TL;DR – A solid action film that works as two big personalities collide with vengeance.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Wrecking Crew Review Introduction –

Today, it is time to dive into an action film full of explosions, guns, big muscles, and bigger personalities. It is the kind of glitzy action film that we would get once a month, but now get sent straight to streaming. But as this is a very dad-film coded entry, it might just be the best place for it.   

So, to set the scene, it’s Chinese New Year on the streets of Honolulu as Walter (Brian L. Keaulana) walks through Chinatown, being stalked by unsavoury people as fireworks explode. But just when he escapes, a van mows him down in the street. The man was a private eye with a long list of carnage in his wake, including two children, half-brothers Johnny (Dave Bautista) and James (Jason Momoa), who have not talked to each other in over ten years. But when the Yakuza show up at James’ place with violent intent, looking for a package Walter sent him before he died, well, it just might be time for James to go back to Hawaii to see who really killed his father.

Casting

The Wrecking Crew is a film that lives or dies on whether you believe that Jason Momoa & Dave Bautista are part of a very dysfunctional family. A built-in odd couple: the straight-laced SEAL instructor, and the wild police officer who follows very few rules. Look, it takes most of the first act for that to pay off more than just quips being flung at lightspeed. You know by the end of the film that James will become more responsible, and Johnny will loosen up; it is just the nature of things. But it is at least good that both Jason Momoa & Dave Bautista are up for the challenge and seem to relish the challenge of exploding at each other at Mach speed.

Narrative

It could be argued that you don’t watch films like this for the narrative, but it is the glue that holds everything together. Here, the hook that propels the story forward is who killed Walter and why. Look, as far as motivations go, it’s fine; it is on the same level as, say, The Nice Guys, and works the same way by throwing our two oddball characters together. Look, from watching the first ten or so minutes, you will know the basic throughline of the film, and you would probably be spot on the money up to and including who the real bad guy is and when the moment all the tension finally breaks past the restraint of them all and a beat down turns into a pathway of catharsis. The one big difference here is that this story is also incorporating issues that affect Indigenous Hawaiians, which is a welcome addition because not a lot of works shine a light on that.

Tone

Look, your enjoyment with this film is going to be very dependent on whether the tone works for you or not. For example, the opening fight with James involves extensive offscreen urination and windmill situations. There is cursing, violence, and crass language of every persuasion. It is a sort of film that, when the Yakuza heavy Nakamura (Miyavi) is being snarky, barbs including Pearl Harbour and the nuclear response freely flow. You probably already knew what the tone would be, given the casting and structure, but they go at it with such gusto that it is almost commendable.   

Action

Given this is an action film, we do need to talk about the action, and I would say that it is perfectly serviceable. It helps that Jason Momoa & Dave Bautista have the clear physicality to make the action scenes at least plausible, which makes the moments they brawl some of the best in the film. The Wrecking Crew is one of those films where Morena Baccarin is suddenly an expert defensive driver with no explanation, but you kind of don’t care because it works so well. There are a number of action scenes throughout the film, including a serviceable Oldboy homage. I would say that it was probably lucky that this had a streaming release because there is a lot of noticeable green screen in the main car chase that would not have played well on the big screen. If I have one criticism, it would be that if you cast Frankie Adams, could you please use her, because she can kick some ass.    

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend The Wrecking Crew? If you like a more adult-oriented action film, then this is the one for you, even if it might have the most unrealistic hand grenade scene put to film, and given how hand grenades have been used in cinema, that is saying something. However, you will probably know in the first ten minutes if the tone will vibe with you or not.  

Have you watched The Wrecking Crew? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked The Wrecking Crew, we would recommend Heads of State to you because it has a similar vibe, as it throws two units together just to watch the sparks explode.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Feel free to share this review on social media and check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Wrecking Crew
Directed by – Ángel Manuel Soto
Written by – Jonathan Tropper
Music by – Bobby Krlic
Cinematography by – Matt Flannery
Edited by – Mike McCusker
Production/Distribution Companies – 6th & Idaho Productions, Hard J Productions, Reunion Pacific Entertainment, Amazon MGM Studios & Amazon Prime.
Starring – Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Temuera Morrison, Morena Baccarin, Roimata Fox, Frankie Adams, Claes Bang, Jacob Batalon, Maia Kealoha, Stephen Root, Josua Tuivavalagi, Miyavi, David Hekili Kenui Bell, Mark Black, Lydia Peckham, Branscombe Richmond, Brian Keaulana, & Stephen Oyoung
With – Takuma Anzai, Maineialoha Kinimaka, Lele Kahalepuna-Wong, Bruce Bennett ah Leong, Mile Edward & Josh Thompson
Rating – Australia: MA15+;