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Despite mixed critic reviews, A Working Man is dominating the UK streaming charts this Bank Holiday weekend, with viewers across the country shelving their weekend plans to watch the latest Jason Statham-led action flick.
The high-octane thriller, which hit Amazon Prime Video earlier this year, has unexpectedly soared to number one on the platform’s trending list, surpassing buzzier titles like The Minecraft Movie, Becoming Lez Zeppelin, and Wes Anderson’s cult favourite The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Co-written by Sylvester Stallone and directed by David Ayer (Fury, Suicide Squad), A Working Man stars Statham, 57, as Levon Cade, an ex-Royal Marines commando turned construction worker who’s violently thrust back into his former life after the daughter of his boss (played by Michael Peña) is kidnapped. Cade must go toe-to-toe with the Russian mafia in a classic save-the-girl revenge mission packed with grit, gunfire and plenty of growling dialogue.
Also starring Stranger Things' David Harbour and Lock, Stock’s Jason Flemyng, the film delivers all the muscular mayhem fans of the genre crave, even if critics haven’t been as enthusiastic.
Upon its original release in March, A Working Man received a lukewarm 49% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences are telling a different story: the film currently holds an impressive 87% audience rating based on more than 2,500 user reviews.
Credit: Amazon MGM Studios via AP
Fans have flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to defend the film, calling it the perfect turn-off-your-brain action watch.
“Exactly what you’d expect a Jason Statham movie to be,” wrote @AKlay19. “A hard-hitting action flick that is quite fun when it leans into its absurdity.”
“No dull moments, an easy, entertaining watch!” added @IAmKalki13.
@YoakoJono summed up the mood with: “More of the same from Statham and Stallone – but these types of films are always entertaining.”
Despite being compared unfavourably to Statham’s recent hit The Beekeeper (which holds a healthier 71% critic score), the film is finding its niche among audiences seeking straightforward thrills.
“It’s formulaic and filled with odd characters, nowhere near The Beekeeper, but still fun,” admitted @DamBen1.
Yet for many, that’s precisely the appeal. “It’s a Jason Statham film,” wrote one viewer on Rotten Tomatoes. “High body count, lots of action, and a decent ‘save the girl’ story.”
As streaming platforms continue to blur the lines between big-screen blockbusters and sofa-friendly hits, A Working Man proves there’s still a big appetite for no-nonsense action, especially when it’s wrapped in Stallone-scripted chaos and delivered by Statham’s trademark fists of fury.
Credit: Amazon MGM Studios via AP
