Wild Card *** (2015, Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Stanley Tucci) – Movie Review

Jason Statham stars as ultra-tough and uber-resourceful Las Vegas bodyguard Nick Wild in a gritty and intriguing remake of the Burt Reynolds crime thriller Heat (1986).

Statham’s Wild gets a weird thing going with rich young entrepreneur Cyrus Kinnick (Michael Angarano) who hires him for protection, while more importantly trying to protect Holly (Dominik García-Lorido), who has been beaten by sadistic thug Danny DeMarco (Milo Ventimiglia), the son of a powerful mob boss.

With a strong cast including Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Jason Alexander and Hope Davis, and a screenplay by double Oscar-winning writer William Goldman, a lot is expected of this crime drama. So it’s frustrating that it turns out to be only just another competent Statham action thriller, but with a flavoursome touch of the American lowlife Donald Westlakes and the Elmore Leonards, plus a big added attraction in a trio of exhilarating action scenes choreographed by Hong Kong legend and frequent Statham collaborator Corey Yuen.

Simon West, with whom Statham previously collaborated on The Mechanic and The Expendables 2, does a slick job of the direction, keeping the movie fast moving, quirky and entertaining, with lots of authentic-seeming Las Vegas atmosphere. But you get the idea that everybody wanted it to turn out much classier, and much more A-movie than it really has. As a trashy B-movie, though, it’s surprisingly engrossing and enjoyable.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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