Re-teaming together in short order after the success of 2024’s The Beekeeper, director David Ayer and star Jason Statham return just one year later with A Working Man (2025). . . if the former oozed an unbeatable action hero more along the lines of a John Wick, this newer effort clearly takes some inspiration from the Taken model of hustle and bustle.
Actually taking its genesis from a 2014 Chuck Dixon novel entitled “Levon’s Trade”, it was Sylvester Stallone who snapped up its rights. . . originally adapting it for television through his Balboa Productions. Long story short, it was adjusted to become a movie, Stallone stepped away from starring in it (due to age constraints and a busy schedule with his series Tulsa King), with Ayer soon joining the production, making some additions to the script before directing.
Introducing Levon Cade (Statham), he would most definitely be described as the titular working man. . . that is, a construction foreman in Chicago for the very hospitable Garcia family, including their patriarch, Joe (Michael Peña). Getting both efficiency and effectiveness out of their star employee, he is in good hands with the Garcia’s, who frequently feed him – as he is the type of guy who puts his job before himself.
Of course, as these things do, their new to college daughter Carla (Noemi Gonzalez) is unceremoniously nabbed in a nightclub by the Russian mob. . . the only possible solution, you guessed it – Levon Cade.
If The Beekeeper was a gonzo, go for broke premise that enjoyed flitting in and out of the proverbial box, A Working Man follows a more tried and true formula of the action genre, with Levon discussing the situation with an old military buddy, the now blind Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour), before infiltrating the seedy underworld of the tackily dressed Russian mob, trying to pick up clues of her whereabouts from mobsters including: the powerful and violent Captain Wolo Kolisnyk (Jason Flemyng), his sleazy black sheep son Dimi (Maximilian Osinski), and the shadowy head of the organization, Symon Kharchenko (Andrej Kaminsky) – and let’s not forget his two sticking out like a sore thumb sons, Danya (Greg Kolpakchi) and Vanko (Piotr Witkowski).
Fulfilling in its style and pace, and coming in at under two hours, Ayer keeps the movie rolling while Statham brings forward his now classical action persona. Though A Working Man won’t add anything particularly new to the action genre, it does what it sets out to do – capturing plenty of entertaining crash and bang action as the hero goes through numerous baddies. . . and, one thing is for sure, the future for Statham (and Ayer) is looking bright and busy for the tandem, as both The Beekeeper and A Working Man have been successes at the box office. . . you know what that means – sequels! So, get to work by taking in this new action adventure, it will have you exclaiming Nostrovia!