Directed by: David Ayer
Distributed by: Amazon/MGM
Written by Alexander Reams
60/100
It can be hard to be a fan of David Ayer. He provided the bones for the film that would be Denzel Washington’s Best Actor vehicle, “Training Day.” Then had a slew of projects he solely wrote for, and a few directorial efforts before his double-header of films in 2014 (“Sabotage” & “Fury”), which led me to his work. Cut to 2016 when a cut of “Suicide Squad” with Ayer credited became a moment and allowed the director to pretty much go anywhere… and then he didn’t. In the four years after “Squad,” he offered “Bright” and “The Tax Collector,” the latter of which is watchable, and that’s the only positive notice about either film. One would assume he would be in “director jail” after multiple failed efforts that should have been hits, and he presumably was, until the Jason Statham school of film reached out with “The Beekeeper” and revived the directors career with an action film that was exactly as advertised, and was a genuinely competent film. And there was hope that this upward trend would continue with their follow-up collaboration, “A Working Man.”
Based on the novel “Levon’s Trade” by Chuck Dixon, and a screenplay co-written by Sylvester Stallone and Ayer, the bones are there for a film that could, and possibly should, be superior to “Beekeeper.” Unfortunately, that is not the case. Statham stars as Levon Cade, an ex-military commando who just wants to raise his daughter and make an honest living. His life is upended by the kidnapping of his boss’s daughter (played by a thankless Michael Peña), who asks Cade to find her from the human traffickers that abducted her. In terms of plot, that is about as deep as the film goes. With Stallone as a credited writer I did expect more depth into either Cade or his boss’ family, what little development time we get is spent on vignettes with Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour), but their time is mostly comprised of gruff one-liners and jokes. It’s a letdown upon first watch, but the beauty of Ayer’s films in this milieu is that they beg for revisit upon revisit, whether it’s a rainy afternoon and you’re looking for a fun time, or it’s 2:30 AM and it’s on a random movie channel, “A Working Man” is a good time, and will have a place in Ayer’s filmography. Just not a high one.
“A Working Man” Trailer
You can connect with Alexander and see more of his work on his website: http://alexanderwreams.com/