Movie: Wrath of Man

This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.

Black Friday

Plot Overview

Novelist Martin Clark once employed a WWII memoir:

I saw plenty of their trucks and half tracks with the Red Cross painted on them loaded down with guns and ammo headed for the Front. Also their medics were armed too. I don't think that is according to the Geneva Conference. (252)

Fortico, a cash truck/armored vehicle company operating in LA, is characterized by one of its crews as, “We ain't the predator, we're the prey.” They routinely trans­port millions of tempting dollars around the city every day. They're like a Red Cross truck on the battle­field, not looking for trouble, just doing their job. A new hire Patrick “H” Hill (Jason Statham) appears “over­qualified for this job,” and he's carrying some “history.” When he single­handedly thwarts a stickup, the company owner waives the contracted desk assignment for fracas survivors and makes him the poster child of the company, scaring off criminals by his mere presence.

He is secretly connected to an unnamed agency that was unable to get a lead on the man H is after by shaking the under­world tree, so H has gone under­cover to find him through the gang's inside man at Fortico. Fortuitously, H is driving on Black Friday when the gang, loaded for bear, hits the depot itself.

Ideology

A group of honored veterans made the wrong decision about a life of crime. (Prov. 1:10) “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.”

(Prov. 1:11-14) “If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent with­out cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse.” Returned from Afghanistan, they've become bored with civilian life, tired of being couch potatoes, and talk them­selves into a criminal venture for the thrill and reward.

(Prov. 1:15-18) “My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.” At least one of them is bound to get trigger happy, shoot up the guards or worse. Some of them might meet their demise when the guards shoot back, or when their fellow soldiers won't risk leaving their wounded alive, or when collateral damage brings down who knows what on them. There are no guarantees.

(Prov. 1:19) “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.” That's the way of the criminal.

Production Values

“” (2021) was based on the 2004 French movie, “Le Convoyeur” (“Cash Truck”) by Nicolas Boukhrief & Éric Besnard. It was directed by Guy Ritchie who co-wrote the screen­play with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkin­son. It stars Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett, Jeffrey Donovan, and Scott Eastwood—Clint's son. Statham was a pressure cooker about to explode. The rest of the cast had fun with their characters.

MPAA rated it R for strong violence through­out, pervasive language, and some sexual references. The crew included cinema­tog­rapher Alan Stewart, composer Christopher Benstead, and editor James Herbert. It was heavy on action, with several twists and a few cameos. It included some long, uncut takes to stretch out the tension. The action was mostly gunplay.

Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation

From its European roots came a brief sexual liaison without much romance. Whatever. It was heavy on greed and vengeance, light on work­place professionalism, and disrespectful of soldiering. The wall-to-wall action is its top selling point. Who knows what agency the lead belonged to?

Movie Ratings

Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.

Works Cited

Scripture quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.

Clark, Martin. The Substitution Order. Copy­right © 2019 by Martin Clark. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2019. Print.

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