Polygon.com / 27.04.25

Watch the all-time action classics that inspired Netflix's Havoc

The day action fans have been waiting over four years for has finally arrived: The Raid franchise mastermind Gareth Evans new action movie, Havoc, has finally dropped. The Netflix original made under Evans deal with the streamer, which also resulted in the Dan Stevens-starring horror-mystery Apostle stars Tom Hardy and is already, in my view, the standout in a strong crop of 2025 action movies. Its also a slight stylistic departure for Evans, although the motivated camera movement, visceral violence, and ambitious long takes that helped make the Raid movies so iconic are still very present. While large portions of the Raid movies featured essentially nonstop action, Havoc more closely follows the heroic bloodshed model that late-1980s Hong Kong action movies employed. Heroic bloodshed movies typically emphasize gunplay over hand-to-hand combat, feature crime and gangster-focused storylines, and have tons of blood, but are also notable for their deeply emotional themes and character ar...
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