Havoc (2025 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Havoc

| image = Havoc (2025 film).jpg

| caption = Release poster

| director = Gareth Evans

| writer = Gareth Evans

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Ed Talfan
Gareth Evans
Aram Tertzakian
Tom Hardy

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Matt Flannery

| editing ={{Plainlist|

Sara Jones
Matt Platts-Mills

}}

| music = Aria Prayogi

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

Severn Screen
One More One
XYZ Films

}}

| distributor = Netflix

| released = {{Film date|2025|04|25}}

| runtime = 107 minutes{{Cite web |date=April 24, 2025|title=Havoc (18) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/havoc-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi5odaz|access-date=April 25, 2025 |publisher=British Board of Film Classification}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

United States
United Kingdom

}}

| language = English
Cantonese

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Havoc is a 2025 action thriller film written and directed by Gareth Evans. The film stars Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Yeo Yann Yann, Timothy Olyphant, and Forest Whitaker. It is a co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom. The film was released by Netflix on April 25, 2025.

Plot

A gang of thieves, consisting of Charlie, Mia, Johnny and Wes, steal a batch of washing machines that contains a hidden shipment of cocaine. They are pursued by Vincent, Hayes, Jake and Cortez, a group of narcotics squad detectives. Cortez is badly wounded during the chase and hospitalized.

Later that night, Charlie and Mia take the stolen cocaine to Tsui, the head of the local Triad. Mia had previously stolen Tsui's car and was forced to work for him to pay off the debt. While there, a gang of masked assailants bursts into the hideout, gunning down Tsui and his enforcers. Charlie and Mia barely escape. The masked gang is in league with Ching, Tsui's disgruntled lieutenant, who flees the scene shortly before they arrive.

Patrick Walker is a homicide detective, estranged from his family and on the payroll of Lawrence Beaumont, a real estate tycoon, mayoral candidate, and Charlie’s father. Upon learning that his son is accused of Tsui's murder, Lawrence commands Walker to find and protect him. Working with his rookie partner, Ellie, Walker begins hunting down leads for the location of Charlie and Mia.

He also visits Cortez at the hospital, as he used to be a member of the Narcotics squad, all of whom are on Lawrence's payroll. Walker is estranged from them following an incident where Vincent killed an undercover cop during a drug theft gone wrong. As Walker investigates, Tsui's mother and Ching's older sister, a senior Triad leader nicknamed "Mother", arrives in the city and confronts Ching, demanding to know what happened to her son. Ching blames Charlie, and so Mother has Lawrence brutally kidnapped from his motorcade.

Walker tracks down Mia's uncle, Raul, who is forging passports that Charlie and Mia can use to leave the country. Walker forces Raul into setting up a meeting at a nightclub that evening where the passports are to be picked up. However, before Walker can get Charlie and Mia out safely, he is interrupted by the arrival of Vincent, Hayes and Jake. Mia identifies Vincent as Tsui's killer. Raul, Johnny, Wes and triads sent by Mother also arrive, resulting in a mass brawl and shootout. Hayes, Raul, Johnny, Wes and scores of Triads are killed. Walker barely escapes with Mia and a wounded Charlie.

Walker realizes that Vincent and his colleagues were actually seeking to hijack the cocaine shipment for themselves, rather than capture Charlie and his crew. Vincent is in league with Ching, who has a buyer for the cocaine. He sought to profit from the deal and take out Tsui, whom he resented for being promoted to head the city Triad over him. Tying up loose ends, Ching arrives at the hospital and murders Cortez and his wife. Ellie, sent by Walker to protect Cortez, pursues and captures him.

Walker takes Charlie and Mia to his father's old cabin on the city's outskirts. The Triads track them down and begin a massive assault, forcing the three to fight them off in a gun battle. They kill many of the assailants, but Charlie and Mia are captured. Walker kills the Assassin, Mother's lead enforcer, after a brutal fight in which he is badly wounded. Mother arrives with her bodyguards and Lawrence. Still believing Charlie killed Tsui, she forces Lawrence to play a game of Russian Roulette with Mia.

However, Ellie arrives, having captured Vincent and Jake alongside Ching. She reveals them as the guilty parties. Ching admits that he plotted Tsui's death because he was jealous of his sister passing the leadership position to her son instead of him after their eldest brother, the previous Triad leader, died. Jake suddenly breaks free and tries to shoot Charlie, but Lawrence shields him, dying in Charlie's arms. Ching and traitorous Triad members loyal to him shoot Mother and her loyalists dead. Ching also wounds Vincent, who in turn guns Ching down and flees with the cocaine. Walker pursues him.

Ellie and Jake fight, and Jake is on the verge of shooting Ellie when Charlie guns him down in revenge for his father. Vincent attempts to flee via train but is shot and wounded by Walker. They argue and Vincent shoots Walker, prompting him to fire back and shoot Vincent dead. With the police arriving and the heat still on them, Ellie lets Charlie and Mia go. Ellie and a grievously wounded Walker talk, and he urges her to arrest him. She refuses, and Walker looks upon the arriving police cars with an uncertain fate.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Tom Hardy as Patrick Walker
Jessie Mei Li as Ellie
Justin Cornwell as Charlie
Quelin Sepulveda as Mia
Luis Guzmán as Raul
Michelle Waterson as the assassin
Sunny Pang as Ching
Jim Caesar as Wes
Xelia Mendes-Jones as Johnny
Yeo Yann Yann as Tsui's mother
Timothy Olyphant as Vincent
Forest Whitaker as Lawrence Beaumont
Richard Harrington as Jake
Narges Rashidi as Helena, Patrick's wife
Jeremy Ang Jones as Tsui

}}

Production

On February 19, 2021, it was announced that Gareth Evans was attached to direct the film from a screenplay he wrote under his exclusive deal with Netflix. Evans received sole credit for the screenplay, with Scott Frank and John Lee Hancock receiving off-screen Additional Literary Material credit.{{Cite web |title=Havoc |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1262351/havoc/ |access-date=April 28, 2025 |website=Writers Guild of America West}} Evans was also announced as a producer on the film alongside Tom Hardy and Ed Talfan for Severn Screen as well as Aram Tertzakian of XYZ Films.{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=February 19, 2021 |title='The Raid' Director Gareth Evans Signs Exclusive Deal With Netflix; Sets 'Havoc' As First Film Under Deal With Tom Hardy Set To Star |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/gareth-evans-netflix-havoc-tom-hardy-1234696845/ |access-date=February 19, 2021 |work=Deadline Hollywood}}

Alongside the initial announcement, Hardy was cast in a lead role. Forest Whitaker was added to the cast the following month.{{cite web |title=Forest Whitaker To Co-Star With Tom Hardy In Netflix and Gareth Evans' 'Havoc' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/forest-whitaker-tom-hardy-in-netflix-and-gareth-evans-havoc-1234718255/ |last=Kroll |first=Justin |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=March 22, 2021 |access-date=March 22, 2021 |archive-date=March 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322175100/https://deadline.com/2021/03/forest-whitaker-tom-hardy-in-netflix-and-gareth-evans-havoc-1234718255/ |url-status=live }} In June 2021, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Cornwell, Jessie Mei Li, and Yeo Yann Yann joined the main cast, with Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Sunny Pang, and Michelle Waterson cast in supporting roles.{{cite web |title=Timothy Olyphant, Justin Cornwell and Others Join Tom Hardy in Netflix Action Thriller 'Havoc' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/netflix-havoc-tom-hardy-timothy-olyphant-1235006622/ |last1=Rubin |first1=Rebecca |last2=Frater |first2=Patrick |work=Variety |date=June 28, 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628160336/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/netflix-havoc-tom-hardy-timothy-olyphant-1235006622/ |url-status=live }}

The film began principal photography on July 8, 2021, in Cardiff, Wales, where production predominantly took place. The film is "one of the biggest films ever to be produced in Wales" and left a "lasting legacy for filmmakers".{{cite press release |title=Creating HAVOC in Wales - a new Netflix action thriller set to film this summer |url=https://gov.wales/creating-havoc-wales-new-netflix-action-thriller-set-film-summer |work=Welsh Government |date=July 8, 2021 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709140931/https://gov.wales/creating-havoc-wales-new-netflix-action-thriller-set-film-summer |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=New Netflix thriller to create Havoc in Wales and leave 'lasting legacy' for filmmakers |url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/new-netflix-thriller-create-havoc-21005522 |last=Forgrave |first=Andrew |work=North Wales Live |date=July 10, 2021 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710183650/https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/new-netflix-thriller-create-havoc-21005522 |url-status=live}} Hardy was sighted at the Barry Island Pleasure Park in South Wales and outside the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea in July and August 2021 respectively.{{cite web |title=Tom Hardy has been back to Barry Island pleasure park for a second day |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/tom-hardy-barry-island-why-21141127 |last=Deacon |first=Andrew |work=Wales Online |date=July 25, 2021 |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824123940/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/tom-hardy-barry-island-why-21141127 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Tom Hardy has been spotted filming in Swansea |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tom-hardy-been-spotted-filming-21386033 |last=Harrison |first=Rhodri |work=Wales Online |date=August 24, 2021 |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824123931/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/tom-hardy-been-spotted-filming-21386033 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Tom Hardy's new film Havoc is being shot in Cardiff |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/tom-hardy-havoc-cardiff-wales-20595110 |last=Bevan |first=Nathan |work=Wales Online |date=May 14, 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-date=June 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628161928/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/tom-hardy-havoc-cardiff-wales-20595110 |url-status=live }} On October 22, 2021, filming officially wrapped.{{Cite web |last=Lambie |first=Ryan |date=April 25, 2025 |title=Havoc Director Gareth Evans on his Netflix action thriller's reshoots (exclusive) |url=https://filmstories.co.uk/features/havoc-director-gareth-evans-on-his-netflix-action-thrillers-reshoots-exclusive/ |access-date=April 25, 2025 |website=Film Stories |language=en-GB}} An initial cut of the film was delivered to the studio in February 2022, but the film needed reshoots, which were delayed until July 2024 due to scheduling conflicts and the SAG-AFTRA strike.{{Cite web |last=Lambie |first=Ryan |date=July 9, 2024 |title=Havoc Gareth Evans' thriller, shot in 2021, is now undergoing reshoots |url=https://filmstories.co.uk/news/havoc-gareth-evans-thriller-shot-in-2021-is-now-undergoing-reshoots/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=havoc-gareth-evans-thriller-shot-in-2021-is-now-undergoing-reshoots |access-date=February 19, 2025 |website=Film Stories |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Pearson |first=Ben |date=2025-04-25 |title=How Havoc Director Gareth Evans Created The Movie's Biggest, Wildest Action Setpieces [Exclusive Interview] |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1837738/havoc-director-gareth-evans-interview/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=SlashFilm |language=en-US}}

While it was shot primarily in Wales, the film is set in an unnamed fictional United States city, merging elements of Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia (such as an elevated train and a Chinatown district.){{Cite web |date=2025-04-25 |title=Where Was ‘Havoc’ Filmed? What We Know About The 2025 Tom Hardy Movie’s Filming Locations |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/where-havoc-filmed-know-2025-160000922.html |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}

Release

Havoc was released by Netflix on April 25, 2025.{{Cite web |last=Miles|first=Rebecca|last2=Bryer|first2=Gareth|date=April 25, 2025 |title=Havoc: The Tom Hardy Netflix thriller made entirely in Wales |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dg7zrvdj2o |access-date=April 25, 2025 |website=BBC}}

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 102 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads "An anemic crime saga punctuated with bravura action sequences, Havoc may feel like a retread of director Gareth Evans' past glories but, for audiences addicted to his balletic style, the formula still rips."{{Cite web |title=Havoc (2025) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/havoc_2025 |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} {{Metacritic film prose|57|23|ref=yes|access-date=April 25, 2025}}{{cbignore}}