifeless, and listless movie. Even though I enjoy the style of director David Ayer, this screenplay, which was co-written by Sylvester Stallone, is dead on arrival. The characters here are so vanilla and one-note. The writing is absolutely terrible. I don’t know if these were real Russians in the film or not, but they came across as fake and phony villains. They spend about 15 minutes setting up this plot and the rest is all in the chase, but I didn’t care about the chase because I barely had time to get to know these characters.  I know you might be tempted to seek this film out, as a late-night quality pleasure, but make no mistake about it: This film is only for fanatical Statham fans. 

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘Unhinged’ is Not Unhinged Enough

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

“Unhinged” was one of the first movies to be released in theaters near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This may very well be its biggest claim to fame as what results is an action thriller which is never boring, but hints at a motion picture which could have been so much better than it is. As much as I want to look at a movie for what it is as opposed to what I want it to be, this one has me inescapably thinking of what could have been improved with the material. Seriously, this could have been an epic thriller which stood proudly alongside Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” and “The Hitcher” (the original, not the terrible Platinum Dunes remake), but no such luck.

We are introduced to Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe) who, as “Unhinged” begins, breaks into his ex-wife’s house, murders her and her boyfriend who has the bad luck of sleeping at her place on this particular evening. These actions are preceded by Tom holding a lit match in his fingers and letting it burn right down to the tip of his skin. I kept waiting for him to flinch, but he never does. Clearly, he has already reached his D-FEN’s “Falling Down” moment, and it is all downhill for him from there.

We then meet Rachel Flynn (Caren Pistorius), a recent divorcee who, like me, sleeps in a lot later than they should. This particular morning, she is supposed to be meeting with a client, driving her son Kyle (Gabriel Bateman) to school, and figuring out what to do with her brother Fred (Austin P. McKenzie) and his girlfriend Mary (Juliene Joyner) who have taken up residence in her house due to their unfortunate financial circumstances. On top of all of this, one of Rachel’s clients coldly fires her while she drives her son to school. Clearly, she is already having a very bad day and is understandably pissed.

Then Rachel ends up behind Tom in his truck, and she becomes irate when he is not quick to step on the gas before the light turns red. She ends up passing him, more or less flips him off, and when he asks her for an apology in an effort to smooth things out, she is dismissive as she sees his problems as being no more or less important than anyone else’s. From there, Tom becomes determined to show her what it is to have a very bad day. This reminded me of when Robert De Niro told Nick Nolte that he would teach him the meaning of commitment in Martin Scorsese’s remake of “Cape Fear,” and we all came to see how vicious De Niro’s intentions were.

The first thing I should point out about “Unhinged” is Russell Crowe’s performance as Tom Cooper. The material might seem beneath him as this is the same actor who gave such epic performances in “Gladiator,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man,” but he helps to give Tom a little more dimension than the screenplay might imply. Crowe helps to make Tom’s psychotic behavior all the more frightening than it might be if it were another actor taking on this role. It also helps that Crowe is playing a man who is prepared to commit suicide by cop as he has nothing left to lose, and this makes him all the more frightening as a result.

Playing Tom Cooper’s unfortunate victim is Caren Pistorius. I am not familiar with her work, but she made a breakthrough with her performance in “Slow West” in which she co-starred with Michael Fassbender and Kodi Smith-McPhee, and she appeared in Derek Cianfrance’s “Light Between Oceans.” She was also born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, and this makes her American accent all the more impressive.

Pistorius makes Rachel Flynn into the type of protagonist you quickly come to care for. Rachel is not perfect (who is by the way?), but we root for her because the actress makes her into an everyone we have to recognize in our own lives. Like her, we would flip off any driver who would never be quick to step on the gas once the light turns green to where it is like an automatic impulse, but we don’t expect said drivers to come after us with a murderous vengeance. Watching Rachel deal with Tom’s murderous advances makes the furious emotions on display all the more brutal.

Having said all of this, “Unhinged” still has a lot of problems. Among them is that there are many plot holes throughout. Whether or not I could quickly identify these holes is not important. What is important is that I could tell they existed as much as the great white shark’s unrealistic roar of pain came about in “Jaws: The Revenge.” I mean, seriously, how does Tom get to learn about Rachel’s life through her cell phone ever so quickly?

Plus, there are many things which are telegraphed throughout like a cell phone being left in an individual’s car which you know will get stolen, and a pair of scissors which figure prominently in the climactic battle to where you wonder where in Tom’s body they will end up. Just when I thought “Unhinged” would subvert the cliches a movie like this is expected to have, it falls victim to them in ways which just kill the tension and the plausibility.

I recently came across an article on The Guardian website regarding Robert Harmon’s “The Hitcher” in which Rutger Hauer, who played the murderous psychopath John Ryder, stated that he didn’t play bad guys. This made Hauer’s performance in that film all the more fascinating to me, and it also made me want to believe Crowe had the same intentions when it came to him portraying Tom Cooper. But in the end, “Unhinged” blows a lot of opportunities to make it stand out from so many thrillers like it, and it will not last long in the memory after you have watched it.

* * out of * * * *

‘The Beekeeper’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Jason Statham is one of the most successful action stars of the 21st century, even though he’s not exactly reinventing the wheel with his performances. In most cases, if you have seen one Jason Statham performance, you have seen them all. He’s a calm, cool and calculated killer with a sense of humor. There is an element of over-the-top fun that permeates his films. Even though the action is fast-paced, bloody and violent in “The Beekeeper,” the tone of the film is perfectly balanced in terms of action and self-awareness.  The people making these films are fully aware of what the audience expects out of them, and they are more than happy to give it to them. They aren’t overly serious to where it’s dreary and dull, and they also aren’t so goofy you check out because it’s so silly.

The film opens up by introducing us to a retired schoolteacher named Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), who rents out her barn to Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a beekeeper with a heart of gold. One day, she falls victim to an online scam and ends up losing not only her entire life savings but also two million dollars from a charity she was managing as well. After this life-changing mistake, she ends up committing suicide. This springs the beekeeper into action, as he believes in right and wrong. He also held a special place in his heart for Eloise, as she was the only one who looked after him and took care of him.

Along the way, Eloise’s daughter, Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman), an FBI agent, starts to look into Adam Clay and his background. She doesn’t quite understand how a beekeeper can be so violent and hard to catch. It turns out he belongs to a group called The Beekeepers, and they all work together to make sure “the hive” is protected and safe from anyone who tries to disrupt the natural order of things in the world. Once he tracks down the scammers with help from the Beekeepers, he begins to make life a living hell for them. He wants to take everything from them in the same way they have taken everything from the elderly with their online scams.

I’m a huge fan of silly, over-the-top and fun action movies which are done with style, intensity and a sense of humor. “The Beekeeper” is one of the best action movies I’ve seen in a while. The pacing is perfect as the action comes fast and furious throughout the film’s 105-minute running time. It’s directed by veteran action director David Ayer, and he knows how to make these movies sizzle and pop on screen. The fight scenes are incredibly violent, in-your-face, and gory. They left me with my jaw on the floor. That is exactly what I’m looking for out of a Statham action film.

It also helps that the bad guys are so shady and underhanded, and the actors hit all of the right notes with their performances. Josh Hutcherson is smarmy, indifferent and filled with charisma and cockiness. He plays a spoiled and ruthless adult in his late twenties who has had everything handed to him, so he thinks he is above the law and can do whatever he wants. Jeremy Irons is the classic fixer.  He’s brought in to fix things and be the voice of reason when things get too hot and heavy for Hutcherson’s character. The way he reads his lines in this movie is just perfect. He’s an elegant, dignified and smooth-talking problem solver. He looks forward to these challenges, but he also knows the risks which come with them.

When it was all said and done, I had a blast with this movie. It’s a trashy action film that wears its bloody heart on its sleeve. It knows exactly what it wants to accomplish and pulls no punches. Statham is perfectly cast here as the complicated hero who will stop at nothing to get revenge on the bad guys. Even when it seems impossible and the odds are stacked against him, he finds a way to overcome all of the obstacles thrown his way.  It’s highly entertaining to see him have to wiggle his way out of tricky situations where he’s outnumbered and outmanned. The film also has some very violent and creative kills that go for the jugular and linger on the violence. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from “The Beekeeper,” but it’s a highly entertaining action film with blood, guts and humor.

* * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “The Beekeeper” is released on a single disc in 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 105 minutes and is rated R for strong violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexual references and drug use.  It comes with a digital copy of the film as well.

Video Info: They did a fantastic job with this 4K release. I thought the HDR was very vivid, bright, and colorful. Even though “The Beekeeper” is a trashy action film, they still did a great job with this transfer.  It pops with its color palette.

Audio Info: The Dolby Atmos soundtrack was the perfect choice for this action/thriller, as it allowed me to keep it on the same volume for the entire duration of the film. Action films need to have a strong soundtrack, but they can’t be so strong that they force you to turn down the volume throughout when the bullets and bodies start to fall. The soundtrack here is consistent from beginning to end, and it enhances the viewing experience.

Special Features:

None

Should you buy it?

At times, it is best to walk into a film completely blind without knowing what it is about or having read any reviews. This is exactly what I did with “The Beekeeper,” and I’m happy about that because it allowed me to enjoy the film without having any preconceived notions about it. I enjoyed the ride it took me on, and I thoroughly enjoyed Statham’s performance and the unique and grotesque kills he unleashed on the bad guys. When it comes to the 4K disc, the picture and audio quality are top-notch here. The film itself doesn’t have any special features, which is OK, as I can’t imagine they would have added a ton to the film overall. Sometimes it is better to have an air of mystery surrounding your film. Overall, I’d say buy this movie when it drops in price, as you will get a great action/thriller at a great price. I don’t think it’s the kind of movie you need to run out and buy right away, though.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Covenant’ Movie and Blu-ray Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

Guy Ritchie has had an eventful 2023 with two films being released so far in “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” and now “The Covenant.” On paper, it was a film I was looking forward to with great anticipation, as I firmly believe Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best working actors in Hollywood today.  When I see his name or Oscar Isaac’s name on a movie poster, I’m immediately interested in checking out the film, as they always bring something unique and outside the box to the proceedings. Ritchie, on the other hand, is a stylish director who knows how to make old-school action films with a modern style.

The film is set in 2018 and shows Afghanistan through the eyes of Army Sergeant John Kinley, played by Gyllenhaal. He needs an interpreter in order to communicate with the people of Afghanistan after his previous interpreter was killed. He is introduced to Ahmed Abdullah, played by Dar Salim. John doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with Ahmed, but Ahmed knows how to get the proper results.  If the interpreters do their job, they will be granted visas to the United States for their service.  One day, John is attacked by Taliban fighters and knocked out in the process.  However, he is saved by Ahmed, who makes it his mission to get him back to the base.

Once he gets him back home to the base alive, John is back in Los Angeles with his family trying to piece it all together as he suffered severe head trauma. John then proceeds to try to get in touch with Ahmed and make sure he’s properly taken care of after he saved his life.  He feels this bond and connection with him.  Even though they butted heads at times, he knows Ahmed saved his life from the Taliban.  It was not an easy task to accomplish, and he knows he wouldn’t be alive if not for Ahmed. Ahmed couldn’t take any roads and had to make sure he wasn’t noticed by the Taliban.  He accomplished a heroic feat, and it is eating away at John that he can’t do the same for Ahmed in return.  Instead, Ahmed has to hide in a cave with his wife and family as he’s number one on the kill list for the Taliban because he turned against them and saved an American Sergeant.

The problem with “The Covenant” is the fact it really lacks an emotional depth and connection.  Ritchie has always been great at crafting violence and in-your-face action.  He does this here.  However, he forgets to take the time to really build a proper relationship between John and Ahmed.  He didn’t develop the characters individually or together.  Because of this, the film suffers greatly and doesn’t feel urgent.  When you have an actor like Gyllenhaal at your disposal, there really isn’t anything the man can’t do on screen.  However, he is knocked out for part of the film, and for the other moments he’s on screen, he’s yelling, screaming or in battle.

In the end, I was pretty disappointed with “The Covenant.”  It is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination.  I just figured with a two-hour running time, Ritchie would strike the right balance between action and emotion.  Instead, it is about eighty percent action and twenty percent character development.  That is not a good percentage for a successful film.  The moments which should have carried more weight really, really felt flat.  I kept waiting to get into the story, and it never took off for me.  I do, however, hope to see Ritchie and Gyllenhaal work together again in a film with a better script.  This one was watchable, but it should have strived to do more with its premise.  Sometimes Ritchie makes the fatal mistake of making a film which is all style and not substance. This is all action and very little substance.

* * out of * * * *

Blu-ray Info: Guy Ritchie’s “The Covenant” is released on a two-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It also comes with a digital code for the film.  I must admit I was very surprised a film like this did not receive a 4K release.  It would not have improved the quality of the film, but it’s the kind of film that really lends itself to the 4K format.  It has a running time of 123 minutes and is rated R for violence, language throughout, and brief drug content.

Video Info: The 1080p transfer does look really, really good, but I would have liked to have seen what a 4K transfer of this film would have looked like considering some of the action scenes in the film.  The Blu-Ray is impressive looking, though, and holds up its end of the bargain.

Audio Info: We are treated to a great Dolby Atmos soundtrack here along with subtitles in English and Spanish. Considering all of the action in the film, I was happy I was able to keep it on the same sound level throughout the film without it ever getting too loud.

Special Features: None

Should You Buy It?

Guy Ritchie’s “The Covenant” was a letdown for me.  It’s nearly impossible to be bored by a Ritchie film, as there is always something happening on screen, but this is a film where I really felt the running time of a little over two hours. I didn’t feel like there was enough going on with the plot.  They had a solid idea for a film along with a major star, but it never really took off.  I thought it would turn around in the second half, but it never really found its footing.  Once again, I’m really surprised this film did not get a 4K release, but I’m guessing it might be because it was not a big box-office hit. If the film had made more money in theaters, I think it would have had a 4K release. It’s still a good-looking Blu-ray, but there are absolutely no special features. I don’t think it’s worth owning at all, but if you catch it on Max, you might find it more enjoyable than I did as a viewer. It’s rare that I’m this underwhelmed by a Jake Gyllenhaal or Guy Ritchie film.  I thought the two of them together would make a really exciting action flick.  Instead, this is as run-of-the-mill as they come.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

‘The Wrath of Becky’ Fearlessly Outdoes the Original

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

I vaguely remember watching 2020’s “Becky” when it was released through various digital platforms.  Besides the brutal violence and seeing Kevin James as a Neo-Nazi, the film didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me as a viewer. When I heard they were going to make a sequel, “The Wrath of Becky,” I was intrigued for two reasons: Lulu Wilson and Seann William Scott.  Wilson is a tremendous young actress who shows maturity beyond her years, and Scott has shown a knack recently for playing chilling and unsettling villains.  I figured it was worth giving it another go around, and I’m happy to report “The Wrath of Becky” is lightyears better than the first film.

When the film introduces us to Becky a few years later, she has an edge to her after the traumatic events of the previous film.  She’s sarcastic, matter-of-fact, and she doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  She has been bounced around from group home to group home. Eventually, she decides to rent out a room with an older African-American woman who takes in strangers and is dealing with her own sense of loss. Her name is Elena, played by Denise Burse. One night while waitressing, Becky runs into a group of men who call themselves the Noble Men.  They are a white supremacist militia group with bad intentions.  After she spills coffee on one of them, they follow her back to Elena’s house, where they proceed to kill Elena and take Becky’s dog Diego.

Now, Becky is looking for two things: revenge and to get her dog back. The film uses an interesting technique where it will show the audience a violent sequence of what she is hoping to do, and then what she actually does. They use voiceovers for this as well, which was a nice touch.  She communicates with the audience and lets us know what she’s thinking.  They don’t overdo this, thankfully.  The Noble Men are brought back to the house of one of their leaders named Darryl, played brilliantly by Seann William Scott.  Scott and Wilson are the stars here, and Scott knows how to be unnerving and very intense without trying too hard. I remember him in a film called “Bloodline,” and he crushed it in that film.  He’s really, really good at playing these low-key, calm, and sadistic villains.

The rest of the group consists of DJ (Aaron Dalla Villa), Anthony (Michael Sirow), and Sean (Matt Angel). Twig (Courtney Gains) is already with Darryl at the house.  They have members all over the world, and they are looking to take down Senator Hernandez (Gabriella Piazza) at an upcoming town hall event.  First, they have to deal with extreme girl scout Becky, and she is not one to back down from a fight, especially since they have her dog and they killed the one living person in the world she actually liked.  From here, it’s a rather straight-forward film with Becky taking on these misogynist, hateful, and narrow-minded men.  The characters are a little too on the nose at times, politically, but it works as a film like “The Wrath of Becky” is one where you are going to sit back and watch Becky destroy bad people in creative and brutal ways.

The film is not shy about its violence.  It really goes for it.  As with any sequel, especially one which relies on violence, they really up the ante here.  They were also smart enough to keep the film under 90 minutes.  We are reintroduced to Becky, find out what she’s up to, meet the villains, and then it’s time for the mayhem.  It’s a formula, yes, but it’s a formula that works because Wilson is terrific at playing Becky.  She’s a badass chick and easy to root for as the heroine.  She also has a worthy adversary in Seann William Scott. The scenes with the two of them together are just brilliant.

In the end, you know what you are getting with “The Wrath of Becky” and what you have signed up for as an audience member.  I could have done without the dog being involved, not because it offended me, but because it seemed to take a page out of other films, most recently “John Wick.”  We have seen people try to avenge their dog when it has been captured or killed. The ending seems to hint that there might be another film or two still left in the “Becky” franchise. If they keep the budget low and stick to one location, which is basically what they did here, I see no reason why they can’t continue to make more of these films. Wilson is a star, and she deserves her own franchise. I look forward to seeing her take on more villains portrayed by quality actors in the future.

Should You See It?

The film is being released on May 26.  I know there are a lot of movies to choose from at the box office right now.  “The Wrath of Becky” is a nice change of pace, though, from the usual fare of blockbusters and franchises.  It’s bloody, gory and very, very entertaining.  As stated in my review, this film knows what it needs to do, it stays out of the way of its actors, and it’s a ton of fun. I truly enjoyed seeing Lulu Wilson and Seann William Scott in a battle of wits.  It’s way better than 2020’s “Becky,” as it moves at a faster pace, gets right to the meat of the matter, and it doesn’t hold back with its violent, in-your-face approach.  I think it would be a lot of fun to watch on the big screen.  It’s in limited release, but you can find it at a theater near you.  I don’t think you will be disappointed if you enjoy blood, guts and have a sense of humor.

* * * out of * * * *