Havoc (2025)

​“Havoc” stars Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Yeo Yann Yann, Timothy Olyphant, and Forest Whitaker.  Released on Netflix on April 25, 2025, the film has a detective rescuing a politician’s estranged son.

The film was written and directed by Gareth Evans, who also directed films such as “Merantau”, “The Raid”, and “Apostle”.  In most cases, the only solution to rescue someone and escape a deadly situation alive is to fight through it.  While it’s best handled by professionals, they’re not always around to help deal with a corrupted society, especially when some are involved in the corruption themselves.  Whenever that happens, it doesn’t hurt to take matters into their own hands by unleashing chaos on the dishonorable corrupters.  After taking a stab at the folk horror genre with Netflix’s “Apostle” in 2018, Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans makes his long-awaited return to the action genre with his second collaboration with the streaming service that centers on a rescue mission within the criminal underworld.  Of course, no one is more capable of accomplishing this dangerous task than Venom himself, Tom Hardy.  Does it provide enough havoc in its action and plot to punch through the streaming charts?  Let’s find out.

The story centers on Patrick Walker (Hardy), a bruised homicide detective whose past left him estranged from his family and the narcotics squad.  He discovers that the son of a politician, Lawrence Beaumont (Whitaker), is involved in a drug deal that went horribly wrong.  As a result, Lawrence’s son, Charlie (Cornwell), finds himself stranded in the criminal underworld, framed for the murder of the head of the local Triad, Tsui (Jeremy Ang Jones).  Lawrence then tasks Patrick with diving into the dangerous part of the city to protect his son from those wanting him dead.  With his own squad on his tail and the dark web of conspiracy and corruption slowly revealing itself, Patrick relies on his violent methods to escape the underworld alive.

There’s no doubt I’m usually in a mood for some butt-kicking excitement, regardless of the quality, especially one from Netflix.  “Havoc” is no different, mainly due to the involvement of Gareth Evans.  My first exposure to Evans’ directorial style was through the “Raid” movies, famously known for their portrayal of the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat, a full-body fighting form utilized for physical defense and psychological ends.  These movies are why I started getting into international action movies, especially ones from Indonesia and China.  Without them, I never would’ve been exposed to the recent international action films on Netflix, including those from Timo Tjahjanto.  Not to mention, Evans’ directorial style was a breath of fresh air in injecting unrelenting energy and brutality into the action choreography, which is enough to get me interested in his latest endeavor.  It’s no “Raid 3”, but at least it’s better than doing nothing at all.

Despite my intrigue toward it, this film took me quite a bit to check out, and by that, I mean almost a month after its release.  What can I say?  My schedule just flip-flops whenever it wants to.  Thankfully, I was able to find enough free time to see if this action-packed ride through disorderly chaos was worth my patience.  Unsurprisingly, it was, but it’s not without a few wounds that kept it from surviving all of its genre trappings.  When it comes to movies like “Havoc”, their sole purpose is to entertain audiences with a never-ending supply of grit, brutalities, and gun-toting disarray, whether the storytelling quality is as engaging as the violence or not.  As long as they deliver those factors by utilizing style and heart-pounding tension, there’s a guarantee that viewers won’t be disappointed with the rides they provide.  As someone who’s into these types of action movies, I’m guilty of saying I was one of the viewers who were mostly satisfied with the results.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a film that balances high-class storytelling with disorder and relentless violence, “Havoc” may not be your best option.  Regarding Gareth Evans’ screenplay, “Havoc” is another action thriller involving corruption within the snowy city streets and detectives, putting its protagonist, Walker, against the people he once trusted.  This is due to an incident involving Walker and his former narcotics partner, Vincent (Olyphant), putting Walker on a path of redemption when Vincent’s true colors are revealed.  However, those particular themes were overshadowed by a simplistic “protect the target” storyline that didn’t offer anything new to the formula nor deliver any emotional stakes to its characters.  It’s more of a straightforward yet incredibly chaotic thriller that shoots first and asks questions later, which could satisfy only half of its audience with the correct mindset.

Despite the middling plot and themes, “Havoc” was another action-packed thriller that exemplified Gareth Evans’ rage-filled presentation regarding the violence and gritty, crime-induced atmosphere to deliver on its entertainment values.  If you’ve seen some of Evans’ earlier works like “The Raid”, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting yourself into, especially with his experience with the action crime genre.  In addition to the grim presentation, Evans is one of the filmmakers who injects chaotic energy and bloodshed into the wince-inducing action, panning shots, and eye-popping choreography.  It can be pretty messy for those who prefer the violence to be toned down, but it’s the type of mess that oozes with tenacious fun in its gruesome brutalities and tense-filled set pieces.  As someone who watches both “The Raid” and its sequel, I wasn’t disappointed in what Evans delivered in “Havoc”.  However, its reliance on shoddy CGI instead of using 100% practical effects did take away some of the magic of authenticity, especially the car chase sequences.  Those scenes alone made the difference between practical and computer-generated images clearer than the film’s night settings.  While thrilling in their own right, the car chases lacked the realism that the gun violence offered, especially with how icky the CGI looked.

As for the cast, they did all right with what the script gave them.  Tom Hardy provided a performance that imbues the “rough and tough” nature of Patrick Walker’s bruised-up personality, straying far from the comical approach in the “Venom” trilogy.  It’s far from an outstanding performance when it comes to playing gritty yet charismatic protagonists, but Hardy packed enough power in his violent heft to make his seemingly unlikable anti-hero tolerable.  Jessie Mei Li, known for her portrayal of Alina Starkov in “Shadow and Bone”, also did pretty well as Ellie, Patrick’s rookie partner who’s concerned about his actions.  Forest Whitaker was hit-and-miss regarding his performance as Lawrence, with some of his line delivery feeling phoned in most of the time.

Overall, “Havoc” invokes plenty of chaotic disorder and grit in Gareth Evans's action-packed, ballistic style, though its narrative couldn’t escape the carnage unscathed.  Undoubtedly, the film delivered exactly what the poster and marketing suggested: a consistently entertaining and ultra-violent ride through the gritty, corruption-filled city.  However, it can also be a bit too chaotic for its own good when its story and characters are set aside amidst the disorder.  Tom Hardy and the rest of the cast were suitable enough to carry the movie's average screenplay and restrained themes through its duration.  As for Gareth Evans, he again showed off his action filmmaking bravura with the film’s delightfully violent and tension-filled sequences, despite the murky CGI spoiling the authenticity.  It may not be a sensational comeback for Gareth Evans regarding the genre, but its chaotic nature had enough moments to satisfy most of the genre’s fans seeking undemanding entertainment on Netflix.

C