Havoc is an action thriller written and directed by Gareth Evans, and while it’s packed with action, it hasn’t convinced all critics. Gareth Evans has become known for his action and thriller movies, most notably The Raid and its sequel, and he returned in 2025 with Havoc, which promised lots of action and thriller elements. Starring Tom Hardy, also known for his action roles, Havoc was released on Netflix in April 2025, and though it topped the charts during its first days, it has divided critics in their reviews.

Havoc follows Homicide detective Patrick Walker (Hardy), who is on the payroll of mayoral candidate Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker). When Beaumont’s son, Charlie, is framed for the ᴀssᴀssination of the leader of the local Triad, Walker is tasked with finding and protecting him, while the mother of the murdered Triad leader and her people also go after Charlie. On top of that, Walker makes a disturbing discovery about his colleagues, led by Vincent (Timothy Olyphant). Havoc currently has a 64% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, as it has gotten mixed reviews so far for different reasons.

5

Havoc Delivers In Action But Not Story

Havoc Works As An Action Movie But Lacks Substance

Havoc promises lots of action, and it delivers on this, with long (and surprisingly gory) action sequences where the cast gets to display their skills and training – unfortunately, this isn’t much when the story is lacking in many areas. Some critics have called Havoc an action movie “for action’s sake” (via Inverse), as its story lacks setup, world-building, and all the characters, including Hardy’s Walker, are underdeveloped, and some are even too cliché.

Even with these flaws, the plot of Havoc has been labeled as convoluted by many critics, while lacking substance and depth. What most critics agree on is that Evans does have a talent for crafting and directing action scenes, but struggles with the dramatic and narrative parts of a story. While this won’t be a problem for those looking for a movie with long action sequences, as a whole, Havoc doesn’t quite work.

Variety:

“The cheesy screenplay, shallow characters and wince-worthy acting (from all but A-listers Hardy, Whitaker and Olyphant) suggest that Evans might be better suited to specializing in the second unit or action sequences on a major franchise, rather than writing and directing a quasi-dramatic feature.”

The Wrap:

“The cartoonish levels of violence and gunplay here oddly accompany the thin story. Because the narrative probes no deeper than “dirty cop seeks some kind of redemption,” it doesn’t really matter if everyone who has a gun appears to have used a cheat code to unlock infinite ammo/no reload.”

4

Havoc’s Strength Is Tom Hardy

Of Course, Tom Hardy Stands Out In Havoc

One of the most exciting elements of Havoc, which was key to building up anticipation around the project, is Tom Hardy. Hardy has excelled in action and drama roles, and mixing both has been a winning combination for him. Surely, and as mentioned above, Havoc struggles when it comes to its story and characters, but even with all those flaws, Hardy stands out as Havoc’s biggest strength. The action scenes let Hardy’s combat skills shine, while his dramatic chops come into play in the more personal moments for his character (which aren’t many, but Hardy makes the most out of them).

Looper:

“Hardy can’t be blamed for this, as even though he isn’t breaking any new ground with wild accent work this time, he still packs the offbeat intensity that makes this familiar antihero archetype feel more distinct than it likely does on the page.”

3

Havoc Gets Lost In Its Long Action Sequences

Havoc’s Action Is Too Distracting

While most critics agree that Havoc’s action scenes are impressive, especially that lengthy, mᴀssive fight at the club, these are the elements that have divided critics the most. Surely, Havoc is an action movie, and that’s exactly what it delivers, but its thin plot, underdeveloped characters, lack of originality, and more lead to the movie getting lost in its outstanding action sequences. As impressive as some of its action sequences are, they end up being too distracting when the story isn’t offering much.

Collider:

“Not only is the 105-minute film paper-thin with its steady stream of broken bones and beautifully choreographed chaos, but all the bloodshed and violence start to feel comical and more like a distraction from a plot that never finds its footing.”

2

Havoc’s CGI Is Distractingly Bad

Havoc Continues A Current Problem In Action Movies

The action sequences in Havoc are well-choreographed and some, like the above-mentioned club scene, are impressive, but the movie continues a big problem in recent action movies: the bad use of CGI. It’s understandable that Havoc would use CGI as most of its action sequences are very elaborate, and shooting them in more traditional ways would have been not only expensive but dangerous. However, the CGI in Havoc is distractingly bad at different points, most notably in the very first action sequence: the truck chase.

Critics have pointed out the scene where one of the thieves is hanging from the door of the truck as the best example of Havoc’s bad CGI, and it only continues for the rest of this sequence. Just like with the above point, the bad CGI could have gotten a pᴀss from most critics and general audiences had Havoc offered more in terms of story and character development, but instead, it stands as one of its biggest flaws.

Collider:

“There’s no denying Evans plays the action stuff well, but there are times when the sequences suffer from some rather choppy editing and overused CGI that distracts rather than immerses the viewer. While it’s unclear if that was the intention in terms of giving the film a comic book feel with its grainy finish, some of it is jarring in its execution.”

1

Havoc’s Story Is Predictable

Havoc’s Twists Aren’t Surprising

Havoc’s biggest weaknesses are definitely related to its story. Not only does it lack setup, worldbuilding, and its characters are underdeveloped, but Havoc’s story is unoriginal, and one that has been used and reused too many times in the action genre. Havoc is another “cop who has done bad things seeks redemption through questionable methods” story, and some critics have even called it “cartoonish” as it doesn’t add anything new to the formula, instead just throwing it into a mix of action sequences.

This makes Havoc predictable and its “twists” unexciting, as the audience will see them coming. The excitement of Havoc lies in its action sequences rather than its story and characters (and as good as Hardy’s performance is, Evans doesn’t do much for the audience to care about Walker), and the ending can be predicted after just a couple of minutes into the movie.

Screen Rant:

“Havoc’s story is a disappointment because of how unoriginal it is. Time and again, movies about a corrupt police officer tasked with doing something that will draw the ire of everyone around him have the same overall arc, pitting him against fellow officers and other criminals.”

Sources: Inverse, Variety, The Wrap, Looper, Collider.