Movie · 2025 · Action, Crime, Thriller, Drama · 1h 47m · R · English
Curator score: 1.1/10 (191.5K ratings)
No law. Only disorder.
Overview
When a drug heist swerves lethally out of control, a jaded cop fights his way through a corrupt city's criminal underworld to save a politician's son.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.1/10
IMDb: 5.6/10
Letterboxd: 2.58/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Metacritic: 57
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Gareth Evans
Production
XYZ Films, Severn Screen, One More One Productions
Cast
Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Sunny Pang, Yeo Yann Yann, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Jim Caesar, Xelia Mendes-Jones, Lockhart Ogilvie, Richard Harrington, Serhat Metin, Gordon Alexander, John Cummins, Megan Lockhurst, Jade Ogugua, Jack Morris
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A grimy, high-impact crime thriller with bursts of excellent action, but it’s weighed down by a thin story, overstuffed plotting, and uneven visual effects. Worth it if you’re here for Gareth Evans-style mayhem more than narrative finesse.
Best for
action fans who prioritize choreographed violence and momentum
viewers who like corrupt-city crime stories
fans of hard-edged, bruising thrillers with a bleak tone
people who don’t mind a messy plot if the set pieces deliver
Skip if
you want a tight, elegant screenplay
CG-heavy action pulls you out of the movie
you prefer character-driven crime dramas over spectacle
you’re looking for consistently polished visual effects
Overview
Havoc is the kind of movie that announces its intentions early: dirty streets, crooked cops, criminal factions, and a city that feels permanently on the verge of collapse. Gareth Evans still knows how to stage violence with ugly force and physical clarity, and when the film finally lets loose, it delivers the kind of extended action run that fans have been waiting for.
Worth noting
The problem is that the movie spends a lot of time getting there, and the story is more functional than compelling. Characters blur together, the plotting gets crowded, and some of the digital environments and effects undercut the grit the film is aiming for. It often feels like a strong action framework in search of a sharper script.
Bottom line
Still, there’s enough raw energy here to make it worthwhile for viewers who can forgive the rough edges. If you come in expecting a sleek thriller, you may be disappointed; if you want a nasty, bruising crime movie that eventually goes fully feral, it mostly gets the job done.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (3.5★) · 1009 likes
Mostly a feature-length version of one of Evans' own episodes of his pretty gnarly Gangs of London show. Sometimes bafflingly convoluted and overstuffed with interchangeable characters, takes its time getting to the action, then goes very amusingly nuts for an extended period of runtime. Fun movie.
George Carmi (3★) · 846 likes
cool shit. takes a bit of time to get going but once that promised raid-type action starts it becomes an absolute joy to watch. got some the batman vibes here and there aesthetically, which was lovely.
Sam🦧 (3★) · 844 likes
It’s alright son, we’ve got the John Wick nightclub scene at home.
davidehrlich (3★) · 834 likes
The pleasures of Gareth Evans’ long-awaited “Havoc” are fewer and less consistent than die-hard fans might hope from a project they’ve been waiting to see for so many years (principal photography wrapped in the fall of 2021, only for routine reshoots to get postponed until 2024 due to various strikes and scheduling issues), but the best moments of this comically scuzzy crime saga reaffirm why the Welsh director’s work is worth the hype.
And by “the best moments,” I’m not… more
Preet (3★) · 611 likes
a drug heist on christmas, no wonder there's so much snow falling