Before today, the last Film I saw in theaters was Onward, all the way back in March 2020 (right before everything locked down). Fourteen LONG months later, I finally sat down in my local movie theater to watch Wrath of Man, starring Jason Statham, and I couldn’t have been happier with my choice.

Wrath of Man, directed by Guy Ritchie, is a revenge film that is admittedly a bit by rote in terms of the plot points it hits, but please don’t let that stop you from checking this film out. The story may be predictable but it is still entertaining. The film’s story follows “H” (Jason Statham), a man on a mission that unfolds a little unevenly (as the film does skip backwards and forwards in time) in the wake of a robbery gone bad. Statham is great in this film playing a man on the edge of going completely psychotic. It’s not the most action filled role he’s ever done (it’s nothing like his role in The Expendables series or his work in The Fast Saga for instance) but there’s enough to satisfy any fan of Statham’s previous work.

Rote plot aside, the part of this film I enjoyed the most (and I suspected I would) was the film’s soundtrack, which I’ve already reviewed. Composed by Chris Benstead, the music for Wrath of Man, as I’d hoped, really does reach out and grab you by the throat, forcing you to pay attention to it. I love this soundtrack even MORE now, because of how much it elevates the film. It raises the tension, it makes you feel every pulse-pounding moment, soundtracks like this are why I love talking about film music so much.

Going back to the plot, while it is very by-the-numbers, I think there is an important message in there. If you look at who the ultimate culprits are, I think Ritchie was trying, on some level, to say something about how screwed up the US is. Maybe if a certain part of society were better taken care of, this entire plot situation might have been avoided. As it is, it felt entirely too plausible given how messed up the news has been in recent months.

I also have to say I really like how the film is split up into individual acts (denoted with title cards). It helps measure the progression of the story, and I like how the title card is quoted in each section of the film. I don’t know why, but that’s a film element I’ve always liked.

Is Wrath of Man a masterpiece? Well, no, it’s too rote for that. But it is a good popcorn film and I wouldn’t say no if someone asked me to watch it again. Acting-wise, Jason Statham is the best part of this movie. Scott Eastwood is pretty good too (though I admit I didn’t work out which character he was until after the movie when I got home). Outside of that, the music is the single greatest part of this movie and I hope everyone checks out Chris Benstead’s great soundtrack.

Let me know what you think about Wrath of Man in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

Soundtrack Review: Wrath of Man (2021)

Film Reviews

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