A Working Man Review: Ayer, Statham and Stallone crank out a rock-solid action flick

Statham and Ayer's follow-up to The Beekeeper is another gloriously old-school action flick with just the right amount of cheese and carnage. The post A Working Man Review: Ayer, Statham and Stallone crank out a rock-solid action flick appeared first on JoBlo.

Mar 26, 2025 - 17:21

A Working Man Review: Ayer, Statham and Stallone crank out a rock-solid action flick

PLOT: Levon Cade (Jason Statham) is an ex-commando who now works as the foreman of a construction site in Chicago. When human traffickers abduct the teen daughter of his employer (Michael Pena), Levon snaps back into commando mode only to discover her abductors are deeply embedded with a secret faction of the Russian mob. Naturally, all hell breaks loose.

REVIEW: Jason Statham and David Ayer have a nice thing going. The Beekeeper revitalized their careers to a certain extent, with Ayer putting a superb polish on what could have been a run-of-the-mill action flick, turning into perhaps Statham’s best solo action vehicle. And now, they’re back at it again with the Sylvester Stallone-penned A Working Man, which is based on the novel “Levon’s Trade” by Chuck Dixon (a way better title than the Seagal-like A Working Man).

Like The Beekeeper, it allows Statham to play expertly to type. One of the problems I’ve always had with him is that, like many of his contemporaries (Vin Diesel, The Rock), he refuses to take his licks on screen, with him too inscrutable a hero. Given that it’s not likely to change, Ayer’s Beekeeper used that aspect as a strength, turning him into a good guy who’s so indestructible it becomes amusing. In both The Beekeeper and now, A Working Man, his hero character is almost more like a horror movie slasher, with the fun coming from the various, gruesome ways he dispatches his incredibly outclassed opponents, who you’re itching to see die in horrifying ways – which Statham delivers. It’s a formula that works for him, with them dropping any pretence of making him a relatable, nice guy hero. He’s a force of nature; when he’s unleashed, there’s hell to pay. He might be the most menacing action hero since Charles Bronson.

While it’s maybe a notch below The Beekeeper, it’s still a well-crafted flick, with Ayer adopting the same technique that served him well in his last go-round with Statham. He starts the movie off slowly but steadily and ramps the action up to the point that, by the climax, the scale has gotten bigger and bigger, with Statham seemingly off’ing hundreds of bad guys by the time the credits roll.

Like in The Beekeeper, the bad guys are so detestable that you won’t find yourself feeling the least bit guilty as Ayer ramps up the audience’s blood lust. Last time, it was scammers preying on the elderly; this time, it’s Russian mobsters trafficking teenage girls. It’s familiar territory for Stallone, who co-wrote the screenplay (with Ayer) and also produced it for his frequent collaborator, Statham, with it hitting the same theme as Rambo: Last Blood. Like Ayer, he knows how to play to his star’s strengths by building up the bad guys to be so over-the-top in their depravity that once Statham starts relieving them of their teeth and lives, you’re cheering him on.

While there’s no central bad guy, that formula, which I’d usually hate, serves A Working Man well. The film works the same way Beekeeper did, in that every time a bad guy we think is the main villain is dispatched, another, even worse one pops up. The carnage borders on being spectacular, with the climax a particular highlight. Statham is at his best as Levon, in a role similar to a part Sly might have written for himself back in the day – with him having at least a hint of vulnerability as he has a daughter he’s trying to reunite with. Levon is a hero in the John Rambo or Marion Cobretti mode, with a hint of Lincoln Hawk worked in for good measure (if you know who all these guys are – this is the movie for you).

Of the supporting cast, David Harbour makes the biggest impression as Levon’s former gunnery sergeant, who’s now blind but serves as his confidante and defacto armourer. Jason Flemyng, an old co-star of Statham’s from back in the Guy Ritchie days, also shows up as an early bad guy for Levon to mess with, although given the formula, he isn’t around too long. Arianna Rivas also makes for a spunkier-than-expected kidnap victim, with Sly and Ayer giving her much more to do than is typical of the genre.

So, if A Working Man is so much fun, why is it still a notch or so below The Beekeeper (which – to me – is one of the best American action movies of the last few years)? For me, the movie has a few moments that fall flat, such as a motorcycle chase, which is more confusing than awesome, while Michael Pena is utterly wasted in a nothing role as Levon’s boss, whose daughter is kidnapped. The movie also isn’t quite as dazzlingly well-shot as The Beekeeper, although it has some impressive production design (I especially liked how one of the baddies had an Iron Throne made of Motorcycle parts). These are relatively minor quibbles, though, as overall action fans should eat this up. While it will likely only do OK business theatrically, expect this one to have a long life once it hits streaming. I know I’ll be giving it another watch before long.

A Working Man

GREAT

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