Movie review
April 25, 2025 · 107 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Havoc.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent roles show clear patterns of audience-visible diversity and identity casting beyond pure statistical plausibility in a modern city setting: Jessie Mei Li as smart/idealistic/physically capable Asian female rookie cop Ellie who holds her own in violence and investigations (described as "girl power" or "the one good cop" in reviews); Michelle Waterson as competent female assassin in combat; Xelia Mendes-Jones (trans actor, he/they, with public discussion of booking non-binary/trans-masculine roles) as Johnny in the core heist crew. Some elements (triad Asian crime family) have story logic, but others (trans criminal, emphasis on female fighters/cops in action) appear prioritized for representation.
Woke political dialogue
Minor and isolated use of gun terminology such as "assault weapons," "assault rifle bullets," and "assault rounds" that some viewers flagged as anti-gun signaling. No extended activist speeches, identity lectures, institutional critiques framed through race/gender/sexuality, or modern social-justice dialogue. Story and action dominate.
Identity-driven story themes
The core story is a classic neo-noir crime thriller about personal corruption, gang warfare, betrayals, moral ambiguity, and a father's attempt to protect his estranged son amid city-wide rot. Diverse characters fill roles, and there is contrast between jaded Walker and idealistic rookie Ellie, but identities do not drive the premise, arcs, or messaging. No reframing of conflicts around systemic identity politics, anti-patriarchy, colonial guilt, or similar. Director has described it through universal parental anxieties and genre action.
Review
Havoc is a 2025 Netflix action crime thriller written and directed by Gareth Evans. It stars Tom Hardy as Patrick Walker, a jaded corrupt detective in an unnamed American city. After a drug heist involving the son of a crooked politician goes lethally wrong, Walker fights through dirty cops, rival gangs including a Chinese triad, and betrayals to rescue the politician's estranged son over one chaotic night.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havoc_(2025_film))[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havoc_(2025_film)) Audience-visible elements include a diverse cast in prominent roles with patterns of identity casting: an Asian female rookie cop portrayed as smart, idealistic, and physically capable in action; a female triad leader and female assassin in combat and authority positions within crime groups; a trans actor (Xelia Mendes-Jones, he/they) as Johnny, a member of the core heist crew; and Black actors as the corrupt politician and his criminal son. Minor dialogue uses terms like "as
Western institutional / cultural critique
Depicts corruption and failure across police (dirty narcotics squad ripping off drugs, internal betrayals), politics (real estate tycoon/mayoral candidate Beaumont using a corrupt cop fixer), and crime (triad power struggles with "Mother" as leader). Presents a bleak, color-blind web of greed and incompetence ensnaring the city. However, this stays within traditional crime/noir tropes of individual rot and does not invoke modern activist-style framing of systemic racism, whiteness, patriarchy, toxic masculinity as cultural pathology, or anti-capitalist ideology. Evans' comments emphasize personal/family themes over institutional activism.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. This is an original story, not an adaptation of established characters, canon, source material, or real historical figures/events with identity-driven alterations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited but specific anti-woke or right-leaning complaints exist that treat the title as pushing identity-driven or representation elements. Social media and niche sites/comments cite female cops/fighters/leaders who "beat up hardened criminals," "trans criminal," white dirty cops, and gun language. These frame it as Netflix-style woke casting or signaling. No pro-DEI/left criticism of insufficient diversity is scored here. Backlash is niche/fringe with low volume; mainstream coverage ignores politics in favor of quality complaints. No evidence of broad audience rejection or major news-driven controversy tied to these issues.
Creator track record context
Writer/director Gareth Evans has a low cached score (23/100) with a body of work centered on action choreography and genre storytelling (The Raid, Apostle, Gangs of London) rather than identity politics; isolated past comments exist but do not define a pattern. The overall score reflects the casting director's influence on an otherwise craft- and genre-oriented team with limited recurring woke patterns.
Production
