Tom Hardyis finally bringing his long-gestating action thrillerHavocto Netflix on April 25, and critics have agreed that the movie is probably going to be a massive hit with audiences for one reason – it comes with plenty of mindless and wanton violence for the sake of violence. What is more, despite calling it “messy,” “lacking any credible character development,” and very much living up to its title, they have kindly granted the movie a 63% Tomatometer score – possibly out of fear that they will be hunted down by Hardy if they don’t comply a little.
Havochas been in development for a long time, to the point that many believed it would never actually make it to Netflix, but now, the ever-popularHardy is shooting, punching and blasting his way through a bunch of disposable bad guysin a way that will likely send it straight to the top of the Netflix chart this weekend. The synopsis for the movie reads:
“Walker (Tom Hardy) is a bruised detective fighting his way through the criminal underworld threatening to engulf his entire city. In the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, Walker finds himself with a number of factions on his tail; a vengeful crime syndicate, a crooked politician, as well as his fellow cops. When attempting to rescue the politician’s estranged son, whose involvement in the drug deal starts to unravel a deep web of corruption and conspiracy, he is forced to confront the demons of his past.”
Is Tom Hardy’s ‘Havoc’ Worth Watching on Netflix?
The answer to that question seems to lie in what exactly you want in your action movies. If you are looking for well-developed characters with a lot of nuance and deep, meaningful backstories and motives, thenHavocmay not scratch the itch. However, if you just want to see Tom Hardy putting in a relentless display of action sequences with not much in between, then this is a movie you are going to want to sit down and watch as soon as you can.
This kind of movie is usually one that would crash and burn with critics, but, somehow,Havocmanages to deliver so much bloody, brutal action that it is hard not to see the positives in it. Robert Daniels of theNew York Timessaid:
“Though the characters in Havoc are forgettable, the carnage is gripping.”
Another review fromLoud and Clear Reviews’Sebastian Zavala Kahn sums up the movie as “Centering on a story about corruption, violence and betrayals,Havocmanages to be more brutal, bloody and over-the-top than any other genre piece I’ve seen in recent months.” Critic Zack Pope went with a similar line, adding, “Chaotic, Bloody, and above all violently relentless. Evans goes full throttle with a story that’s convoluted and occasionally dipping into generic territory. But when the action hits, it hits hard, making up for the narrative flaws.”
Of course, not everyone can forgive the lack of character development and plot intricacy. Joonathan Itkonen ofToisto.netsaid, “Havocis a loud movie that tries to hide its stupidity by amping up the volume… By the end, it just feels exhausting, and not in the fun way.” Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardianalso fails to find much merit in the film, noting, “Evans certainly brings the craziness and the violence but, for me, without the stylish martial arts of his Raid films and without any plausible sense that anything is believably at stake.”
Source:Rotten Tomatoes
