Gareth Evans back in the early 2010s wrote and directed two of the most influential action films to ever grace our screens - overshadowed ever so slightly by the John Wick franchise. Evans should’ve been on top of the action world, just like John Wick director currently is four films in, but instead he took a short hiatus from features altogether. Returning with his 2018 fantastical horror film, Apostle also released for Netflix. Apostle was many things, but anything thematically close to the masterpieces of his previous The Raid films, it was not. 

 

Then a number of years later, Evans returns once again but this time back to the genre of his namesake. Expectations were high and after a gangbuster teaser trailer, it’s safe to say that Havoc is a massive disappointment. Now the action has the spark and awe of his previous efforts, however they’re much more scattered than expected. A fast and deadly car chase introduces the film, then a sudden lull until a nightclub, leading to yet another setpiece that triggers an absolute bloodbath. 

 

Where the action is missing lies a story that is in absolute shambles, overcomplicated and lacking enough exposition to really care for the outcome of Havoc’s events. Everyone seems to be a villain, no one is good, apart from a singular person and similar to a film like Smokin’ Aces, if there’s too many foes who cares who survives. Aces however had a wide assortment of wild characters, which Havoc is monumentally short of. 

 

Tom Hardy (Venom) plays Walker, a corrupt cop, (Who isn’t?) struggling to survive with the cards he dealt to himself. His newly assigned partner, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li, Last Night in Soho) is a good-hearted, honest police officer; leading to an instant clash of morals. The rest of the characters are a bit of a blur as none have any particular attributes worth taking note of, particularly when so much is given to the viewer haphazardly to figure out on their own. It’s a significant shame to have such talent as Timothy Olyphant (Live Free or Die Hard), Luis Guzmán (Traffic) and Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), only to waste them with bare minimum character depth. Havoc somehow is in dire need of exposition, yet simultaneously in similar need of more action from a legend like Evans. 

 

The action when it does transpire is well edited, well choreographed and showcases a number of things to love about Evans' direction. An aforementioned nightclub scene is really where things start to get good, it’s just an unfortunate fact that the film can’t keep up with the expectations it sets in that scene alone. It’s not as beautifully crafted as something like the hotel fight in John Wick Chapter 4, but it produces enough adrenaline through the power of editing to make for an impressive set piece. Adrenaline that returns triumphantly in a scene near the end that had me literally on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the next shot to be fired. 

 

Havoc has a number of puzzling choices, one of them being the decision to have this set on Christmas Eve. An action film set around the holidays can transform into an absolute classic, just look at a film like Die Hard, Lethal Weapon or even Carry-On that nailed a slick action film that knew exactly what it was start to finish. This Christmas film is being released in May… a bit baffling. Not that it has much to do with the story beyond showcasing Hardy’s parenting efforts. Nonetheless, it's not quite Christmas in July yet. 

 

Drug trafficking, potential political corruption, double crosses, car chases, shootouts, and too many characters to keep track of. There comes a certain point where you have an obligation to just shut your brain off and enjoy the action when it happens, because otherwise it’s difficult to really gain anything worth retaining from this experience.