Wrath of Man is a 2021 action thriller film directed by Guy Ritchie, from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, and is based on the 2004 French film Cash Truck by Nicolas Boukhrief. It is Ritchie's fourth directorial collaboration with lead actor Jason Statham, and first since Revolver (2005). Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Chris Reilly, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, and Scott Eastwood also star.
Patrick Hill begins work at Fortico Security, an armored truck company. After being commended by the superior Terry for his references, he is introduced to Bullet, who nicknames him "H" and oversees his training. H gets off to a rocky start with his colleagues, particularly Boy Sweat Dave, over his mysterious nature. One day, Bullet is taken hostage during a drop and the kidnappers demand the $2 million in their truck. When H and Dave meet the kidnappers, H easily dispatches them with expert marksmanship. During a later attack on H's truck, he steps out when the truck is flooded with tear gas, at which point the robbers retreat on seeing him. H later sleeps with co-worker Dana Curtis and holds her at gunpoint to inquire her about a private cash stash he finds. She claims she stole money once from a liquor store for retirement savings, but insists it was the only time. H lets her live, but threatens further repercussions if he learns she is withholding further information.
Five months earlier, H is out with his son Dougie when he gets a call asking for his assistance with the recon of an armored truck for a robbery and reluctantly agrees. H stops on the other side of the bridge from the armored truck depot, and asks Dougie to wait in the car while he goes to a food truck by the depot. He calls to reveal the location of the truck as he gets food, but as the truck goes under the bridge, it is attacked by a different group of thieves dressed as construction workers, who kill the guards as well as Dougie for being a witness. When H runs toward them, he is gunned down as well, but survives. H is then revealed to be Heargraves, the boss of a crime syndicate; the syndicate's members were the men who made the second attack on H's truck. After Dougie's mom holds Heargraves responsible for Dougie's death and leaves, Heargraves demands to find the men responsible. After exhausting through a list of suspects, and coming up with no possible leads, Heargraves' associate suggests that the robbery was an inside job. Heargraves says he will fly back to London to clear his mind, but actually arranges a contact to provide him with the forged identity of Patrick Hill, as well as the autopsy report of Dougie's death.
The thieves of the construction job are a former military platoon, commanded by Jackson, and we learn that the man who killed the guards and Dougie is named Jan. Struggling to make ends meet, the group decides to start stealing money in increasingly ambitious heists planned in great detail by Jackson and Tom, while maintaining the façade of normal lives with families, with the exception of Jan. They first attempt to steal from a wealthy man for whom their fellow ex-soldier Carlos works as security, but come up with only a few hundred thousand dollars. They then resolve to utilize contacts in armored truck companies to steal millions of dollars. When they are given the Fortico heist, Jan kills the guards and Dougie against the wishes of the rest of the team.
Casting
- Jason Statham as Patrick "H" Hill
- Holt McCallany as Bullet
- Jeffrey Donovan as Jackson
- Josh Hartnett as Boy Sweat Dave
- Chris Reilly as Tom
- Laz Alonso as Carlos
- Raúl Castillo as Sam
- DeObia Oparei as Brad
- Eddie Marsan as Terry
- Scott Eastwood as Jan
- Niamh Algar as Dana Curtis
- Babs Olusanmokun as Moggy
- Josh Cowdery as FBI Agent Hubbard
- Andy GarcÃa as The King
- Rob Delaney as Boss Blake Halls
- Lyne Renée as Kirsty
- Post Malone as a Robber
It was announced in October 2019 that Guy Ritchie was writing and directing an English language remake of the 2004 film Cash Truck, with Jason Statham set to star. Holt McCallany joined later in the month. Filming began in November between Los Angeles and London, with Scott Eastwood, Jeffrey Donovan, Laz Alonso, Josh Hartnett and Niamh Algar added to the cast, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer taking on U.S. domestic distribution for the film. In January 2020, Raúl Castillo was added to the cast.
Christopher Benstead, who previously worked with the director on The Gentlemen, composed the film score. Sony Classical released the soundtrack on May 7, 2021, coinciding with the film's release.
The film was released internationally in several countries, beginning on April 22, 2021, including Russia, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. It was later released in the United States on May 7, 2021. It is set to be released in China on May 10. The film was originally set for release in the United States on January 15, but was pulled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was later rescheduled for April 23, before being pushed to May 7.
As of May 9, 2021, Wrath of Man has grossed $8.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $25.6 million.
In the U.S., the film made $3 million from 2,875 theaters on its first day of release, including $500,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $8.1 million, topping the box office. Men made up 60% of the overall audience, with 72% being over the age of 25.
In the film's opening weekend in Australia, it grossed $1.34 million. It also made $201,000 in New Zealand and $3.79 million in Russia. In its third weekend of international release, the film totaled $17.6 million, with $10 million from Russia, $3.2 million from Australia and New Zealand, $2.5 million from Taiwan, and $1 million from advanced screenings in China.