After what feels like forever, Gareth Evans is finally back with Havoc, a gritty, no-holds-barred action thriller that marks his return to the genre he helped redefine. Coming off the back of The Raid films and Apostle, expectations were understandably sky-high.—and while Havoc doesn’t quite reach those dizzying heights, it still packs a serious punch. Havoc stars Tom Hardy, Jesse Mei Li, Forest Whitaker, Luis Guzman and Timothy Olyphant. This isn’t peak Evans, but it’s proof that he still knows how to orchestrate mayhem like almost no one else.
This movie is mostly a one-man show. This is the Hardy we’ve been waiting to see again—raw, unfiltered, and absolutely feral. He’s never been more badass or brutal on screen. From the moment he steps into the chaos, he owns every second, delivering a performance that’s more physical than emotional, but completely captivating. Whether he’s limping through corridors soaked in blood or staring down a room full of goons, he brings the kind of intensity that reminds you why he’s one of the best working actors in this lane. Hopefully we can see him in more action-packed roles this.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the story. It’s a pretty thin setup. The synopsis says, “After a drug deal goes awry, a bruised detective must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son while untangling his city’s dark web of conspiracy and corruption.” There are attempts to inject emotion and depth, and once in a while, it even works—thanks partly to Hardy and Jesse Mei Li, who holds her own surprisingly well. But for the most part, the characters feel underbaked and the story unfolds in a fairly predictable way. The narrative could’ve used more big reveals and elevation points. It’s all pretty straightforward, and at times, it feels a bit too long for what it’s trying to do.
It also takes a while to set everything up. It starts off with a pretty mid chase sequence and takes a while to settle in. That said, when Havoc gets going, it absolutely rips. The action is intense, gnarly, and often hard to watch in the best way possible. Evans stages chaos with a sense of rhythm and geography that’s become increasingly rare in modern action cinema. Every punch, stab, and bone break is felt, and the film doesn’t shy away from making you wince. It’s a full-on bloodbath, and for fans of brutal action, this is where Havoc delivers most consistently.
Visually, the film has a distinct feel. The color grading and lighting choices—lots of deep shadows, dim streetlights, and rain-soaked alleys—give the entire thing a peculiar, almost feverish vibe. It works well with the film’s darker themes and gritty tone. There’s a grime to everything that feels intentional, like the world of Havoc is rotting from the inside out. It’s stylish, if occasionally a bit too self-serious.
But for a film that reportedly took almost four years to make, it’s hard not to be a little underwhelmed by some of the details. The VFX, especially in a couple of bigger moments, feel surprisingly unpolished. The villains never really land as credible threats, either—they’re generic with little presence or menace. For a film built on conflict, the antagonists needed more weight. Still, amidst all the chaos, there are a few emotional beats that hit surprisingly hard. Evans knows when to let the violence pause just long enough to remind you that there’s a man beneath the bruises. These scenes give the film some much-needed soul.
Havoc marks Gareth Evans’ return to action with a brutally entertaining, if narratively thin, thriller. Tom Hardy is at his most savage and ferocious, carrying a film that delivers bone-crunching fight sequences and a moody, gritty aesthetic. It’s not as tight or groundbreaking as The Raid, but compared to most of Netflix’s action output, it stands out. It could’ve done with a bit more narrative meat to match its impressive muscle. It’s a fun, often crazy bloodbath of a movie, and I’d watch Hardy wade through hell any day.
Havoc will stream on Netflix from April 25.
