Alright, let’s talk Havoc, the new action flick. It dropped on Netflix on April 25, 2025, with Tom Hardy playing a beat-up cop in a city full of crooks. This movie’s a total rush — fists flying, blood spraying, and enough explosions to keep you locked in. But the story? It’s kind of a mess.
Here’s why Havoc is a blast for action fans but doesn’t quite stick the landing.
Plot Breakdown: Cops, Chaos, and Conspiracies
Hardy plays Detective Walker, a grumpy cop who’s lost touch with his family and works in a city where everyone’s dirty. When a drug deal goes bad, leaving a cop hurt and a politician’s kid, Charlie (played by Justin Cornwell), on the run, Walker’s sent to find him. What you get is a 105-minute sprint through a dark, snowy city that feels like Gotham mixed with John Wick’s world.
Forest Whitaker plays a shady politician. Timothy Olyphant is a sketchy cop friend. And Quelin Sepulveda’s Mia steals the show, swinging a meat cleaver like a badass.
It’s a setup you’ve seen before — tough guy, big conspiracy, tons of fights but it works when the action’s this good.
Action Review: Brutal, Bloody, and Brilliant
And man, the action is good.
Gareth Evans knows how to make fights feel alive. There’s this insane nightclub scene where Hardy’s smashing guys with a pipe, Sepulveda’s slicing through baddies, and bullets are flying everywhere. The camera’s zooming around, catching every punch and crash. It’s like you’re right in the middle of it.
The big finale in a snowy cabin is just as wild, with goons busting through windows and blood staining the snow.
If you love action that hits hard, Havoc has you covered.
The Flaws: Clichés, Confusion, and Wasted Talent
But here’s the problem: the story’s all over the place. It’s stuffed with clichés — crooked cops, a mean triad boss (Yeo Yann Yann, who’s cool but barely used), and a plot that’s more confusing than exciting.
Hardy’s great at looking tough and mumbling lines like, “You live in this city, you make choices,” but his character doesn’t have much depth. Whitaker and Olyphant are awesome actors, but their roles feel like a waste. Sepulveda’s Mia is fun, but she gets lost in the chaos.
Plus, you can guess most of the twists from the start, and the stakes never feel that big.
Visuals and Style: Grit Meets Glitch
The look of the movie is hit or miss. The city’s gritty, with cool neon lights and snow, but the early car race looked like a scene from a cheap video game. The shaky camera adds energy, but it can make fights hard to follow.
And don’t even try to count the bullets, nobody reloads, ever. They just dump their empty guns and grab new ones.
It’s not realistic, but it’s not really trying to be.
Final Verdict: A Fun but Forgettable Ride
Still, Havoc has this raw, in-your-face vibe that’s hard to resist. It’s not trying to be deep or fancy. It’s just a big, loud Netflix action movie for people who want to feel pumped. It’s got a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, which shows it’s a love-it-or-meh kind of film.
Should You Watch Havoc?
If you want a fun, no-brainer action flick, definitely. But if you’re looking for a story that sticks with you or characters you’ll care about, you might feel let down.
It’s like a rollercoaster — thrilling while it lasts, but you forget it pretty quick.
Where to Watch
Havoc is streaming now on Netflix. Perfect for a night when you just want to watch stuff blow up. Or if you don’t do blood? Then maybe the morning. Or the afternoon. Whatever works for you.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS: Sam Rockwell’s Shocking Cameo in The White Lotus Season 3
