Man of War Review

At the beginning of the Russian invasion, a military contractor and former Navy Seal heads to Ukraine after receiving a distress call from his niece, who has been working as an aid worker in Kharkiv. With the help of some old friends, Connor (LaMonica Garrett) hooks up with a former CIA asset, Dany (Andrew Howard), and together they fight their way across the country and into the city to rescue her.

On the face of it, Man of War looks to be a fairly conventional action thriller. You could even be forgiven for thinking it sounds a little like Taken. The two movies do share certain themes and plotlines, so it’s a natural comparison to make. But it quickly becomes apparent that they are also very different. Instead of sauntering around Paris like Liam Neeson, for instance, LaMonica Garrett’s ‘Connor’ is faced with sneaking into a warzone. Which is something I found myself thinking about during my viewing. Afterall, it is a little strange to think that the story is set during a war that is still going on, but it does give the movie a sense of relevance. Shot in Bulgaria, director William Kaufman cast several Ukrainian actors, all of whom brought their own experiences to the production. So while it isn’t exactly depicting history, it does in some way reflect the struggles of living in war torn Ukraine.

Naturally, that rather contemporary setting informs the tone of the movie somewhat, with Connor and Dany going to some very dark places. But they are also coming from some places that are rather dark as well. As is Rosmary Yaneva’s ‘Riley’, who despite being taken, proves to be far from a damsel in distress. When we meet Connor he is clearly struggling with some of the things he has seen in his life, and Garrett – who more than lives up to the movie’s title – brings both an intensity and a vulnerability to him. Which makes it all the more interesting to see him suddenly switch gears when a new and very personal mission presents itself. However, that laser focus also reveals a cold and jaded side to Connor, with the veteran Seal almost ignoring the horrors around him as he hunts for Riley. But as he continues on with his search, the high stakes and rather personal nature of the mission seem to reignite Connor’s humanity, and Garrett makes that experience feel organic. Whereas Dany is a man torn between two loyalties; to his family and his country. He is loud and colourful, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect, but is clearly something Howard had fun with. And yet he also instils in the character this inner turmoil, as he wrestles with the decision to either leave his country or stay and fight for it.

The two men’s attempts to cross a warzone, in of all things a purple Lada, proves to be an understandably tense affair. Patrolling soldiers from both sides, as well as the odd artillery barrage are but some of the hazards standing in their way. While an encounter with some of Dany’s friends from Ukraine’s criminal underworld proves to be a delightfully ‘edge of your seat’ moment. Not to mention a perfect introduction to Connor’s way of dealing with people. These obstacles bring a genuine sense of frustration and urgency to their travels, intensifying Connor’s need to get to Riley in an all too real way. Making it a tad disappointing that Jason Patric is given so little to do in his supporting role as Connor’s friend and “guy in the chair”. However, there are also surprising moments of levity. Some of which comes from the odd couple pairing of Connor and Dany, but mostly it’s thanks to ‘Bunny’, played by Linds Edwards. Bunny is the leader of another mercenary team tasked with extracting a wealthy family, and he’s as unhinged as Connor is stoic. At first the cockney former SAS trooper can be a bit annoying, with his non-stop talking and mutton chops-adorned cheeky grin. But it doesn’t take long for him to grow on you, and you begin to enjoy that unendingly sunny disposition.

Things really begin to heat up, however, when our heroes make it to Kharkiv. With the city feeling like an inescapable maze, all of that urgency and confusion increases. But with that comes a serious uptake in the action, and the movie – much like its star – begins to live up to its title. This also happens to be where the talents of Kaufman and his team are fully on display. Riley’s rescue quickly unfolds into a massive battle, with Connor, Dany and the gang going up against Daniel Bernhardt’s despicably evil ‘Koniev’ and his mercenary team. Only instead of merely showing us the action, we are immersed in it. Everything feels brutally up close and personal, and beautifully chaotic. Enough that at times it can almost be hard to keep track of everyone. The John Wick approach of making fights feel almost exhausting to watch certainly seems to have been adopted. Adding a sense of realism, even though at times it feels like the ‘Infinite Ammo’ cheat code has been applied. But rather than using quick cuts and other cinematic trickery to create such an experience, with Man of War a lot of it is down to excellent choreography and camera work. Kaufman allows the camera to almost dance with the actors, perfectly capturing the three-dimensional nature of the fight, and putting the audience right in the middle.