A WORKING MAN : Tuesday 1st April 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'A WORKING MAN' this week, and this American action thriller is Co-Written for the screen and Co-Produced by Sylvester Stallone and David Ayer and Directed by David Ayer, whose prior film making credits take in his Directorial debut in 2005 with 'Harsh Times', and which he would follow up with other titles including 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016, 'Bright' in 2017 and 'The Beekeeper' in 2024. This film is based on Chuck Dixon's 2014 novel 'Levon's Trade'. The film was released in the US last week too, has so far grossed US$36M from a production budget of US$40M and has garnered mixed or average reviews. 

Here, we are introduced to Levon Cade (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here), an ex-Royal Marines Commando who leads a peaceful life as a leader of a construction company in Chicago. 

He is close to the owners of the company - the Garcia family run by husband and wife team Joe (Michael Pena) and Carla (Noemi Gonzalez) respectively, together with their nineteen year old daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas) who works in an unofficial capacity completing lesser tasks while still studying. On the day of her nineteenth birthday Jenny is kidnapped from a club she was attending that night with three other girlfriends, by Russian traffickers, bundled into the back of a van and whisked away. 

The next day Levon comes into work as normal only to be greeted by a distraught Joe and Carla saying that their daughter is missing, and pleading for Levon to find her and bring her back to them. Levon declines saying that he is no longer that man, and cannot help them. 

Later, Levon visits a former colleague whom he served with and whose life he saved although he couldn't save his eyes which now leaves Gunny Lefferty (David Harbour) blind. Gunny lives in a remote cabin in the woods, and Levon tells him the story of how Jenny is missing. Gunny tells Levon what he already knew - that he would go after those who abducted Jenny and bring her back home - he just wanted to hear it from someone else. Levon later goes to the Garcia household and tells Joe that he'll bring Jenny back to them. 

Levon learns early on that the organisation who has taken Jenny is run by the Bratva (Russian mafia), led by Symon Kharchenko (Andrej Kaminsky). After Levon interrogates and kills high-ranking captain Wolo Kolisnyk (Jason Flemyng) by drowning him whilst tied to a chair in his own pool. Symon sends his sons Danya (Greg Kolpakchi) and Vanko (Piotr Witkowski) after Levon. Levon infiltrates the organisation by pretending to be a dealer to get close to Wolo's estranged son Dimi (Maximilian Osinski), who runs the trafficking side of the business. Jenny's captors, Viper (Emmett J. Scanlan) and Artemis (Eve Mauro), try to sell her to a client, but Jenny bites the man's cheek so badly he needs thirty-six stitches and is ordered to be killed, until the client changes his mind and wants to try again with her. Meanwhile, Levon is caught by Danya and Vanko, but he kills them in close quarter combat in the back of a van, eventually dumping them and the van in a river where it quickly submerges. Later as Symon is mourning the loss of his two sons laid out in a mortuary, this signals that things have got very personal between Levon and him.

Levon takes his young daughter Merry (Isla Gie) out of school for a few days to stay with Gunny and his wife after the thugs find out who he is and threaten him, having already burned down the house where Merry lives with her grandfather after Levon's wife died two years previously. Levon rescues his father-in-law, with whom he has a very rocky relationship, who at least is grateful for saving his life. Having armed up with Gunny's secret stash of weaponry, Levon later tracks down Dimi and gets him to lead him to the compound where Jenny is being held. 

Levon kills Dimi and proceeds to gun down, knife or grenade every last Russian goon in his path, including a biker gang and their leader who arrive on the scene after the initial bloodbath. Levon finds Jenny, kills the client, then kills Viper while Jenny kills Artemis. Following this second round two more of Symon's heavies arrive on the scene - Nestor (Ricky Champ) and Karp (Max Croes), with the latter machine gunning down a police squad car that arrives who are also in on the trafficking scheme. Levon then dispenses with these two before escaping with Jenny on a motorbike, while Symon looks on from outside and out of view. Symon calls his brother to tell him of this latest development but is told to leave Levon alone and that nobody in the organisation is going to help him in his crusade for revenge, and if he persists then he will be killed. Do you understand his brother asks, to which Symon responds with a yes. He hangs up and screams into the night. 

Levon returns Jenny home to her family who all embrace and rejoice her safe arrival, before he goes off to reunite with Merry and Gunny.

Penned by Stallone and Ayer and Directed by the latter, 'A Working Man' offers nothing we haven't already seen countless times before courtesy of films from the likes of Stallone, Neeson and Butler. Here, once again Statham does what he does best as the everyman trying to put his past to rest but is called upon to unleash his very particular set of skills to reign down all hell on earth on, in this case, the Russian mob through the inventive use of guns, blades, grenades, pick axes, sledge hammers, a bucket of screws and a sack of cement. And in this respect this action flick works and delivers Statham's signature brand of ass kicking, but the storyline and the dialogue is thin on the ground, and any hints at humour fall flat. This film is not up there with last years Statham and Ayer actioner 'The Beekeeper', and it delivers nothing new to an already overcrowded genre, but what you get is exactly what it says on the box. 

'A Working Man' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th March 2025

The 23rd Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) kicks off on Thursday 27th March and runs through until Sunday 30th March, and is New Jersey’s Premier Independent Film Festival that enriches the State with robust year-round programming. Founded in 2002, the artistic philosophy of the Garden State Film Festival is rooted in the celebration of the independent film genre and the creation of a forum where local and other independent filmmakers can exhibit their work. It was also created to pay tribute to New Jersey’s legacy as the birthplace of the American filmmaking industry in Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratories where he invented the first film cameras and projectors, to Fort Lee, where the original studios were founded. The event provides novice and aspiring filmmakers, actors, and others interested in careers in the film business, the opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals in an atmosphere conducive to learning and mentoring - so reads the official website.

The feature films being showcased at this years festival are as follows :-

* 'The Ballad of a Hustler' - is a Latino human rights drama Directed by Heitor Dhalia. From the USA.

* 'Bardejov' - this drama based on a true story is Directed by Danny A. Abeckaser. From the USA.

* 'Beggarman' - this drama film is Directed by Danny Montero . From the USA.

* 'The Compatriots' - is a comedy drama film Directed by Spencer Cohen. From the USA.

* 'Counting In' - is a mockumentary comedy Film Directed by Griffin M. Davis. From the USA.

* 'First Rites' - this action drama film is Directed by Michael Fredianelli. From the USA.

* 'Here's Yianni!' - is a drama film Directed by Christina Eliopoulos and stars Eric Roberts, Rosanna Arquette, Julia Ormand and Kevin Pollack. From the USA.

* 'If That Mockingbird Don't Sing' - this comedy drama film is Directed by Sadie Bones. From the USA.

* 'Lady Parts' - is a comedy drama film Directed by Nancy Boyd. From the USA.

* 'Love, Danielle' - this comedy drama film is Directed by Marianna Palka and stars Lesley Ann Warren. From the USA.

* 'Scarlet Winter' - is an action drama film Directed by Munjal Yagnik. From the USA.

* 'The Short Game' - is a family sports drama film Directed by Frank Sanza. From the USA.

* 'The Creep From the Bar Last Night' - this drama film is Directed by Michael Coppola. From the USA.

For the full synopsis of the above named films, plus all the details of the documentary features, the short films and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.gsff.org/

This week we have six new movie release offerings to tease you out to your local Odeon, kicking off with an action thriller that sees a man who left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter, but when a local girl vanishes, he's asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism. This is followed up by a psychological horror film about a mysterious woman who repeatedly appears in a family's front yard, often delivering chilling warnings and unsettling messages, leaving them to question her identity, motives and the potential danger she might pose. Next up is a Sci-Fi set on a struggling cattle farm some years in the future, where a woman discovers the unsettling consequences of her husband's animal breeding technology. Then we turn to a drama film about a man, one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, who shares all his secrets to de-mythologise his mythologised life. Following on is a Japanese documentary about an ample cat colony that inhabits a Shinto shrine - residents care for them and others are disturbed by the mess - here the filmmaker observes their coexistence. And closing out the week we have an Aussie doco about the legend, the mateship, the magic—made against all odds, this film unveils the untold story behind Australia’s most successful film. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'A WORKING MAN' (Rated MA15+) - is an American action thriller that is Co-Written for the screen and Co-Produced by Sylvester Stallone and David Ayer and Directed by David Ayer, whose prior film making credits take in his Directorial debut in 2005 with 'Harsh Times', and which he would follow up with other titles including 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016, 'Bright' in 2017 and 'The Beekeeper' in 2024. This film is based on Chuck Dixon's 2014 novel 'Levon's Trade'. The film is released in the US this week too.

Here, Levon Cade (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here), an ex-Royal Marines Commando, leads a peaceful life as a construction worker in Chicago. However, Levon is forced to use his old set of skills to find the teenaged daughter Jenny Garcia (Arianna Rivas) of his boss Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), who has been kidnapped by human traffickers, and soon uncovers a conspiracy of corruption and government agents' involvement in human trafficking. Also starring David Harbour and Jason Flemyng.

'THE WOMAN IN THE YARD' (Rated CTC) - this American psychological horror film is Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, whose prior feature film credits take in his debut with 'House of Wax' in 2005, followed by others including 'Orphan' in 2009, 'Unknown' in 2011, 'Non-Stop' in 2014, 'Run All Night' in 2015, 'The Commuter' in 2018 (these last four films all starred Liam Neeson), 'Jungle Cruise' in 2021, 'Black Adam' in 2022 and 'Carry On' most recently in 2024. Here then, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is a woman crippled by grief after she survives a car accident that takes her husband (Russell Hornsby). Seriously injured, Ramona now must care for their 14-year-old son (Peyton Jackson) and 6-year-old-daughter (Estella Kahiha), alone in her rural farmhouse. A lone, spectral woman (Okwui Okpokwasili) shrouded entirely in black appears on their front lawn without explanation and warns them 'today's the day'. The film is released Stateside this week too.

'IN VITRO' (Rated M) - is an Australian Sci-Fi film Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Will Howarth (who also Co-Produces and Co-stars here) and Tom Mckeith. Set in the near future, Layla (Talia Zucker) and her husband Jack (Ashley Zukerman) live on an remote cattle property hundreds of miles from the nearest neighbour. With their son away at boarding school, Jack spends his days tending to the livestock and experimenting with new biotechnology, Layla pines for her son and the life she once had. One night, everything changes when a storm knocks out power to the property and they soon discover that something unknown has been released onto the farm. But as Layla discovers more about the mysterious presence and Jack’s behaviour becomes increasingly controlling, Layla finally uncovers a secret that brings her face to face with the reality of her relationship with Jack and their life on the farm. The film premiered at last years Sydney Film Festival in June, and only now is it released here in Australia. 

'OH, CANADA' (Rated M) - this American drama film is Written and Directed by Paul Schrader, and is based on the 2021 novel 'Foregone' by Russell Banks. Schrader made his Directorial debut with 'Blue Collar' in 1978 and over the years he would follow this up with the likes of 'American Gigolo' in 1980, 'Cat People' in 1982, 'Affliction' in 1997, 'Dying of the Light' in 2014, 'Dog Eat Dog' in 2016, 'First Reformed' in 2017, 'The Card Counter' in 2021, and 'Master Gardener' in 2022. Here, filmmaker Leonard 'Leo' Fife (played by Richard Gere in the present and Jacob Elordi in flashbacks) is dying of cancer. He is a hero to Canadian progressives, who revere his award-winning muckraking documentaries and are fascinated by his life story. According to legend, Leo fled America for Montreal to dodge the Vietnam War draft, and went on a Kerouac-style road trip to Castro's communist Cuba. In his last days, he agrees to sit for a CBC documentary filmed by his former students Malcolm (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill). Malcolm promises that he is making an admiring retrospective of Leo’s career. Also starring Uma Thurman. The film saw its World Premiere at last years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, was released in the US in early December, has so far grossed US$1.2M and has garnered generally favourable critical reviews.

'THE CATS OF GOKOGU SHRINE' (Rated G) - is a Japanese documentary film Co-Produced, Directed, photographed, and Edited by Kazuhiro Soda. Gokogu is a small, ancient Shinto shrine in Ushimado, Japan. Home to dozens of street cats, it is also known as Cat Shrine. Many people visit the shrine for various reasons - some to worship gods, others to enjoy gardening. Some people come to clean the shrine as volunteers while others just stop by on their way to fish Japanese sardinella, and, it is the perfect place for kids to play after school. It is a heaven for cat-loving residents and visitors too. Some people visit Gokogu to feed the freely roaming stray cats. Others just come to see these cats or to take pictures of them. But some residents complain about the waste the cats leave around the neighbourhood. Gokogu looks peaceful on the surface, but it is also the epicentre of a sensitive issue that divides the local community. 

'LOVE OF AN ICON : THE LEGEND OF CROCODILE DUNDEE' (Rated PG) - this Australian documentary film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Co-Directed by Victoria Baldock and Delvene Delaney. Crocodile Dundee burst onto global cinema screens, and into the hearts of millions, nearly forty years ago in 1986, and remains Australia’s most successful film ever. What were the magic ingredients that contributed to this cultural icon? And why does it still mean so much to so many? This origin story behind the box office record breaking classic, features Paul Hogan (who starred as Michael J. 'Crocodile' Dundee in all three films in the franchise), Delvene Delaney, the late John Cornell (Co-Creator), Linda Kozlowski, Peter Fairman (Director), Russell Boyd (Cinematographer), David Gulpilil and the late John Meillon among many others.

With six new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-