‘A Working Man’ – Statham’s latest doesn’t work

Another year another Jason Statham action flick. Once again the bald Brit takes it upon himself to dole out massive amounts of punishment in the name of vigilante justice. The system won’t act fast enough when the daughter of his employer is kidnapped, so as much as he’s put it behind him, he has no choice but to tap into his violent nature and bring her home.

In a perfect world, A Working Man would be a run-of-the-mill dated action movie, with Statham inexplicably taking down any obstacle he comes across. The action would have been decent, and we’d get a laugh or two from it as we revel in the fun that is watching a protagonist with a vague military background pull off the impossible. Instead, A Working Man is nearly unwatchable, and only really works as a parody of itself.

There are several moments in A Working Man where things don’t feel like they take place in the real world. Statham’s character starts out fighting off ill-defined debt collectors harassing his co-worker, a feat which serves neither the plot nor the character, as it’s unrelated to the main plot of the film.

In chasing down that central conflict, our hero comes across as cartoonish members of the Russian Mafia dressed in colourful tracksuits, a wannabee Mad Max biker gang, and a pair of kidnappers dressed like vampires from the mid-2000s. None of these eccentric groups evoke more than a slightly raised eyebrow from the ever-stoic Statham, who seems to approach it all as business as usual.

Following the plot is a bit like watching someone play a video game but avoiding the main story. Statham is racing against the clock before the kidnapped damsel is gone for good, yet he’s further entrenching himself into the inner workings of a criminal organisation for seemingly no good reason. Trying to follow the plot is enough to make you dizzy, and any momentum or tension the film tries to muster gets thwarted as a result.

At the very least A Working Man is unique. You will see things in it you’ve genuinely never seen before, at least not in the same place. The problem is they’re all stitched together in an unfocused and horribly paced dud of an action movie that’s suffering an identity crisis. See it if your curiosity commands you to, but satisfaction you may not find.

Rating: Catch It On Cable

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Moviesentertainment@gleanerjm.com