A Working Man

I’m sure at some point in your life, someone has told you to “stay in your lane” when it comes to offering advice or trying to help someone. I don’t always agree with that statement, but when it comes to actors, sometimes I wish they would stick to what they do best. You know who does stay in his lane, though? Jason Statham—the man, the myth, the legend. Whenever a kid, a friend, or even the world needs saving, Statham gets the job done. Lucky for us, there’s a girl in need of saving, which means it’s the perfect time for a new Jason Statham movie.

Levon (Jason Statham) used to be a soldier, but after serving his country well, he now works as the foreman of a construction company. The company, run by Joe (Michael Peña) and Carla Garcia (Noemi Gonzalez), has taken him in like family, and he keeps their worksite in top shape. Life is going smoothly—until the Garcias’ daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas), goes missing after a night out. Desperate, they ask Levon to use his military skills to find her. At first, he’s reluctant to unleash that side of himself again, but he made a promise to Jenny to always have her back. So, Levon starts investigating, uncovering one clue after another—each leading to more dangerous encounters and more people who need persuading. The ladder of bad guys is long enough for Levon to do some real damage. But the only question that matters is: will he save the girl?

Written by Sylvester Stallone and David Ayer, and based on Chuck Dixon’s novel, A Working Man feels like slipping into a comfortable pair of pajamas—especially for fans of ’80s action movies. That makes sense, given who co-wrote the screenplay, as A Working Man would have been a perfect vehicle for Stallone thirty years ago. Ayer and Statham last teamed up for The Beekeeper, an immensely enjoyable film where Statham went to town on scammers. This time around, they take on human traffickers—a much more serious crime—offering a detective-style story with, unfortunately, less action than their previous collaboration.

A Working Man doesn’t keep things simple, instead delivering what feels like an overstuffed plot that weighs the movie down. Then again, this is a Jason Statham movie, which means I’m willing to overlook that—just show me Statham doing what he does best. I do wish it had stuck with a more straightforward approach, but A Working Man often feels like it has too much going on. While the extra characters help set up a grand finale, the payoff still feels like it should have been bigger.

That said, movies like this don’t need depth or originality—I come for the sheer savagery of it all. And in that department, A Working Man delivers, proving once again that no one in Hollywood does it quite like Jason Statham.