Tom Hardy is a corrupt cop in “Havoc” on Netflix

Gareth Evans has a very specific style. In an action landscape where every film or scene can feel like many others, the director and screenwriter carved out his own space starting with the creation in 2011 of a radical work like The Raid - Redemption, bringing the genre to its highest form, in its purest expression. For Evans, it’s not just about entertainment, about creating quick, easy-to-consume products meant for light and superficial enjoyment. Of course, there is a spectacular element in his fight choreographies and in the specific and meticulous staging he constructs, but also a respect and attention toward the kind of cinema he has chosen for his career—one that goes beyond mere escapism and amusement. Or at least, that’s how it had been until now. Havoc, a Netflix production starring Tom Hardy, lies at the edge of his tendency toward gritty, nasty action, but remains precise and focused in its intent. It falls into a more conventional dimension compared to the films Evans has made so far, losing that drastic and sharp soul that made him appealing to critics, though sometimes less to audiences—his previous Netflix film Apostle holds a 79% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 53% from the audience.

The protagonist of Havoc is police officer Walker (Hardy), who is forced to accept having become a corrupt cop and must live every day with the consequences of his double life. Tired of continuing a life that has estranged him from his daughter and determined to get out of the game once and for all, he is given the chance to put an end to his illicit dealings. If he manages to find the son of politician Lawrence Beaumont, played by Forest Whitaker, and get him out of a drug deal gone wrong, he might finally call himself a free man. But too many variables—and above all, too many obstacles—stand between Walker and his goal: the perverse ambition of his fellow corrupt officers, the strict shrewdness of a young recruit, and a mother from a Chinese crime clan seeking revenge for her son’s death. Generic yet dangerous, dirty and gripped by noise, violence, and constant chaos, the city where Gareth Evans sets Havoc is a fictional metropolis that amplifies the sense of aggression and abuse felt throughout the film. An uncontrollable, brutal, and oppressive place that serves as the backdrop to the fury the movie both delivers and inflicts on its characters. Hardy moves swiftly through the filth his character has come to terms with, and like all who have decided to put an end to their story, he tries to give it his all to break free from the criminal world he got pulled into.

But, just like the rest of the film, his Walker struggles to break away from a series of stereotypes that are only occasionally interrupted by bursts of originality. The protagonist isn’t just the usual cop looking for easy money who settles things (only) with his fists—he’s a sharp, keen mind, attentive to detail. He’s ironic in his own way, not at all accommodating, and deviates slightly from the typical writing such characters are usually given. Just like the fierce, lethal action that builds scene after scene in Havoc, yet which seems to have been dragged too far into the film’s turbulent frenzy, at times striking for its desire to push boundaries and break rules, but at others inflating to the point of becoming confusing and disjointed. The violence exists for its own sake—a trait Evans has accustomed his audience to. In this blend of a film made for the platform, thus potentially open to all, and the extremism of the action genre, Havoc finds itself on the edge of a story that seeks the “wow” effect but only hints at it. It shows the effort and actual quality in the action scenes Evans is known for, though they’re less meticulous in their usual organized chaos. A film close to Gareth Evans’ taste and work, though less structured. More akin to the Netflix packaging than to the name of its creator.