Film Review – Havoc

April 26th, 2025 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

Gareth Evans, who wrote and directed two of the top action films of the new century in The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014), has returned with his unique style of pulse pounding mayhem in Havoc (2025). This time, he collaborates with Tom Hardy, one of the finest actors working today (and who isn’t unfamiliar with the genre as well). The two bring their talents to the table, with Evans’ flair for visuals and choreography, and Hardy’s ability to encompass characters full of seething physicality. Although the result is uneven in terms of story and character, the brute force nature of the action more than makes this worth a watch.  

Evans establishes his narrative in a fictional city that is so exaggerated that it feels like it came out of a fantasy. This unnamed place is so ragged and run down – plagued by corruption and violence – that it is almost dystopian. Much of what we see looks intentionally artificial. Night scenes have the gloss and sheen of a studio backlot, with buildings and streets in the far distance filled in by CGI. I say this not necessarily as a detriment but as a stylistic choice. The realism of the foreground blends into the synthetic backgrounds in much the same way matte paintings were utilized in filmmaking once upon a time. It creates a place that is both familiar and alien simultaneously.

Within this universe are a plethora of characters criss crossing each other in a web of crime and revenge. In fact, Havoc’s biggest problem is that its plot is too convoluted. Evans’ script weaves a tale of shady cops, crooked politicians, ruthless gang lords, missing persons, daring heists, and so on. There are several names and faces that pass us in rotating order. They all circle one another until all the threads finally meet in the middle, where we find ourselves trying to arrange the pieces of the puzzle into a coherent whole. I found myself chuckling trying to remember which character wanted the other character killed and for what reason. Because Evans inserts so many different moving parts, the character development takes a hit. Everyone operates from the simplest of motivations. This is not the place for us to go looking for deep character study or insightful commentary over society. 

Let’s see if we can unravel the story a little bit. We’re introduced to a homicide detective named Walker (Hardy), who is tasked by a powerful mayoral candidate, Beaumont (Forest Whitaker) to find and return his missing son Charlie (Justin Cornwell). Charlie was last seen with his friend Mia (Quelin Sepulveda) at – of all places – a drug deal that turned deadly. Unfortunately, that incident caught the attention of a merciless gang lord (Yann Yann Yeo), who releases her henchmen to seek and destroy those responsible. To make matters worse, Walker’s fellow police officers, led by a man named Vincent (Timothy Olyphant) are also hot on the trail of Charlie and Mia after one of their own went down under circumstances I won’t describe. With all these forces rotating around him, bullets flying everywhere and bodies quickly piling up, all Walker wants to do is convince his ex to let him drop off a Christmas present for their six-year-old daughter. 

Sheesh, talk about a “Full Plate!” Despite how crammed the narrative is, Tom Hardy keeps everything grounded with a blue collar, gritty performance. He has always been good at playing street level, neighborhood guys haunted by past regrets. For a movie that is as flamboyant and over the top as Havoc is, Hardy works as an anchor that balances the sincere with the ridiculous. He never seems out of step, whether he is deep in thought or smack dab in the middle of an all-out fight scene. Gareth Evans understands that Hardy is just as effective using his face as he is with his body. He gives the actor ample opportunity to slow things down and work his magic. One of the most memorable shots is an extended closeup of Hardy’s face while driving. With just the subtle use of his eyes and slightest changes in facial expression, we can see the gears shifting in his head. Walker knows he is in a situation that is becoming increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to escape.

But let’s not fool ourselves, when the action beats come, Evans delivers in the big, splashy broad strokes he is known for. The set pieces are so chaotic that they take on a near cartoonish aesthetic. Blood bursts from all over the place and guns never seem to run out of bullets. An opening chase scene is so mannered, featuring a zooming camera and plenty of special effects, that it is no different than something we would see from a sci-fi film. Despite the cinematography (Matt Flannery) shaking the frame a bit more than I would prefer, the shootouts and hand to hand combat are well done. Tom Hardy is obviously not a skilled martial artist, but his bruising, brawling style works well in coordination with the rest of the stunt crew. An action scene in a nightclub offers some nice variety, moving the choreography up and down, side to side, with fists then bullets, without ever getting us lost in the geography. One of the funnier touches is how every gun, including revolvers and pistols, seem to fire like fully automatic rifles. 

A key moment takes place with our protagonists trapped inside a cabin while enemies swarm them from all sides. I mention this because in form and function, the scene operates as though it were lifted out of the horror genre. The way enemies keep coming from every direction is like that of a zombie invasion. Characters trying to prevent them from entering the cabin immediately reminded me of Night of the Living Dead (1968). Not to mention the copious amount of blood. It would be interesting to learn how many gallons of fake blood was used in this production. In one instance, a character shoots a bad guy far beyond what is necessary – ala that one scene in Inglourious Basterds (2009) – that the blood comes pouring out like a gushing oil well. 

Don’t come to Havoc for heady themes or complex characters, because you won’t find them. Its success lies purely on the visceral – through its relentless, electrifying, and gory action. We don’t feel the effect in our heads or in our hearts, but as a punch right in the gut. 

Featured, Forest Whitaker, Gareth Evans, Havoc, Inglorious Basterds, Justin Cornwell, Matt Flannery, Night of the Living Dead, Quelin Sepulveda, The Raid, The Raid 2, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Hardy, Yann Yann Yeo