LOS ANGELES: New action thriller “Wrath of Man” marks the first collaboration between Jason Statham and acclaimed writer-director Guy Ritchie since their film “Revolver” in 2005, and audiences can expect the same sort of high-octane action that made the pair a duo to be reckoned with.
“We like making movies,” British star Statham told Arab News. “We like being on the movie set. You know the days go very quick and we just like the process that we go through.”
“We enjoyed making it so much,” agreed Ritchie. “If you look at the behind-the-scenes filming, it’s a bit embarrassing because we’re always laughing — and over such a dark and serious subject as this.”
The story follows a man who joins a cash truck company in order to find the people behind his son’s murder. The action is everything audiences expect from Statham and Ritchie, but unusually for the genre, the stunt scenes were done with little to no rehearsal.
Statham, who plays Patrick “H” Hill, explained, saying “rehearsal is a key for not getting hurt and for stunt performers to learn the choreography moves. But, you know, this wasn’t a choreographed type of affair. This was when the action unwinds, it’s very visceral. It’s very meaningful and it’s very sloppy and it’s not supposed to be Hong Kong dazzle.”
The film is action-heavy and wastes little time in giving Statham reams of dialogue — he says very little, but manages to keep viewers engaged with an expressive use of his hands (and the weapons they wield).
Ritchie does the actor justice with his kinetic filmmaking style and restless camerawork, and it’s not the end of their partnership.
The director caught COVID-19 a week after wrapping production on “Wrath of Man,” but recovered in time to begin production on his next film, which once again stars Statham and began filming during the pandemic.
“Funnily enough it didn’t really affect us,” Ritchie said, referring to the pandemic. “It’s just quite expensive to make a movie now because of all the protocols that you have to go through.”
