Movie Review: A WORKING MAN starring Jason Statham, Michael Pena

Action star Jason Statham and Director David Ayer each needed a hit and 2024’s The Beekeeper delivered. The pair came together for one of 2024’s better action flicks, so I guess they figured, why not get the band back together again for A Working Man? I mean, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. In the new film from the duo, they once again have hit a homerun. A Working Man works and doesn’t stop until every single bad guy is dead.

Statham plays Levon, a former Navy Seal turned construction worker who is trying to lead a normal life and gain custody of his daughter. He just can’t seem to escape his violent past, as is evident in the beginning of the film. When a group of thugs try to rough up one of his co-workers, Levon has to kick some ass. That’s literally just a small sampling of the hell he’s about to raise when his boss, played by Michael Pena, comes to him to rescue his daughter after she disappears. One of my criticisms of the film, which I did enjoy greatly, is the use of Pena. An actor as talented as Pena is essentially wasted in the movie. Ayer could have used almost anyone off the street to play Pena’s character. Another actor who I have to mention is David Harbour. Harbour plays a former Sergeant of Levon’s and while his role is small, Harbour’s character is one of the film’s strongest assets. I would be down to see Harbour and Statham come back together for a sequel of sorts.

Once Levon begins his hunt for Jenny, played by Arianna Rivas, no one with a Russian accent is safe. Levon easily works his way through bad guy after bad guy, dispatching each of them in creatively violent ways. One thing that I typically do not enjoy about action films is when there is not main villain. Surprisingly, not having a central villain works for A Working Man, as all the Russian villains are equally detestable and earn what is coming to them.

Another issue I had with the film, and it was the same issue I had with The Beekeeper, was Statham’s character is virtually unscathed. Much like some other action-film actor named The Rock, Statham is in countless fights, shot at and even hit by a car, yet he’s super-human. It would be interesting if, for just once, Statham faced a grim situation where the audience wasn’t sure if he would make it out unharmed.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this was because the film is co-written by Sylvester Stallone. The character of Levon could definitely have been played by Sly back in his prime. You can see Stallone’s prints all over this movie. In fact, if you enjoyed Cobra and Over the Top, this film will be right up your alley. Given that Sly had a lot of his action film success in the 80s, it’s not a surprise that A Working Man is basically a throwback to the action genre from 40 years ago. I found that to be particularly refreshing about the film.

Much like many of the action films from the 80’s, A Working Man does have its flaws, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun ride. Statham and Ayer seem to make a good duo. I’m hoping the pair reunites for another film down the line. It’s nice to see some R-rated action films paying homage to a time when action films were big, overblown, and at times ridiculously high with the body count, back in theaters once again.

A Working Man get a B+.