Jason Statham and director David Ayer delivered a surprise hit last year with The Beekeeper. They reteam in A Working Man, which again casts Statham as a seemingly ordinary man with a violent past who comes out of retirement to exact vengeance upon those who take advantage of the innocent. We all know that Statham can play this role in his sleep, but does anyone truly believe him as an “ordinary man?” Whether he’s dressed in a beekeeping suit or a construction outfit, every character should immediately recognize him as an action hero.
Granted, the same can be said about Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone could believably pull off the average joe routine. Speaking of which, Stallone co-wrote and co-produced A Working Man. Were he a few years (decades?) younger, Stallone probably wouldn’t played the lead role himself. Of course, the character’s background would have to be changed from English to Italian. Statham is in his comfort zone as Levon Cade, a former commando who now works a humble construction job in Chicago. Levon’s wife committed suicide, but his daughter Merry (Isla Gie) gives him a reason to keep going.
For all of the fights Levon has won, he finds himself outmatched in a custody battle with Merry’s grandfather. For whatever reason, the grandfather always dresses like he’s going to the Mad Hatter’s tea party. As Levon attempts to hold onto his daughter, his boss (Michael Peña) loses track of his. Arianna Rivas plays the kidnapped daughter, who is now at the mercy of human traffickers. Levon is tasked with tracking her down, but he soon discovers this goes beyond one missing woman. There’s a larger conspiracy at play that’ll require the working man to fight his way through an organization of henchmen, middlemen, and maybe a few men toward the top.
A Working Man’s biggest weakness is in the villain department. While Levon’s adversaries are passable, there’s one too many of them. With so many enforcers and crime bosses to keep track of, many of them blend into each other. A few stand out, such as Chidi Ajufo as a drug dealer who sits on a heavy metal thrown. Yet, even the coolest opponents are dealt with fairly easily. The film also lacks a genuine big bad. The closest we get to one is Jason Flemyng, but he isn’t given much to do. Neither is David Harbour, who nonetheless makes the most of his scenes as Levon’s old military buddy.
While the villains are primarily just targets for Statham to strike, he essentially gives the audience what they paid for. A Working Man doesn’t break new ground. It also could’ve used an extra hook like The Beekeeper, which had a slightly more self-aware edge. No matter how over-the-top the circumstances, though, Statham never fails to deliver even the silliest lines with the sternest conviction. If you need your Taken, Equalizer, or Rambo fix, A Working Man is a serviceable action thriller that gets the job done.