Hard-bitten cop Walker (Tom Hardy) tries to track down the son of an important politician before the Triads and a group of corrupt cops get their hands on him. 

Havoc is unfortunately a rather large misfire from Welsh writer/director Gareth Evans who brought us the rather exceptional The Raid and The Raid 2. Unless that is, you are looking for a film that pays heavy homage to John Woo’s films from the 1980’s and 1990’s featuring Tom Hardy playing the world weary grizzled cop role. 

The plot plays out as a check list of action movies from that era…

Our hero is deeply flawed but determined. Walker is estranged from his wife and daughter following his slide into self hatred that resulted from him committing an act of corruption. Despite him being an emotional wreck he gets his job done by any means necessary. One last good deed offers him a path to redemption. 

His sidekick and new partner Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) still believes in him despite how badly he treats her. She will be there for him at the drop of a hat and without good cause. 

Vincent (Timothy Olyphant) leads a group of corrupt cops who will stop at nothing to get the drugs and money that will keep them rolling in ill gotten gains. 

Lawrence (Forest Whitaker) is a corrupt government official who holds all the cards when it comes to Walker’s life and career. But his son is in trouble which means he can offer freedom for one last job. 

And finally there are multiple factions of Triads who are as murderous and violent as one might expect. 

The plot being stereotypical or generic should not be an issue if we got to see Evans action flare at multiple intervals as he funnels all of the different factions into a final face off, but alas, there are only two extended action sequences. Let’s be clear, these are sequences I would gladly watch many, many times. Especially the “nightclub” scene around the middle of the film which features gunplay and knife fights. But at 107 minutes long the film is too long to get by on just those two sequences alone. 

Perhaps with a few more shoot outs or some doves flying in slow motion this one would have stood out more for me.