I go into movies starring Jason Statham pretty much knowing what to expect. They all have the same premise. Ex special forces or trained assassin reluctantly gets pulled back into action to right something which is wrong. The formula is almost always the same and other stars have been riding this formula for quite some time. Think Liam Neeson and even Denzel Washington.
You don’t go into these movies thinking they will enlighten you or change your life in any other way. You want to see some ass-kicking but you want it to be within the realm of a somewhat believable backstory. At least that’s how I feel going into them. They have to be entertaining and somewhat believable.
A Working Man delivered the ass-kicking but as far as believable story, yeah no. First, I just want to say what happened to Michael Pena? This dude has been in some pretty heavy-duty movies with significant roles. He was in Fury with Brad Pitt, for example. He was TERRIBLE in this. He only has a small part, but his acting was atrocious. It was almost comical.
Anyway, the backstory is OK. The character development is OK. The bad guys were convincingly evil, but over the top and goofy at times. But there were just too many loose ends which didn’t make sense. There were so many details that didn’t line up with the ethos of the main character they were trying to portray. For a former SAS guy who loved his daughter, he made all kinds of really dumb decisions, ones which easily led the villains back to his own family.
If you decide to watch this movie, pay attention to the kingpin drug dealer who operates out of a biker bar. Pay attention to their interaction and at the end when they meet up again. It is terrible writing.
I give this thing 60 potatoes out of 100 because the action was strong, some of the characters were realistic and believable and settings were fairly unique. If you are not already a fan of Jason Statham ass-kicking movies I definitely say skip this one. Other than that, sit back, enjoy the show and try not to make too much sense out of what is happening.