Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 4 minutes, Director – Ángel Manuel Soto
Estranged half-brothers James (Dave Bautista) and Jonny (Jason Momoa) are reunited in the wake of their father’s mysterious death, leading them to investigate a series of covered up family secrets and gang ties.
Get the buddy relationship of your buddy actioner right and you’re already part way there. Even if you stay just part way there you’re at least scratching something of a minimum, and perhaps other elements can be forgiven in light of this. It’s certainly the case for The Wrecking Crew where Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa’s chid-like bickering (with added flourishes of f-bombs) raises a good few chuckles.
The pair play estranged brothers James (Bautista) and Jonny (Momoa), brought back together in Honolulu in the wake of their father’s death. However, the circumstances behind it seem mysterious and the pair soon find themselves on the explosive trail of uncovering buried secrets, conspiracies and gang ties in the family’s past. The pair of modern action stars certainly embrace their roles and bring a sense of fun to the humour and characters. Carrying the tough guy roles with a healthy dose of vanity-lacking machismo competition through the half-sibling lens.
Slightly obvious CG can be forgiven when the film produces the handful of likable chuckles that it does amongst the general amusement of the film. A helicopter chasing and shooting at a car going down the freeway towards a tunnel may look a tad clunky, but it’s not the dominating thought in the moment as the action at hand is clearly put at the fore to make for an enjoyable and in part thrilling sequence.
It’s what helps see The Wrecking Crew through. Yes, the outline may be somewhat familiar from other buddy actioners of decades gone by, but it gets through thanks to the clear signs that an attempt has been made to make this a breezy and comedic film that still has some solid action sequences throughout. Whether up-close fights or more outlandish moments, such as the aforementioned helicopter chase, there’s a swiftness to the action that keeps things moving. There may be a sense that things border on being slightly overlong, but there’s still a well-paced energy to things in the third act where things are perhaps at their most upfront when it comes to the scraps, fisticuffs and stair falls at hand. Much of which is brought about by the fact that director Ángel Manuel Soto knows that he can let Momoa and Bautista relax and be funny.
By knowing that Momoa and Bautista can be funny there’s a loose and breezy feeling the The Wrecking Crew’s familiar outlines. With focus on enjoyable action it sees itself through rather well, with enough amusement to keep things going until the end.
Just A Little Bit Random 