The Wrecking Crew Review
Movies are better when the people in them are clearly having a good time, so when you pair the likes of long-term friends and action megastars Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa together for Amazon Prime Video’s The Wrecking Crew, it was always going to be super fun (and violent) 2 hours.
It’s a fairly simple story that follows two estranged half-brothers, a loose cannon cop and a disciplined Navy SEAL, who must work together to unravel a conspiracy behind their father’s murder in Hawaii. Whilst it is a little cliché at points, it never shies away from that fact at any point and from the get-go, it’s fast to establish its tone and style with its own take on non-stop comedy and clever stunt sequences. It almost feels fairly defiant in that it knows what it’s trying to be, a platform for the two leads to be silly and violent. It doesn’t care that it’s not a unique story because it knows it’s going to make you laugh as quickly as it’s going to wow you with its action sequences. It led to there being something almost admirable about the film because it felt that Director Ángel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) had given Bautista and Momoa the freedom to enjoy themselves as much as possible, and in return, he was rewarded with two authentic, strong performances that elevate the film more than the source material. This is something we don’t always see on the big screen, and it felt refreshing to see again. The closest comparison I can give would be the series of films Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson did around 2018 (such as Rampage and Skyscraper), which felt so unapologetic in its attempt to simply be an entertaining blockbuster that it almost feels odd not to have him cameo in this, especially with his links to the two leads. Maybe the studio model should be putting in big action stars in wacky scenarios after all.
One of the elements I really liked about the film was how distinctly it created its characters, their dynamics and the family focus. Momoa is quickly established as Jonny Hale, the drunk maverick of the family, who hasn’t been to Hawaii in years, whereas Bautista’s character, James Hale, is shown to be more sensible and family-focused. Over the course of the film, the two characters slowly come back together, and the two do a really good job of selling the authenticity of the characters’ journeys. I thought that Momoa was particularly very good in the film, with most of the memorable comedy moments coming from him. There is also a really fun role for Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds in Spider-Man), whose character they meet as part of their investigation. Each character, including the wider ensemble, ends up getting their own spotlight moment, whether that’s in an action sequence or a comedy moment, and credit has to go to writer Jonathan Tropper (Your Friends and Neighbours) for this. The rest of the cast is also really strong with the likes of Morena Baccarin, Temuera Morrison and Maia Kealoha (Lilo in the live action Lilo and Stitch) all appearing.
It probably won’t surprise you, reading this, but it would be hard to do this review without acknowledging the impressive level of action sequences throughout. The film has plenty of memorable scenes mixed into its runtime, with everything from a car chase scene to a stealth break-in. I would say, though, that there were a couple of moments that felt a bit unnecessarily gory, with one involving a cheese grater being the most standout. Whilst I have no issue with gory moments, it did feel like a bit of a missed opportunity in terms of being a film that can be watched as a family. It wouldn’t have taken anything from the overall film if they had removed or toned down just one or two moments, especially with the heavy focus on the family messaging and Hawaiian culture.
The Wrecking Crew is a hilarious ‘buddy cop’ film that is definitely worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of the two leads. It’s filled with lots of great one-liners and some incredibly fun stunts. Momoa and Bautista are clearly having the time of their lives working together, and I would be all in favour of watching a sequel if they decided to go down that route. More movies of people having fun on our screens, please!
★★★★
Streaming on Prime Video on 28th January / Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Balaton, Morena Baccarin / Dir. Ángel Manuel Soto / Amazon MGM / 15
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