Warning: Major spoilers for A Working Man below!I’m really disappointed that Jason Statham’s latest punch ‘em upA Working Manfails to live up to his previous hit,The Beekeeper.Ever since Statham’s action debut inGhosts of Marsback in 2001, he has been an icon of the genre. The factThe Beekeepercould gross $162 million at the box officeover 20 years after he became a star speaks to his longevity and, more importantly, popularity.A Working Mansees the star reunite withBeekeeperhelmer David Ayer in a movie that clearly hoped to capture the same spark.
A Working Manaims to become the next in a long line ofJason Statham franchises, too. The movie adaptsLevon’s Tradeby Chuck Dixon, the first in a series that has spawned 12 books and counting. The film obviously comes with inbuilt franchise potential, thoughreviews forA Working Manhave been tepid so far(viaRotten Tomatoes). These reviews are warranted, sadly. Ayer’s latest is a very familiar mashup ofTakenandCommando, but it’s never as fun or creative as either.
A Working Man Lacks The Humor And Creative Action Of The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper is Bee-movie perfection
I lovedThe Beekeeperthe first time I saw it, and my fondness for it has only grown on subsequent rewatches. Ayer set out to make a purely fun, crowd-pleasing action movie and succeeded in spades, with the film being a great blend of creative setpieces and genuinely witty dialogue. On the flipside,A Working Mandeals with more serious subject matter, to the point that when it tries to get goofy, the tone feels off. Much of the humor just doesn’t land, and while the action is crunchy, it’s nothing that hasn’t been seen before.
A Working Man is still a fun time at the movies, but coming so close off the heels of The Beekeeper, it can’t help but feel like the lesser film.
The Beekeeperis a movie that constantly escalates, feeling the need to outdo itself every 20 minutes or so.A Working Mandoesn’t have that and probably would have worked much better as a moody thriller with occasional bouts of action; in essence, it should have stayed true toLevon’s Trade. Instead,A Working Mantakes a gritty story and tries to bolt a Jason Statham B-movie on top, and the results are unwieldy.
As per usual, Statham is still on top of his game - though it’s interesting to note how often Levon disappears from the story for large chunks of time and the focus is placed on other characters.A Working Manis still a fun time at the movies, but coming so close off the heels ofThe Beekeeper, it can’t help but feel like the lesser film.
A Working Man Should Have Stayed True To The Original Novel
Levon’s Trade is a much tougher ride
A Working Man’sgoofiness and one-liners put it at odds withLevon’s Trade. The novel is much less action-packed and downbeat, where the ending reveals that the girl Levon was searching for is already dead. The book has shootouts and fights on occasion, but they are nothing like the balletic bouts that Statham’s Levon experiences.Levon’s Tradeis a hard-boiled detective story, and while not a light read, it has a tonal consistency that its big-budget adaptation lacks.
What Happens To Jason Statham’s Levon Cade After A Working Man In The Books
A Working Man adapts a series of action novels by Chuck Dixon, but what happens to Jason Statham’s Levon after the events of the original novel?
A Working Man’sending sees Levon take on dozens of gunmen with his trusty rifle and barely breaks a sweat; in the novel, he only fights two killers and has a much harder time of it. To be clear,the novel does have occasional gags but unlike the Statham film, it never tries to force jokesor insert villains who are so cartoonish that the only choice is to roll your eyes at them.
A Working Manco-producer and co-writer Sylvester Stallone originally planned to turn theLevon Cadebooks into a TV series.
The film tried to toe the line betweenThe BeekeeperandLevon’s Trade, but their tones are fundamentally not compatible. IfA Working Manhad just committed to the tone of the source material from the jump, its reception would have been much healthier.
A Working Man Is Still A Solid Jason Statham Action Thriller
Statham still puts in the work
A Working Manmight be a step back fromThe Beekeeper,but for those who just want to see a new Jason Statham actioner where he punches/shoots/explodes nasty bad guys, it works. Ayer still has a good eye for staging action, the film is loaded with great character actors (Michael Peña, Emmett J. Scanlan, Jason Flemyng, etc) and Statham is never less than a compelling screen presence. Now that the character has been established, maybeaWorking Mansequel could improve on the flaws of the originaltoo.
My disappointment withA Working Manmay stem from how much I lovedThe Beekeeperand wanting a similar ride. The film has been selling itself as something of a spiritual sequel, but the two movies are ultimately pulling in different directions. If anything, it has made me even more excited about the upcomingBeekeeper 2, where Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) will take over as director.
A Working Man
Cast
A Working Man follows Levon Cade, a former black ops soldier, as he navigates a quiet life working in construction. Upon the abduction of his boss’s daughter by human traffickers, Cade embarks on a mission to rescue her, uncovering a vast network of corruption in the process.
The Beekeeper
The Beekeeper follows a man’s quest for vengeance that escalates to a national level when he is revealed as a former operative of a covert organization known as Beekeepers. The story intertwines personal motives with broader implications, highlighting the intricate web of secrecy and power within the organization.
