Havoc (2025)

[Director] Gareth Evans has an established hardcore audience. Netflix has an established hardcore audience. It’s not targeted by me for anybody in particular. I made this film for me. And I love all of it, I’m not gonna lie. There’s a secret geek in me that loves acting out in ‘interpretive dance’ through punching and kicking and biting and hitting people with hammers. My inner violent twirly comes out [in Havoc]. It’s like a musical for someone like me.

Tom Hardy does what he does best in Havoc, portraying a gritty action hero on a high-stakes mission that allows him to try his hand at a new accent. His acting and martial arts skills, alongside those of master action sequence choreographer and director Gareth Evans, form the perfect combination, spawning some of the most intense action scenes of the year. While the action is phenomenal, Havoc can sometimes feel overstuffed, overwhelming, and formulaic. With that being said, it's still an excellent option for Hardy fans seeking a bloody, exhilarating movie that delivers pure action.

Havoc is the onscreen personification of a gritty action movie, with a brooding cop in a broken city. The plot, which is deceptively simple, follows Patrick Walker as he tries to rescue a politician's son after a drug deal goes sideways. But Havoc doesn't care about neat resolutions or moral clarity. It's more interested in showcasing the systemic and personal problems of its characters and the city. Still, there are some small, quiet scenes that crack open the hard shell of the film just enough to let in something that looks like hope. Overall, it's an interesting watch for action fans.