Directed By Angel Manuel Soto

Starring – Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Tamuera Morrison

The Plot – Estranged half-brothers Jonny (Momoa) and James (Bautista) reunite after their father’s (Brian L. Keaulana) mysterious death. As they search for the truth, buried secrets reveal a conspiracy threatening to tear their family apart.

Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual material, pervasive language and some drug use.

The Wrecking Crew – Official Trailer | Prime Video

POSITIVES

The latest seemingly random mash-up of two charismatic and brutish leads for streaming content filling is better than it has any right to be, especially considering so many of these at-home action thrillers feel interchangeable by this point, featuring material that feels like it treads familiar ground towards reaching its inevitable destination. This is not to say that “The Wrecking Crew” is an originally refreshing step in a unique direction, it just understands how to sizzle enough flavor of personality and humbling heart to its reheated leftovers, with a script from “Kodachrome” director, Jonathan Tropper, whose efforts on that aforementioned dramedy allowed him infinite wisdom on how to blend varying tones cooperatively under the helming of one cohesive vision. Tropper’s single greatest feat of strength is with the effectiveness of the comedy that Momoa particularly unloads with the same kind of care-free and effortless deliveries that Ryan Reynolds made a dazzling career out of, offering not only an abundance of registering laughs throughout Jonny’s many caustically transparent interactions with those involved in and around his case, but also scene stealing charming cadence in the ways he articulates such a shamelessly loveable loser, cementing what is quite possibly the most encompassing vehicle for Momoa’s talents, to date. Tropper also appraises an abundance of underlining heart to the story’s exploration of broken families, particularly those gripping interactions between Jonny and James, which evaporate the testy turbulence of their bitter dynamic for sincere insights that heal the misunderstandings between them. The subtlety of the dramatic shifts transpire fluently without the need to weigh heavy on the movie’s juvenile atmosphere like a wet blanket, helping to maintain its dependency on humor while conveying the magnetic bond between these characters, which in turn unlocks some meaningfully believable chemistry between Bautista and Momoa that takes their respective portrayals miles. While Momoa definitely hands in the most meaningful work to the movie’s prominence, Bautista’s reserved stoicism and straight-man maturity elicits the perfect balance to Momoa’s deconstructive tendencies, helping not only to keep them from essentially portraying the same character, but also expand their interactions to reflect more of the comfortability that they feel around each other, the longer the film dips into its second hour. The film is also able to show off some solid action in the form of its hand-to-hand combat sequences, that bring with them some enthrallingly intricate sound designs, remarkable practically enacted special effects, and smoothly swift fight choreography that keep the viewer invested with intensity and interactive with the set designs. The best among them that perfectly summarize these qualities is the first action set piece of the movie, where Jonny battles a fierce foursome of Yakuza assassins, and he utilizes everything from whiskey bottles, to picture frames, to even a cheese grater to gain the upper hand on his overwhelming odds, serving as the perfect precedent for the distinct personality to be found throughout the rest of the film, even if the action seemingly dips a bit in quality with the expansive ambition of its set pieces. To be fair, the action is at its best when kept on the ground between two or more characters in a physical show of strength with one another, but when its elaborate outlining comes in the form of a helicopter chase sequence on the highway, its sleek camera work and invasive framing gives way to overzealous editing and an oversaturation of greenscreen backdrops, taking the once bluntly brutal showmanship of the production and overwhelming it with familiarly tangible sequences of destructive devastation that feel like the required par for the course of action comedies. Lastly, Soto’s direction does leave a bit more to be desired in the monotony of his documentation, but he does capitalize in capturing the breathtaking beauty and tranquility of Hawaii, which thematically plays to the stakes of the mystery that hang overhead. Soto and cinematographer Matt Flannery conjure attention-fetching scenery in establishing sequences that goes a long way outlining the legitimacy of the production’s on-site locations, with plenty of variance in and out of the countryside and rural areas to give audiences a bigger picture to paint their perception, and while this is the last movie concerned with a poetic presentation, it comes natural to such a mesmerizing setting in the movie’s favor.

NEGATIVES

Entertainment does come in droves to a movie blessed with two dynamic leading lads, but detracting from the movie’s momentum is its overarching mystery and scattered developments, which were so effortlessly transparent with predictability as quickly as the movie’s first few scenes. Part of the problem certainly stems from the conflict feeling so unavoidably similar to other predecessors of the genre, with such limited deviation to the proverbial formula, but just as much limitation to the speculation of suspects stems from a lack of developed characters in the movie’s creativity, especially those big enough physically or powerfully enough reputably to match up against two titanic gladiators like Bautista or Momoa, and considering the script continuously treats the big reveal as this unforeseen mystery meant to shake the foundation of where these characters persist, the end result lands as predictably as flatulence after chili, threatening to squander the movie’s momentum in its meaningful final few moments. On top of this, the film also tests the patience of the audience throughout a two hour runtime that feels so compromisingly unnecessary to the magnitude of its storytelling exploration, particularly with far too many scenes paid to such an uncompelling mystery, and so very few to the tenderized component that is Jonny and James’ unresolved familial grief with one another. We do eventually get an expected scene of these characters confronting their misconceptions about one another, but it comes long after the direction and treatment of their personal conflict feels like a stubbed toe, instead of catastrophic devastation, making their bitter rivalry feel easily resolved with a five minute conversation that is eventually proven in execution, and while we know the reunion between Jonny and James will eventually lead to a budding bromance that takes out the bad guys, I wish the script and especially the direction zeroed in on the discomfort between them, whenever they come in close contact with one another, perhaps as a means to justify such an ambitious aforementioned runtime. Finally, while I previously mentioned the inconsistency of the action set pieces, I wanted to talk a bit more about Soto’s stilted direction undermining the integrity of so many of these sequences, even with artificialities that distract so much of the focus paid to the physicality of the conflicts. When we experience that first action sequence involving Momoa and the Yakuza, we’re treated to prolonged editing techniques and navigated camera movements that immerse us in the depths of the devastation, but once the movie’s action sequences elevate ambitiously to involve a helicopter or a speeding variety of cars, there’s little to the filmmaking and cinematography that feels dangerously enticing or even artistically flourishing, undercooking the atmosphere in ways that compromise the urgency and vulnerability of the characters, in turn making the inconsistency of the action sequences feel like they’re being steered by two entirely different directors.

OVERALL
“The Wrecking Crew” is a feverishly fun buddy action comedy that delivers juvenile laughs and captivating charisma, courtesy of the antagonistic chemistry contained between Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa’s bitter brotherly dynamic. While the film nearly fumbles on a formulaic screenplay and inconsistent action sequences to boot, it’s nevertheless a charmingly chaotic call-back to 80’s and 90’s tag team tandems, fitting comfortably into an Amazon Prime catalogue that meanders on mediocrity.

My Grade: 6.7 or C+