After a years-long wait, Gareth Evans, the Welsh filmmaker behind the acclaimed Raid films, returns with Havoc, a brutal noir thriller starring Tom Hardy. But those expecting the tightly choreographed martial arts mastery of The Raid or The Raid 2 may be surprised—or disappointed. Evans has traded in Pencak Silat for bullet-riddled mayhem, opting for John Woo-style gunfights and a grim, moody atmosphere over close-combat spectacle.
Set in an unnamed city drenched in shadows and cynicism, Havoc follows Hardy’s Patrick Walker, a morally bankrupt homicide detective with a battered past and a fractured present. Introduced while Christmas shopping for a daughter he barely sees, Patrick is soon embroiled in a bloody mission to protect the son of a corrupt politician. Along the way, we learn—through clunky exposition—that he’s crooked, unpopular, and barely hanging on to his badge. None of it matters much, though, as the plot is mostly an excuse to launch into increasingly savage action sequences.
If Havoc excels at anything, it’s in its dedication to violence. Every gunshot reverberates, every injury lands with thudding realism, and every execution is rendered with ghastly detail. When Forest Whitaker’s chauffeur meets a shotgun at close range, the film doesn’t flinch from showing brain matter splattering across the frame. Evans still films violence with an almost fetishistic glee, though here it’s bullets over blades, brains over bruises.
The climax, set at a snow-covered lakeside cabin, is pure pulp cinema: Hardy’s lone wolf fending off an onslaught of gangsters in a final, blood-soaked stand. It’s stylish and committed—enough to set Havoc apart from Netflix’s typical action fare—but the payoff can’t entirely redeem the narrative muddle that precedes it.
Evans’ craftsmanship is evident; the film feels lovingly made by people who respect the genre. But despite flashes of brilliance, Havoc is more admirable than enjoyable. It’s less a gripping crime drama than a moody, muscular mood piece—an homage to noir and heroic bloodshed that never quite carves out its own identity.
Verdict: Havoc is a gritty, gorgeously shot action noir that delivers gore and grit in spades, but its storytelling is as foggy as its grimy urban setting. Watch it for Hardy, stay for the shootouts—but don’t expect emotional clarity or narrative finesse.
