Netflix’s latest entry into the action genre, Havoc, showcases the rugged beauty of Wales while delivering an intense, gritty thriller starring Tom Hardy. Released on April 25, the film continues Netflix‘s growing investment in hard-hitting action dramas led by major stars.
Set in a grim, unnamed American city, Havoc follows a bruised detective, played by Hardy, who must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, all while unraveling the deep layers of corruption. Directed by Gareth Evans, known for The Raid: Redemption, the movie blends raw action with a dark, emotionally charged narrative.
Why It Matters
Havoc represents another major push by Netflix into the lucrative action genre, following successes like Extraction and The Old Guard. According to Netflix, some of its most-watched movies of all time include fast-paced action movies, including Red Notice, Carry-On, The Adam Project, Bird Box, and The Gray Man.
Though Hardy is known for roles in Venom, Mad Max: Fury Road and This Means War, this is his first original Netflix film.
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Where Was Netflix’s Havoc Filmed?
Although set in a fictional American city, Havoc was shot almost entirely in Wales. Filming locations included Cardiff and Barry. The production also filmed at the historic Brangwyn Hall in Swansea, which was also featured in films like Dope Girls and Proud Mary, according to WalesOnline.
Exterior scenes were filmed at Swansea’s Guildhall, where Ford Crown police cars were staged outside, while the interior of Cardiff’s Pierhead Building was also utilized for key sequences, TimeOut reported.
The setting of the urban scenes was crafted by dressing up these Welsh locations to mimic a deteriorating American metropolis, Screen Rant reported.
Wales is also where writer and director Gareth Evans is from and currently lives. He was inspired to film Havoc where he originally fell in love with his work, Screen Rant reported.
“The idea of being able to finish a shoot day and go home and read a bedtime story to my son was very appealing,” Evans said, as reported by Screen Rant. “And Wales is where I grew up, where I first fell in love with the idea of film not just as an art form but something I could potentially do as a career.”
Who Is in the Cast for Havoc?
Leading the cast is Tom Hardy, portraying a battle-worn detective entangled in a city’s seedy criminal network. Joining him are Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker, who plays a senior political figure, and Timothy Olyphant in a significant supporting role.
The film also features Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, and Luis Guzmán.
What People Are Saying
Peter Debruge, chief film critic for Variety, wrote of the Havoc: “Looking worse for wear than Bruce Willis’ tank top at the end of Die Hard, Tom Hardy fully commits to the walking stereotype that is Walker, the least bad cop working Christmas Eve in a city that a) doesn’t exist, b) seems to be modeled on the scuzzy version of Gotham City seen in The Penguin and c) boasts a triad-run underworld populated by an inexhaustible supply of heavily armed henchmen.”
David Rooney, chief film critic for The Hollywood Reporter, wrote: “But for anyone with a taste for operatic violence and fountains of blood as shotgun and assault rifle blasts send bodies flying in slo-mo or dancing like convulsive marionettes, Gareth Evans’ gritty neo-noir will be just the ticket.”
David Ehrlich, reviews editor and head film critic at IndieWire, wrote: “The pleasures of Gareth Evans’ long-awaited Havoc are fewer and less consistent than die-hard fans might hope from a project they’ve been waiting to see for so many years… but the best moments of this comically scuzzy crime saga reaffirm why the Welsh director’s work is worth the hype.”
What’s Next
As Netflix continues to bet big on star-driven, action-heavy projects, Havoc stands as a prime example of the gritty, high-impact storytelling the platform is aiming to deliver.