'Havoc' review: Tom Hardy and Gareth Evans deliver a brutal, blood-soaked symphony of despair

After the endless development delays, industry pauses, and multiple reshoots, the much-awaited crime-drama film Havoc, a genre-defining piece created by Gareth Edwards (The Raid, Gangs of London), is finally streaming on Netflix.

This gritty crime thriller starring Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, and Jessie Mei Li takes its viewers to an unnamed city where the tangible decay of the society lies in wait to be explored. Havoc brings you blood, bullets, and bone-crushing violence. But if you were hoping to find some underlying theme amid the storms of chaos, this one is probably not for you.

Plot: Good choices die here

This time, Hardy takes on the role of Wilson, a tired cop in the Amazon Prime film Havoc. The narrative starts with Hardy's raspy voice telling the viewers that “choices you try to justify” often lead “nowhere good.”

Wilson’s world is one of a never-ending downpour, congestion, and moral decadence. He is sandwiched between his crumbled home life and a drug-infested city ruled by savage politicians like Forest Whitaker's Lawrence Beaumont and Timothy Olyphant’s duplicitous dirty cop, Vincent.

When a drug deal goes sideways, slashing a Chinese gangster and leaving a young couple free, Wilson is embroiled in a world of a relentless cycle of betrayal and bloodshed.

Everyone wants Mia and Charlie for their own reasons, and in a world where "good guys" are morally bankrupt, Wilson, who is battered and bleeding, is forced to make the call on whether any justice is possible.

Performance highlights: Hardy's haunted warrior and Sepulveda's breakout

Tom Hardy incorporates his hallmark physicality and trademark intensity in Wilson. His American accent is subtle yet firm; even in the skeletal exchanges, he expresses a lifetime of regrets through every exhausted glance and weary punch.

While Hardy’s performance may not be overtly striking, it doesn’t need to be; he captures the long-suffering essence of the man, honing in on every aspect of instinct and endurance, fighting his way through a senseless realm devoid of sympathy.

Quelin Sepulveda is the real revelation here. As Mia, her lack of dialogue makes her performance all the more compelling. Sepulveda demonstrates resilience, the will to survive, and weakness, even while brandishing a meat cleaver against Triad henchmen. Without elaborate speeches or excessive exposition, she roots the film’s emotional core.

At the same time, Timothy Olyphant morphs his familiar, captivating grin into a colder, more cruel portrayal of the corrupted detective Vincent, giving the role a strikingly new touch. Forest Whitaker offers some penetrating weight, but it feels like he disappears all too soon.

Action and direction: A symphony of chaos

As anticipated from Gareth Evans, the action is nothing short of phenomenal. Havoc stages its set pieces with brutal clarity: the early tractor-trailer chase is jaw-clenching, and a later cabin shootout is among the bloodiest and most chaotic sequences in recent memory.

Evans, however, adds a slightly “video game” touch to the choreography—cameras tracking bullets, bodies soaring through glass, and slo-mo sequences. It is not cartoonish like Crank, but it does soften the realism, converting the destruction into a grim spectacle that is almost wearing. Viewers will either be delighted by the unyielding madness or fatigued by its numbing monotony.

In any case, there is an odd sort of grace in Evans' pursuit of the embarrassingly absurd. Havoc carves out a universe that is not only closed but also claustrophobic, devoid of any moral windows—there are only choices of varying degrees of survival.

Themes and tone: A world without mercy

Havoc is not a feel-good movie laden with hope, comedy, or levity. In this world, any semblance of optimism has been washed away by the constant downpour. Wilson’s meager attempts at goodness — not killing an innocent, safeguarding an innocent — are utterly annihilated by the tidal wave of brutality that is consuming the city.

The film’s overwhelming bleakness is perhaps its most distinctive feature, for better or for worse. Every so often, Havoc estranges the viewers on an emotionally sensitive level. The extreme and incessant violence offers no space to meaningfully engage with the characters on a level deeper than primal instincts.

Final verdict: Should you stream it?

I can only give this movie a 5/10⭐

Watch it, but at your own risk. Havoc combines style with brutality in a way where survival seems like a loss. As always, Gareth Evans proves that no one can stage violence like he choreographs it, and Tom Hardy’s haunting performance lingered around the periphery of the frame.

Nonetheless, worry not: this isn’t another fun, witty action movie. This movie is a challenge to sit through, a dark piece of art accompanied by explosives and suffering. Prepare your own umbrella – and a jacket.