A Working Man is the upcoming collaboration between Jason Statham and David Ayer, and its story steals a concept from John Wick 2. The movie will be a loose adaptation of Chuck Dixon’s acclaimed novel “Devon’s Trade”, which follows a building contractor who’s pulled into a dark web of crime and conspiracy when his boss’ daughter goes missing in a suspected kidnapping. The story details Statham’s protagonist’s journey to find the missing girl and enact revenge upon those who took her. Judging by the trailer for A Working Man, the film will be much darker and grittier than the book.
What’s most exciting about A Working Man is the reunion between Statham and Ayer, who previously worked together on The Beekeeper. While that film wasn’t perfect, it was an extremely bold and stylistic project that was never afraid to take its narrative to unexpected places. This allowed it to stand out from the rest of Statham’s catalog, and it seems as though A Working Man will adopt a similar style. The film is the second of many potential collaborations between Statham and Ayer, and the trailer has already revealed one important plot point that’s seemingly inspired by another action franchise.
A Working Man & John Wick 2 Both Have Weapons Sommeliers
The Character Archetype Is Becoming More Common
The trailer for A Working Man reveals an interesting character who seemingly acts as the protagonist’s liaison with the criminal underworld. He’s a blind recluse played by David Harbour, and a self-described “weapons sommelier.” This could be a direct reference to The Sommelier from John Wick: Chapter 2, who provided Keanu Reeves’ protagonist with the weapons and armor that he needed to carry out the ᴀssᴀssination of Gianna.
In recent years, John Wick has proven to be one of the most influential and impactful franchises in the action genre; this is just another example of that. Aspects from Chad Stahelski’s beloved movies have begun bleeding into other action flicks, to the extent that his Sommelier character is now becoming a common trope. But thankfully, the character serves a clear purpose here. A Working Man makes several changes from the book, most of which exist to make the protagonist’s journey a more personal one — the Sommelier is a clear example of this.
Jason Statham’s A Working Man Won’t Escape The John Wick Comparisons Now
The Film Would Have Struggled Anyway To Break Free Of John Wick
Unfortunately, A Working Man’s direct reference to John Wick’s sommelier may prove to be detrimental to the movie, which was already going to suffer many comparisons to the successful franchise. There have been countless John Wick-esque movies in recent years, with strong protagonists that enact revenge upon dangerous organizations, so A Working Man really needs to distance itself from these comparisons in order to make a name for itself. While Harbour’s “weapons sommelier” is a nice touch, it could prove too on-the-nose for some audiences.
