I'm happy to say that I think Wrath of Man is my favorite Guy Ritchie movie in the last ten years.
It's not the most unique story. Really, it's a pretty standard revenge story on the surface; but, it's very well executed.
I'm going to try to be as cryptic as possible lest I spoil anything.
I will certainly praise the filmmakers for structuring the movie in a way that basically starts in the middle of the story and not making it feel like a contrivance. The tragic irony that motivates Jason Statham's character is all the more powerful for the context that the structure of the movie provides.
What's more is that the movie is full of three dimensional characters complete with tragic flaws and virtues. There's really one completely irredeemable character in the movie.
I also appreciate that Guy Ritchie strayed away from his fast cutting and stylized editing. Most of the movie was covered in long takes which made the action sequences all the more brutal and also kept the geography and the blocking incredibly clear.
I do recommend this film to anybody who isn't terribly sensitive to violence. I will add that despite all of the violent movies I have seen in my life, I actually found the violence in this movie particularly hard to watch. It's not that it's particularly gruesome; it's that is so dispassionate at times, calculated, methodical. The sound design was often horrifying. It reminded me of Heat at times.
So, yeah, two hours well spent.
