Movie Review: A Working Man (2025)

A Working Man (2025) co-written and directed by David Ayer

Jason Statham is Levon Cade, a single dad whose daughter is mostly in the custody of his father-in-law since his wife died. As ex-special forces, he is deemed "dangerous" by that side of the family. But Cade has given up soldiering for construction work. When his boss's (Michael Cena) daughter (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped with no ransom demand, Cade reluctantly agrees to get her back. He hunts down what turns out to be a human trafficking organization run by Russians that has lots of layers and connections to seedy underworld businesses. Cade is all business as he works his way through their chain of command to get the girl back.

While Statham is reliably good at the action, the plot gets harder and harder to believe as the movie goes on. The set-up is solid with the intriguing mystery about why she was taken. Cade seemingly has no money but during the investigation he suddenly has all sorts of surveillance equipment, several cars, several weapons, and wads of cash to pass himself off as a drug dealer. David Harbour's role is little more than a cameo--he provides an out-of-the-way place for Cade to stash his pre-teen daughter when "things get personal." Maybe I would have put up with the ridiculous stuff if the movie had more of a sense of humor like in other Statham movies or more convincing bad guys. 

Not recommended--this isn't terrible but it doesn't offer much entertainment either.