Title: A Working Man
MPA Rating: R
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Jason Statham, David Harbour, Michael Peña
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

What It Is: Levon Cade (Statham) is a man with a past full of secrets—secrets his current boss, Joe Garcia (Peña), knows nothing about. But when Joe’s daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas), disappears after a night out with friends, those particular skills are about to come in handy. Now, Levon is determined to find out where Jenny went and what happened to her—and he’ll use whatever means necessary to get answers.

What We Think: Considering what this film is—and what it’s supposed to be—it does those things well. This isn’t an Academy Awards contender; it’s a film about a man with a plan. That plan is about as illogical as you can imagine, but you don’t really care all that much. Between some interesting choices from Ayer behind the lens and Statham using his trademark charisma to beat and kill sex traffickers, it mostly works.

Sure, some of the film’s heavier themes lose impact because of the silliness happening around them. That’s my biggest issue with the film—and with Ayer in general: he takes nothing seriously. Sylvester Stallone co-wrote the script, and he’s always hit or miss as a writer.

Our Grade: B-, There’s a lot to like here, and for a film of this nature, it’s honestly top-tier. The action is great, and keeping Statham’s dialogue to a minimum is the best way to maximize his strengths as a performer.

This is definitely a “dad movie”—the kind of modern action flick your dad would respond to with a resounding “Hell yeah!” But even if you’re not someone’s dad, it’s still a pretty solid film to check out. It’ll get you through, even if it does feel a bit long at just under two hours.