Havoc (2025)

Hardy is sensational but a slightly overcooked story & ropey CGI prevent this from being great - Havoc review by Timmy B

In 2011, Gareth Evans wrote & directed The Raid. It still is one of the most seminal & groundbreakingly breathless pieces of brilliance I have ever seen, with flawless action sequences & a story which was simple but made you care. However after this, his output didn't build on this promise. The Raid 2 was a huge disappointment, primarily because it took the world so perfectly created in the 1st film & suffocated it under meandering & endless exposition/dialogue. And by the time you got to the incredible action Evans can do so well, you just didn't care.

Gangs of London righted the ship somewhat, giving us a compelling story & performances, alongside the sort of action scenes normally reserved for the big screen. But I was waiting for a big film to revisit the potential so clearly on show in The Raid. So when it was announced that Evans had teamed up with Tom Hardy, one of the best young actors who genuinely can do action & martial arts (he is purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu,) I was pumped. And after a long delay, we now have HAVOC.

Patrick Walker is a burnt-out, exhausted cop who has more skeletons in his closet than a jail full of gang members. He is on the payroll of Lawrence Beaumont, a mayoral candidate who claims to be determined to clear up the corruption but happily contributes to it with no feelings of hypocrisy. A drug deal which involves his son Charlie goes catastrophically wrong, leaving a trail of dead bodies and an army of triads swearing revenge. Adding into the chaos is Walker's fellow corrupt colleagues, who are determined to tie up the loose ends themselves.

The single biggest stroke of genius this film has is Hardy. Walker is, on paper, action hero cliché 101 (he even has a daughter he has repeatedly let down, with an ex who won't let him see her for Christmas.) But Hardy genuinely makes you feel & care for Walker's plight, as well as fully buy into his incredible fighting skills. And Walker many times takes an absolute beating in this film, as he battles to maintain his sanity, protect Beaumont's son & girlfriend, and stopping the gang war spilling out of control.

And when it comes to the action, we are once again in the sweet spot of cinema. The brawls are vicious & brutal, with everything from meat clevers, metal poles & even harpoons being utilised in ever-more wincing ways. Hand-to-hand combat is captured in frenetic & brilliant cinematography, the camera weightless as it is thrust straight into the thick of action. The gun fights are equally demented, with pistols able to fire scores of bullets without needing to be reloaded, as well as baddies having whole clips being emptied into them & their lives being saved by backstreet doctors.

But unfortunately, there are also some gaping flaws with this film, chief among them its look. Whilst it is incredible this entire film was shot in Cardiff & in parts you genuinely believe you are in Chinatown or a US state, the CGI is at times absolutely horrendous. The look Evans is going for, a kind of snow-swept desolute hellhole, sometimes looks like those twee dramas you get on the Hallmark channel.

The story itself also sometimes comes to a shuddering halt with narrative choices & characters who feel like padding. But when it is good, it is great. Timothy Olyphant in particular is great, utilising his phenomenal ability to bring intensity & threat to any situation. And in what is effectively a glorified cameo role, Luis Guzmán makes an impact as the father of Charlie's girlfriend.

Ultimately, if you are a fan of incredibly brutal & amazingly shot action, you will find much to love, as well as forgiving the shortcomings. However, for many, the look & length may put them off.