‘Havoc’ movie review: Tom Hardy slugs it out with a rogues’ gallery in this gory shoot ‘em up

A still from ‘Havoc’
| Photo Credit: Netflix

Havoc brings memories of Mark Anthony’s “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war,” from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Conn Iggulden’s marvellous Emperor series on the life of Julius Caesar. There is also Caesar from the Asterix comic books (a delicious adaptation of Asterix and the Big Fight has just dropped and can be a palate cleanser, if exploding bodies are not quite your thing).

This stream-of-consciousness gander is prompted by a film that fails to engage despite all the blood, guts and gore that drench the screen. Gareth Evans of the Raid movies, brings his trademark operatic bloodbath into this tale of crooked cops, vengeful triads, absentee parents and their sulky offspring.

It is not quite the night before Christmas and homicide detective, Patrick Walker (Tom Hardy) is looking for a present for his six-year-old daughter — he is naturally estranged from his family. There are no gifts to be had and the clerk at the check-out counter is not particularly helpful either, making snarky comments on Walker’s lack of planning.

On the other side of town, a heist of washing machines (there is a reason for it, believe me) goes terribly wrong ending with a police officer being bunged on the head with one of the washing machines. We learn that the washing machines contain a stash of cocaine that a vicious triad is impatiently waiting to take delivery.

The thieves include real estate tycoon and mayoral candidate, Lawrence Beaumont’s (Forest Whitaker) son, Charlie, (Justin Cornwell), who only wants the money to get his girlfriend, Mia (Quelin Sepulveda) free of the triad leader, Tsui’s, (Jeremy Ang Jones) clutches.

A still from ‘Havoc’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix

When Tsui is killed in one of the many shoot outs, his mum, also known as Mother, (Yeo Yann Yann) flies across the ocean to identify her son’s body and swear bloody revenge. There is a succession battle with first lieutenant Ching (Sunny Pang) skulking in the shadows, bitter at being passed over. Mia visits her uncle, Raul (Luis Guzmán) for false passports for her and Charlie to get out of town.

Walker, who is on Beaumont’s payroll is tasked with ensuring Charlie’s safety. Walker is a lone wolf stalking the periphery after a fall out with his brother officers including Vincent (Timothy Olyphant) over another bloody killing. Walker and rookie cop, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) hunt down leads in a hail of bullets in every possible setting from a club called Medusa, that has a good taste in music, to a hospital and a barn apart from sundry streets.  

The cuts are rather jumpy and at strange moments, people walk around in slow-mo for no particular reason. Despite there being practically non-stop action in this mercifully short film, Havoc is not engaging with the story tacked on as a frame for maiming and brutal murder.

Tom Hardy lonely as a cloud through the gritty landscape of the nameless American city that Wales stands in for, while Olyphant and Whitaker do their thing. Havoc has nothing going for it — as it is not even the kind of movie you can leave on as you solve Wordle, thanks to the unrelenting, senseless violence.

Havoc is currently streaming on Netflix