Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham work together again in ‘Despierta la Furia’ (Wrath of Man), a film that mixes intrigue, action and badass humor, being entertaining but that neither stands out nor will be remembered

When you face a film that comes under the name of the famous director Guy Ritchie , you show up at the cinema with certain pretensions, we could say even illusions. If you add to that the fact that the person in charge of starring in ‘Wrath of Man’ is Jason Statham , things are promising.

You know in advance what both are capable of offering as a director and as an actor, since in a way their films and their roles have always followed a pattern (even a stagnation, especially in the case of the actor). The only question then is whether what you are going to see is going to be of better or worse quality, whether you are going to leave the cinema satisfied or not.

‘Awaken the Fury’ reunites Ritchie and Statham, who have already worked together on ‘ Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ‘ (1998), ‘ Snatch ‘ (2000) and ‘Revolver ‘ (2005). The result? A film that may possibly be liked, but far from enthusing . Entertainment, the most important thing, but it will not go down in the annals of Ritchie’s filmography or cinema.

A dark-spirited security guard?

We begin ‘Despierta la Furia’ with a somewhat failed robbery of an armored van. The thieves have taken the money, but at least the two security agents have also died.

After this we see how Patrick (Statham), who from now on we will know as “H”, appears for a job interview at Fortico, the company to which the van that suffered the attack belonged. H presents an exceptional resume, in addition to being stronger than ammonia, and gets the job although curiously in the tests he just passes . He will have to deal with some very hesitant companions with a very special humor among those he regularly marries.

Faced with a new robbery, our hard worker surprises by behaving outstandingly and saving one of his companions with accurate shots . He suddenly becomes a hero for the company and that pisses off some of his colleagues who believe that H is hiding something, that he is a somewhat dark spirit…

Is “H” really who he says he is or is he something else? His heroic behavior and the occasional scene makes us think otherwise. And indeed, “H” contains a secret that we will discover little by little in a film divided into four very different acts . The one we have told you is only the first…

In the rest we will discover why he is working in the security company, who our protagonist really is and who are the robbers whom, given what we have seen, he seems to be chasing. And up to here we can read.

It maintains the Guy Ritchie essence but…

Let’s get to the important question: Is ‘Despierta la Furia’ worth watching? This is like everything, depending on the color, but I think that an objective vision (written in this case by someone who knows Guy Ritchie’s films but is not a die-hard fan) of the film is that it contains a good part of the director’s essence . but without being fully exploited .

We have a simple plot but not at all convoluted , which makes the film easy to follow. We have a good dose of action but not too much , nor excessively bloody or beastly, which increases as we progress in the film to be the center of what we see in the final stretch. To finish, we have that very sarcastic badass script typical of the director that gives rise to a dry and hesitant humor with which we have a few laughs.

As for Statham , an actor we are used to seeing everywhere, here he faces a role in which he seeks revenge, but a little more slowly and patiently. More focused on suspense , on discovering who he is and the reason for his mission, than on getting involved with shots and blows, although we see that too. But he passes with flying colors because in the end he plays something he’s great at: a guy tougher than a week-old loaf of bread.

The rest of the cast – among whom we can find Josh Hartnett , Scott Eastwood ( ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ ) , Holt McCallany ( ‘Justice League’ ), Jeffrey Donovan (‘One of Us’, ‘Lucy in the Sky’ ‘, ‘Villains’) or Laz Alonso – fits the bill perfectly. Oh and Andy García, whose participation is nothing more than a simple insubstantial cameo.

Furthermore, the plot itself – based on the French film ‘The convoyeur’ – is nothing new : assaults, revenge, very standard bad guys with the typical uncontrolled guy who fucks up everything, organized crime, corrupt police officers. Tasty ingredients, but seen a thousand times and also without too much fuss .

Final rating of ‘Despierta la Furia’

In summary ‘Despierta la Furia’ is a film that achieves what is fundamental: entertaining. But it doesn’t travel any further .

There will be Ritchie fans who feel satisfied, others who may expect something else and in some ways leave the cinema more or less disappointed. What is clear is that it is by no means one of the best films of the director, nor of the leading actor, and that it is not going to go down in the collective memory at all .

It maintains the Guy Ritchie essence but…

Let’s get to the important question: Is ‘Despierta la Furia’ worth watching? This is like everything, depending on the color, but I think that an objective vision (written in this case by someone who knows Guy Ritchie’s films but is not a die-hard fan) of the film is that it contains a good part of the director’s essence . but without being fully exploited .

We have a simple plot but not at all convoluted , which makes the film easy to follow. We have a good dose of action but not too much , nor excessively bloody or beastly, which increases as we progress in the film to be the center of what we see in the final stretch. To finish, we have that very sarcastic badass script typical of the director that gives rise to a dry and hesitant humor with which we have a few laughs.

As for Statham , an actor we are used to seeing everywhere, here he faces a role in which he seeks revenge, but a little more slowly and patiently. More focused on suspense , on discovering who he is and the reason for his mission, than on getting involved with shots and blows, although we see that too. But he passes with flying colors because in the end he plays something he’s great at: a guy tougher than a week-old loaf of bread.

The rest of the cast – among whom we can find Josh Hartnett , Scott Eastwood ( ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ ) , Holt McCallany ( ‘Justice League’ ), Jeffrey Donovan (‘One of Us’, ‘Lucy in the Sky’ ‘, ‘Villains’) or Laz Alonso – fits the bill perfectly. Oh and Andy García, whose participation is nothing more than a simple insubstantial cameo.

Furthermore, the plot itself – based on the French film ‘The convoyeur’ – is nothing new : assaults, revenge, very standard bad guys with the typical uncontrolled guy who fucks up everything, organized crime, corrupt police officers. Tasty ingredients, but seen a thousand times and also without too much fuss .

Final rating of ‘Despierta la Furia’

In summary ‘Despierta la Furia’ is a film that achieves what is fundamental: entertaining. But it doesn’t travel any further .

There will be Ritchie fans who feel satisfied, others who may expect something else and in some ways leave the cinema more or less disappointed. What is clear is that it is by no means one of the best films of the director, nor of the leading actor, and that it is not going to go down in the collective memory at all .