MOVIE NEWS – Tom Hardy’s brutal action movie, Havoc, finally arrived on Netflix after years of delays, immediately claiming the platform’s top spot despite dividing both critics and audiences. The prolonged production gave director Gareth Evans the opportunity to rework his initial vision significantly.

Speaking to Film Stories, Evans explained that the extended four-year delay — mostly due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes — allowed him to revisit the project during post-production, experiment with edits, and focus reshoots only on the necessary elements.

“We finished filming in October 2021 and delivered our first cut. We all agreed it needed about a week’s worth of additional work to clarify some storylines. But coordinating the full cast’s schedules became extremely difficult. Just as it was coming together, the WGA and SAG strikes hit.” Evans said.

“Everything was put on hold for seven or eight months. After the strikes ended, priority was given to projects already underway. I had never experienced a post-production dragging out this long. But it gave us time to pick apart the film, test different cuts, and figure out exactly what we needed. When we finally resumed shooting, we were extremely targeted and efficient.” he added.

Typically, action movies score higher with general audiences than with critics, but Havoc bucked that trend. The movie debuted with a 66% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score started at 56% and dropped to 48% soon after.

Despite these lukewarm ratings, Havoc surged to the top of Netflix’s movie charts. However, viewer feedback has been consistently critical: many pointed out the film’s relentless, excessive violence and the overwhelmingly dark cinematography, making it difficult to follow the on-screen action.

Although Tom Hardy’s presence undoubtedly drew in viewers, the heavy criticism raises questions about whether Havoc can maintain its momentum. The film’s grim tone and ceaseless bloodshed seem to have alienated a sizable portion of the audience.

Source: MovieWeb