A Working Man (2025)

Right, let’s talk about A Working Man. You’ve got Jason Statham playing—you guessed it—a tough, quiet bloke with a dark past. This time he’s Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marine trying to keep his head down and raise his daughter while working construction in Chicago. That is, until someone goes and kidnaps his boss’s daughter, and suddenly he’s back to breaking bones and chasing down baddies like it’s 2008 again.

The setup’s familiar. You’ve seen this kind of story a hundred times: regular guy with a lethal skillset is forced back into the life to protect someone. There’s a reason these stories get told over and over—they can be fun. But here? It feels like the film’s just going through the motions.

Statham does his usual thing—stone face, fists flying, grunting through dialogue—and yes, he still looks cool doing it. But there’s nothing new here. No spark. We’re told Cade’s trying to build a better life, fighting for custody of his daughter, and trying to leave his violent past behind. But the emotional weight just isn’t there. You never really feel that struggle. It’s all surface.

Michael Peña shows up as Cade’s mate on the worksite, and he’s a breath of fresh air—more laid-back, a bit of humour, and just a warmer presence overall. Shame he barely gets any screen time. David Harbour makes a quick appearance too, but doesn’t get much to work with. And the villains? Completely forgettable. Just a bunch of stock-standard bad guys you won’t remember once the credits roll.

Director David Ayer knows how to shoot gritty, street-level action. That much is clear. The fight scenes hit hard, and the violence is rough and bloody, which suits the tone. The opening sequence even teases something a bit stylish, with a slick montage of Cade’s past. But after that, it’s pretty straight-up. Nothing flashy. Nothing that really sticks in your mind.

Visually, it’s all grey concrete, steel beams, and dim lighting—which fits the “working man” vibe—but it gets dull fast. The film could’ve played more with contrasts, maybe shown some beauty in the world Cade’s trying to build for his daughter. But it doesn’t. It stays stuck in this gritty gear and never shifts.

The soundtrack? Serviceable. The Dropkick Murphys are in there (of course), and it does what it needs to do. But again, nothing memorable. You’re not going to leave the cinema with any tracks stuck in your head.

The biggest problem, though, is the pacing. It drags in all the wrong places. You get these long stretches where not much happens, and then suddenly there’s an action scene that feels like it came from a different film entirely. The emotional beats—like Cade’s relationship with his daughter—are rushed and underwritten, so when the film wants you to care, you’re just kind of… not there.

And the dialogue? It’s pretty dry. Functional. A lot of gruff men saying gruff things. Nothing clever, nothing that gives the characters much personality. It’s all just kind of flat.

There are some attempts at deeper symbolism—Cade building houses by day and tearing through criminals by night—but they’re just touched on and then forgotten. It feels like the film wanted to say something about masculinity, fatherhood, or the struggle to change—but it didn’t commit to any of it.

If you’ve seen Taken, The Equalizer, or even John Wick, you’ve already seen this done better. Those films had style, emotion, or at least something unique to grab onto. A Working Man doesn’t. It’s fine, but forgettable. You won’t hate watching it, but you won’t remember much of it either.

If you’re a big Jason Statham fan and just want to see him kick arse for 90 minutes, you’ll probably get what you came for. But if you’re after a story with some heart, or even just something a bit fresh, maybe queue up for something else.