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Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Absurd' Amazon Prime thriller hits number 1 with viewers stopping weekend plans
It's Spring Bank Holiday weekend – but Amazon Prime Video subscribers are staying indoors to watch an 'absurd' thriller movie instead. A Working Man, which was co-written by none other than Sylvester Stallone, stars Jason Statham and Stranger Things actor David Harbour. The film follows Statham, 57, as his character Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marines commando who is called back into action when his boss' daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped. From there, Cade – who had been working in construction after retiring from the Marines – is pulled back into his former life to confront the Russian mafia and save Jenny. A Working Man is directed by David Ayer, known for his work on the 2014 Brad Pitt war film Fury and the 2016 version of Suicide Squad, starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie. And it seems movie fans can't get enough of the Statham-lead action, with Amazon Prime Video subscribers apparently abandoning their Bank Holiday weekend plans. On X, @AKlay19 called A Working Man 'exactly what you'd expect a Jason Statham movie to be,' adding that it's 'a hard-hitting action flick that is quite fun when it leans into its absurdity'. @YoakoJono admitted the film was 'more of the same' from Statham and Stallone but qualified that, adding that 'these types of films are always entertaining'. Elsewhere, @IAmKalki13 said: '[A Working Man is a] typical Jason Statham style fast paced action thriller. No dull moments – an easy, entertaining watch!' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The film has soared to number one in the UK trending charts on Amazon Prime Video this weekend, ahead of new releases like the Minecraft Movie, Becoming Lez Zeppelin, and Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. However, the film wasn't well-received by critics at the time of its release in March, with its Rotten Tomatoes rating currently sitting at just 49% based on 150 reviews. And on X, @CinemaAdictosss reflected its mixed reception: 'Well, it's another one of Statham's revenge films… Another one for the collection, but this one is very forgettable.' With that said, ordinary folk who watched the movie have put its Rotten Tomatoes audience rating at a much healthier 87% based on more than 2,500 ratings. Matt J said: 'It's a Jason Statham film, and it's exactly what one would expect…. High body count and lots of action with a decent 'save the girl' story.' A Working Man also stars Jason Flemyng as Russian mafia captain Wolo Kolisynk, Merab Ninidze as Yuri, and Michael Pena as Joe, Cade's boss and Jenny's father. More Trending Stranger Things star David Harbour plays a character named Gunny Lefferty, who is listed in the cast as Cade's best friend and an ex-Royal Marine himself. The success of A Working Man on Amazon Prime Video has come not long after the Prime Video release of Statham's shark-battling movie The Meg. Released in 2018, The Meg followed rescue diver Jonas Taylor as he leads a group of scientists on a rescue mission in the Pacific Ocean, as they encounter a terrifying 75-ft megalodon. Watch A Working Man on Amazon Prime Video. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
Boston Globe
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Jason Statham delivers the action goods in ‘A Working Man' — for the most part
Though he appears to have no other relatives, Levon is treated like family by his boss, Joe Garcia (Michael Peña), and his wife, Carla (Noemi Gonzalez). To make sure he gets at least one good meal a day, Carla sends their daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas), to the latest construction site with food for Levon. So far, this adaptation of Chuck Dixon's novel 'Levon's Trade' has the makings of a small, bittersweet story of fathers and daughters. But the trade in Dixon's title isn't mixing cement or riding steel beams. Levon has a secret past, and because he's played by Jason Statham, you know that past contains ultra-violence. Turns out Levon is quite adept at tapping kegs of whup-ass, as evidenced in an early scene where he comes to the defense of a work colleague being beaten by thugs at the site. Levon uses buckets of nails, bags of concrete, his fists and feet, and the perpetrators' guns to restore law and order. Advertisement From left, Arianna Rivas, Michael Peña, and Jason Statham in "A Working Man." Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios/Dan Smith Jenny is impressed and correctly guesses that Levon has a military background. He's a British ex-Royal Marines commando. Levon swears Jenny to secrecy. 'It's not who I am anymore,' Levon says. As you can guess, some horrible event will make him change his mind. After Jenny and her girlfriends use fake IDs to enter a club to celebrate their high-school graduation, she is kidnapped by human traffickers Viper (Emmett J. Scanlan) and Artemis (Eve Mauro). Joe begs Levon for help — as the son of a Marine, he immediately recognizes Levon as ex-military — but is initially turned down. Once Levon takes the assignment, director David Ayer unleashes the torrent of graphic violence you paid good money to see. In the melee, we're subject to an overly complicated plot involving drugs, the Russian Mafia, and hit men, who dress in outlandish suits that look like clown costumes designed by Yves Saint Laurent. All roads lead to Dimi (Maximilian Osinski), the son of a made Mafioso who thinks he's a capo but is really a klutz. Advertisement 'A Working Man' was initially pitched by co-writer Sylvester Stallone David Harbour, left, and Jason Statham in "A Working Man." Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios/Dan Smith At the top of that list is Gunny (David Harbour), Levon's former partner and the reason he retired. Gunny is blind, but can shoot an arrow close enough to nearly miss Levon when he comes to visit. He's like the Though she's offscreen for most of the carnage, Jenny is far from a damsel in distress. Every man to whom she is sold doesn't get far enough to molest her. One of the guys ends up needing 36 stitches. Her annoying captors, Viper and Artemis, are dangerous but hapless. And the old cliché of being saved by the sudden appearance of a cop is turned into a dark running joke when the same officer keeps showing up to help the villains instead. I've said this whenever I've reviewed a Jason Statham movie: I find him more interesting in his non-action scenes than when he's blowing bad guys to smithereens. This film is no different. I've witnessed 27 million scenes of people being pumped full of lead (this movie probably counts for about 1 million of those), but far fewer moments when characters in action films relate to each other. Advertisement Isla Gie and Jason Statham in "A Working Man." Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios Unlike most action-movie actors, Statham is very good at conveying camaraderie with dialogue. His scenes with Gie made me want to know more about their relationship. I felt the same way about his scenes with Harbour. Director Ayer also helmed Statham's 2024 hit, 'The Beekeeper,' and Stallone wrote the actor's 2013 film 'Homefront.' If you liked those movies, you'll probably enjoy this one. As much fun as 'A Working Man' can be, I kept thinking there's a better movie peeking out through the cracks of this rather OK one. ★★½ A WORKING MAN Directed by David Ayer. Written by Ayer and Sylvester Stallone. Starring Jason Statham, David Harbour, Arianna Rivas, Michael Peña, Emmett J. Scanlan, Eve Mauro, Maximilian Osinski, Isla Gie, Noemi Gonzalez. At AMC Boston Common, Alamo Drafthouse Seaport, AMC Causeway, suburbs. 116 minutes. R (the violence gets time and a half) Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
