306, The Wrecking Crew

Any movie that opens with a Guns N'Roses track has to be be a winner - from it's vibrant opening sweeping drone shots of Hawaii to the final subdued beach scenes, this movie is action packed, full of laughs, violence and is definately one to watch!

I started this blog how I normally end them, but I wanted to get your attention early.  

The Wrecking Crew for me was an absolute gem of a movie.  Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista (slimmed down & fresh from a very recent outing in Afterburn, Blog 303) portray estranged half-brothers Jonny & James Hale, supported by a magnificent cast including fan favourite Morena Baccarin (DeadPool), Jacob Batalon (Spiderman) & Temuera Morrison (Mandalorian).

Bautista & Momoa deserve equal billing as the Hale brothers.  The Hero vs the Anti-Hero.  One a decorated Marine - one a disgraced Cop, seprated decades ago after an absent father left them both high and dry and after his untimely death (an alleged 'hit and run'), Momoa is the first sibling hot on the trail of their absent fathers killer after a visit from a Yakuza hit squad leaves him questioning what's been going on.  Heading home to Hawaii after a lenghtly absence, he is forced to begrudgingly team up with Bautista to work out why their father was murdered - and by who.

The chemistry between Bautista and Momoa is excellent - insult after insult & the sheer brashness of the back and forth is a real treat and both play their parts so well.  Baccarin is the always sensational on / off love interest of Momoa and is drawn back into the fray mid movie, whereas Bautista's Hawaiian family of wife, kids and cousin are all great.

A welcome addition were the intereludes from Pika (Batalon) - who now at 30yrs old, completely bald and to me, almost unrecogniseable from his Spiderman days just oozed confidence and comedy, a highlight being his 'parkour' rooftop escape where Momoa yells after him as being the 'Fat Jackie Chan'.  It was seamless and although I am sure there was CGI involved, (apologies Jacob if this was no the case) it looked awesome on screen.

The movie is just over 2hrs long but doesn't slow down for a minute.  The fight scenes are well choreographed, brilliantly visualised and yes, you can tell there is some CGI involvement but not enough to ruin the spectacle.  

The standout one for me was the opening 'Momoa versus Yakuza' fight where armed with only a towel and some element of his dignity - fends off three assassins with just his wit and a Guiness for support.

The movie builds, with the two brothers starting out at each others throats but as you'd expect, once rationalle for past behaviours is outed, the bond grows and we end up with a demolition duo who almost in a throwback to a Commando or Rambo plot line, seeming take out entire gangs in one fell swoop.

I will mention the the incusion of the local Hawaii PD Detective (Rennert), who was not only responsible for naming the twosome as "The Wrecking Crew" in a brief 'talking down' following one of their escapades, but also because he was played by Stephen Root who for me, albeit having an extensive CV of both live action, animated and voice over work - will always be Gordon from Dodge Ball.  A movie very close to my heart!

Although based in Hawaii, most of the filming took place in New Zealand and the scenery was breathtaking.  From the back street markets to the high rise towerblocks and sweeping golden beaches, I dont care where it was filmed - I want to go there!

Bautista has been a very busy boy - Afterburn only came out a short while ago and he has ten other pipeline projects that include Road House 2, Beowulf, Highlander and a reboot of the Last Airbender so he isn't slowing down anytime soon.  For me, he is actually way more watchable than that other WWE convert, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and that's a tall order! (most of the time).  

As for Momoa, It's great so see him back doing what he does best, and with upcoming movies such as  StreetFighter (as Blanka), SuperGirl & Dune Part 3, I am looking forward to pretty much everything he has coming out - Minecraft 2 aside!

The Wrecking Crew is a great Action Comedy and the yet un-mentioned scenes to look out for are the Bridge / Helicopter Scene, which will have you wincing and gasping at the same time, the boiling over of the 'Brother on Brother' animosity that results in a great fight scene & the catering scene that includes a very short-lived performance from  Lydia Peckham (2025 TV's adaptation of Robin Hood / Nuremberg).  

Baccarin plays 'sultry sexy' as good as she always does and with the exception of very questionable  bad-guy Marcus Robichaux, (played by Claes Bang, who I didn't recognise as playing William Tell in the 2024 movie of the same name), everyone is great.

The only drawback, (and I am aware this has been mentioned in other reviews) is the lack of acknowledgement or humility for any of the completely innocent bystanders or car drivers, either maimed or killed in the many violent public fights that break out.  Considering one brother is a Cop and the other a decorated soldier, neither show any remorse for outcome of their actions.  BUT - it is just a movie afterall - so no one really died! 

Verdict - Very enjoyable, Lots of laughs and plenty of brutal, visual action.  And dont forget, a bit of Paradise City to get things going!

(Images used in blog are sourced from Plugged In, Wikipedia, Cgo Movies, Amazon UK, In-Bwetween Media & Cherrypics)