The Wrecking Crew: A Chemistry-Driven Throwback (Early Review)

The Wrecking Crew follows estranged brothers Jonny (Momoa), a loose cannon cop, and James (Bautisa), a highly disciplined Navy Seal, who reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they individually search for the truth, the brothers realize they must lean on their special set of skills and work together, as they try to unravel a conspiracy, and uncover long buried secrets that threaten to tear their lives apart. An enjoyable action comedy, the film may not reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but successfully taps into the excellent chemistry of Bautista and Momoa, its biggest draw. Bautista, as the straightlaced James, makes for the perfect foil for Momoa’s Jonny, an unhinged badass cop. Both turning in great performances, the latter certainly makes the most out of the flashier role. Their dynamic plays well into the film’s retro buddy cop feel, taking it back to the heyday of the 80s and 90s action comedies.

Meanwhile, director Ángel Manuel Soto does a great job helming the action, keeping everything in frame so audiences maintain a grasp on what is happening. Similarly, the fights are well choreographed, and feature cool camerawork that adds to the level of immersion. Shootouts and car chases are just as fun, with great tracking shots that are made even more impressive for how long they are, as they keep up with all of the sheer chaos on screen. Not holding back in terms of violence, the film offers up plenty of brutality, leading to some cheer worthy kills, taking full advantage of its R-rating. On the other hand, not all of the humor lands, some of it coming off as forced, but it is one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. On top of some unexpected heart, the beautiful Hawaii scenery makes for a nice backdrop that helps set it apart from other action comedies out there.

While the film delivers adequate entertainment over the course of its 2+ hour runtime, it is far from the kind of action comedy that will stick with audiences long after the credits roll. About as generic, predictable, and formulaic as a buddy cop action comedy can get, in addition to reveals that can be seen from a mile away, and an unengaging central mystery, the film fails to truly hook audiences in, outside of its action. Not only does it take far too long to get going, it also fails to present James and Jonny with a worthy villain, as all of its mediocre antagonists are essentially overshadowed by them. Inconsistent humor aside, while the action is definitely one of its biggest highlights, there is no denying that it was not without bouts of uncanny greenscreen and rough CGI that are impossible to fully ignore. Finally, there is no good reason as to why the film needed to be as long as it is, as there are a fair share of unnecessary scenes that only work to bring its pace to a halt or slow things down to a frustrating degree.

Though The Wrecking Crew has its fair share of problems, and may not quite be the homerun many may have hoped it would be, considering the talent assembled on both sides of the camera, it is still a lot of fun and worth a watch once it hits Prime Video this week. For fans of buddy action comedies, or Momoa and Bautista, the film will certainly be up their alley. Elevated considerably by their chemistry and presence alone above all else, along with some exciting and well-executed action sequences, they at least make for a decent way to kill a couple hours.

still courtesy of Prime Video

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/