Havoc: Gareth Evans' Weakest Film Yet

This was one of my most anticipated movies of 2025. With Gareth Evans at the helm, I was genuinely excited. Evans has built a reputation for crafting visually stunning, intense action films like The Raid and The Raid 2. One thing you can usually count on with his movies is some damn good action, even when the story isn’t groundbreaking. Unfortunately, Havoc left me pretty disappointed. I would even go as far as saying it’s Gareth Evans' weakest entry in his filmography.

The story has never been the main reason to watch a Gareth Evans movie—it’s the action, the atmosphere, and the scale he’s able to build. Usually, his narratives are straightforward enough to keep you invested without demanding too much. Here, though, the story wasn’t just unremarkable—it was borderline tedious. I found myself disengaged from the plot fairly early on. There’s a lack of urgency and emotional connection that makes the whole thing feel like it’s just going through the motions rather than pulling you in.

Even worse, the action, which should have been the saving grace, wasn’t captivating either. For some reason, I kept thinking throughout the movie that Tom Hardy’s role felt like it was originally written for Mark Wahlberg. Hardy, who is usually intense and magnetic in these types of gritty roles, was just okay here. He certainly wasn’t bad, but he didn’t bring anything particularly special or memorable to the character. The supporting cast was fine—serviceable—but none of them left much of an impression either.

One major difference in this film compared to Evans’ previous work is the way the action is shot. It’s extremely CGI-heavy and overloaded with shaky cam. Instead of feeling immersed in the action, I found myself frustrated. The CGI often looked artificial, and the excessive shaky cam made a lot of the sequences hard to follow. It really took away from the intensity and grounded realism that made the action in his previous movies so effective.

That said, there are a few positives. The universe Havoc is set in has potential. It gave off a cool, gritty comic book city vibe—like something you’d find in a stylized graphic novel. Unfortunately, the movie only scratches the surface of this world and doesn’t dig deeper into its atmosphere or lore.

Overall, Havoc is a barely above-average action flick. It's watchable but ultimately forgettable. It feels like a movie destined to live its life out on streaming, the kind of film you throw on when you want something mildly entertaining but don’t expect to remember a week later. A real missed opportunity.