Wrath of Man Review: Guy Ritchie's Trademark Style Gets Darker and More Serious

Release date: May 7, 2021
Running time: 119 minutes
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenplay by: Guy Ritchie and Ivan Atkinson & Marn Davies
Cast: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonzo, Raúl Castillo, Deobia Oparei with Eddie Marsan and Scott Eastwood

A mysterious and wild-eyed new cash truck security guard (Jason Statham) surprises his coworkers during a heist in which he unexpectedly unleashes precision skills. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman’s ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score. 

Guy Ritchie films are always dripping with style and Wrath of Man is no different.  However, the style in this film is much darker, more serious than some of Ritchie's other movies.  Those tended to have dark elements but an underlying sense of twisted humour.  However, Wrath of Man has no humour to accompany its dark style.  It starts off and feels more like a Nolan film, than trademark Ritchie.  But that is not a knock, Wrath of Man is an intense, mysterious experience from start to finish.

It opens with a bang, showcasing some recurring themes: intense action, realistic gunplay, and a pulsing, powerful theme song that plays throughout the film.  I really liked the theme song--similar to the Inception BONG--this theme is a common thread throughout this film.  It sets the tone as a more of a dark, Nolanesque film and gives some consistency to the overall style.  And since this is Guy Ritchie, the film also has great acting and writing.  The movie's performances are quite good, with pronounced but consistent characters and solid performances.  Like the action, the writing is crisp and to the point.  And although there isn't a lot of humor, there are some great one-liners that can be considered humorous from an overly confident Statham.  And  I love seeing Josh Hartnett back on the screen. It's been a while but he is still a fantastic actor and I liked his character.  And this film also has a decently diverse cast including several prominent minority characters and a badass female team member. 

The story of Wrath of Man, as you would expect from Ritchie, is an involved one that takes you down multiple rabbit holes.  It is more straightforward than past films, but it does provide enough twists to keep the film moving along.  And it also provides plenty of options for action sequences.  In actuality, the story feels like it could be a little bit shorter but I didn't mind the run time as I loved the characters and the style.  

Wrath of Man has Ritchie's trademark sharp writing, style, and a solid Statham performance, but with a darker tone and more intense action.

Watch it.

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Wrath of Man is in theaters on May 7, 2021. For tickets, click here.

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