HAVOC (2025)

Action movie auteur Gareth Evans isn’t known for subtlety; however, his two Raid films (2011-14), along with the first season of Gangs of London, managed to combine scenes of beautifully choreographed violence with characters and storylines that were interesting enough to sustain their runtime. Now, after two years of post-production delays, Havoc has finally been released on Netflix with none other than British A-lister Tom Hardy taking centre stage amidst all the chaos and bloodshed. Was it worth the wait? Well, sort of…

“You live in this world, you make choices…,” mumbles Detective Patrick Walker (Hardy) in the first two minutes, “… until you make a choice that renders everything worthless, and you’re left with nothing, nothing but ghosts.” This opening scene nicely serves as an economic flashback device that shows our leading man detective to be not exactly a great example of law enforcement. Without spoiling things too much, Walker has a troubled past, but he’s good at his job. Unfortunately, he lives and works in a very bad world (an unnamed US city), and so he has to do whatever it takes to get the job done. When crooked mayoral candidate Lawrence Beaumont’s (Forest Whitaker) son Charlie is involved in a Triad gang member’s murder, Walker’s called upon by Beaumont to help track him down and protect him. Needless to say, things don’t go smoothly, and we soon find out that Walker isn’t the only cop who sometimes operates outside the law. Cue tonnes of carnage and general savagery, all stylishly filmed to perfection by Welsh filmmaker Evans’s trademark eye for beautiful brutality.

Within the first 20 minutes or so, we get a good idea of what Walker’s like, complete with a backstory showing he has an estranged family (no surprises there), but he’s still trying to do the right thing—admittedly, not very well. I mean, who would ever resort to buying their six-year-old daughter’s Christmas present from some grubby convenience store? However, he’s no slouch when it comes to dishing out a good kicking. Hardy’s played this type before many times, but with the exception of his slightly dodgy American accent, his performance and presence more than ably lend a level of class to the proceedings.

So far, so good. After a kinetic car chase sequence involving police vehicles pursuing criminals driving a large lorry containing cocaine-filled washing machines, the movie settles down into the main story, and we get a look at what the characters are about. But this is where the real problem of the film takes hold: the plot, such as it is, is somewhat convoluted and baggy. It’s almost like Evans is trying too hard, introducing too many faces too early, and not creating a believable universe for them to be living in.

Okay, it’s a film, so of course it’s not real, but there has to be some semblance of reality for an audience to get invested in the story. What you get here is like some kind of cross between a 1980s Hong Kong movie and a naff video game screenplay. The end result is a film where, about 40 minutes in, you kind of understand what’s happening, but you start to not really care as everything in front of you begins to feel superficial and lack focus.

If you’ve seen Evans’s two Raid movies, you’ll remember that they also came complete with their own crime-ridden backdrop, but because the writing was stronger, with fully-fleshed out characters that you had some time to get to know, both features were more compelling and satisfying to watch. In comparison, Havoc’s script is decidedly below par, which is a shame as the rest of the film is far from a complete disaster.

Of course, even a casual movie fan who has some idea about who Evans is will be checking this out for one main reason: brilliantly directed fight scenes containing huge amounts of violence and gore—and in that regard, Havoc most certainly doesn’t disappoint. Apart from the aforementioned car chase at the beginning, there’s still plenty of blood, bullets and bone-crunching action on display throughout to leave even the most hardened desensitised viewer satisfied. Family viewing, this is not! Around halfway through the film, there’s a scene inside a nightclub that is simply breathtaking to witness. Think Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) with more guns, an iron bar, and a meat cleaver, and you’re on the right track.

As much as the filmmaker has to be credited for his slick directing skills, other technical departments deserve a mention too. First off, the cinematography by Evans’s regular Matty Flannery makes the city in the film have an almost other-worldliness about it. There were some shots, particularly at night, that reminded me of Blade Runner (1982) and Matt Reeves’s The Batman (2022); the camera capturing plenty of neon light and atmospheric rain. I’ve already mentioned that the movie’s setting could be anywhere in America, and it does look like some kind of Chicago/New York hybrid, but you may be surprised to know that the entire production was filmed in and around Cardiff, so top marks to the art department and visual effects people. Very impressive indeed. Another Evans veteran providing his services yet again is Indonesian composer and sound designer Aria Prayogi. His moody synth-heavy score has echoes of John Carpenter or Brad Fiedel (The Terminator) and adds real menace and suspense to the viewing experience.

Despite Tom Hardy doing his usual gruff, hard-as-nails turn, some other actors here also give decent enough performances. First and foremost, British actress Jessie Mei Li (Last Night in Soho) as Walker’s tough copper partner Ellie more than holds her own against a very testosterone-filled cast. Not only can she pull her weight in the fighting department, she’s also no pushover with the verbal exchanges either; some of her scenes with Hardy go some way to bringing a touch of levity to the story.

American actress and mixed martial artist Michelle Waterson makes quite the impression as the ‘assassin’, which is no mean feat considering her total screen time is only a matter of minutes. Her athletic abilities are utilised effectively, and she gives off an air of real menace and looks convincing as someone who could quite easily kill you without thinking twice. Everyone else who turns up are fine, though really nothing more. Timothy Olyphant (Justified) as fellow Detective Vincent brings his typical suave swagger to the table, but to be honest, his character is so thinly written that his efforts are basically wasted.

When all is said and done, some may love this film for its fast-moving, hard-hitting action, and you can’t argue that, as a straight-up Friday-night movie to enjoy with your mates and a few beers, Havoc ticks off those boxes perfectly well. However, when you consider what Gareth Evans has produced over the years, this latest celluloid creation doesn’t live up to that high standard. Yes, Havoc ultimately makes for an entertaining watch, but come the next day you would have probably forgotten most of it.

UK • USA | 2025 | 107 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

writer & director: Gareth Evans.
starring: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Yeo Yann Yann, Timothy Olyphant & Forest Whitaker.