Adapted by Sylvester Stallone, A Working Man is intended to be a new film franchise for action star Jason Statham, based on Chuck Dixon’s book series.  Whether such a series materializes is questionable, since this movie did not do very well and is not particularly good.  But I didn’t think First Blood was very good either, and there has been five “Rambo” movies so far, so one never knows.

David Ayer’s film finds rugged war veteran Levon Cade (Jason Statham) working construction in Chicago when some very foolish Russian mobsters kidnap the daughter (Arianna Rivas) of Cade’s boss, so Cade reluctantly agrees to find her and rescue her.  This he does, smashing and shooting his way through the dark underbelly of Chicago’s drug-addled and crime-ridden society.

As an action flick this movie is adequate, sometimes spectacular, although logic has a sneaky way of disappearing throughout.  As a character drama it largely fails because it really plays like a one-person retribution drama.  Supporting roles are present and are given some attention, but not enough to matter.  The one thing this movie has going for it, like so many of its ilk since the days of Death Wish and The Exterminator is that the bad guys (and girls) are easy to hate.  The criminals here really are evil, and that always works well in these films, making their brutal comeuppances that much more visceral and satisfying.

By itself, this movie isn’t anything special.  It has its moments, and at other times it is routine at best.  If it is indeed the beginning of a character-driven franchise then it would behoove Stallone and his filmmakers to write deeper characters and connections between those characters.  Action isn’t the issue; stories like these require genuine people for whom to root as well as nasty villains which to explode and demolish.  ☆ ☆.  28 December 2025.