Jason Statham Delivers Grit and Glory in ‘A Working Man’—A Brutal Yet Familiar Action Ride

Reuniting with director David Ayer, Statham plays a haunted ex-soldier drawn back into violence in a film penned by Sylvester Stallone—blending old-school action with modern stakes.

🎥 Movie Review: A Working Man

Jason Statham returns to familiar territory—quiet intensity, brutal hand-to-hand combat, and a morally grey hero’s journey—in A Working Man, an action-packed thriller that reunites him with The Beekeeper director David Ayer. Based on Chuck Dixon’s novel Levon’s Trade, the film offers a gritty, high-stakes tale of vengeance and redemption, co-written and co-produced by none other than Sylvester Stallone.

Statham plays Levon Cade, a construction foreman living out of his car, struggling to pay legal fees to win custody of his daughter. His peaceful life unravels when a colleague’s daughter, Jenny (Arrianna Rivas), goes missing, and Cade—reluctantly at first—reawakens his past as a lethal black-ops operative.

The plot is lean but effective: Cade infiltrates Chicago’s seedy underworld to rescue Jenny from a Russian-run human trafficking ring. Along the way, he takes down stereotypically sleazy villains, including a snarling crime lord (played with unhinged glee by Jason Flemyng), his eccentric son (Maximilian Osinski), and a giant drug dealer (Chidi Ajufo).

It’s a classic formula—grizzled hero with a heart of gold, a kidnapped girl, and a whole lot of bad guys who don’t stand a chance. Statham’s performance is reliably compelling, his stoic presence giving weight to otherwise over-the-top violence. He’s especially effective in confined-space brawls—like a standout sequence in a van with his hands tied—proving again that he’s one of Hollywood’s most watchable action stars.

David Ayer’s direction brings the testosterone-fueled grit he’s known for (End of Watch, Fury), though the film does sag slightly in the second half due to its predictable structure and nearly two-hour runtime. However, there are flashes of unexpected charm—likely Stallone’s influence—including a blind ex-military buddy named Gunny (a scene-stealing David Harbour) who provides weapons and comic relief as a “weapon sommelier.”

The female characters are more than damsels in distress. Jenny holds her own against captors, and Cade’s daughter (played by Isla Gie) has a refreshingly mature bond with her dad—understanding, if not entirely condoning, his violent tendencies.

Final Verdict:
A Working Man doesn’t reinvent the action genre, but it leans hard into what works: bone-crunching fights, a brooding anti-hero, and just enough heart to elevate the carnage. Fans of Statham, Stallone, and old-school justice flicks will find plenty to enjoy—even if they’ve seen versions of this story before.

⭐ Rating: 3.5/5 – Brutal, entertaining, and comfortingly familiar.