‘The Wrecking Crew’ movie review: Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista breeze through this action comedy

We first see James (Dave Bautista) calmly sitting cross-legged underwater, while others give up and go to the surface gasping. Elsewhere in Hawaii, a man posts a package and is run over by a van.

James, a navy SEAL instructor who trains cadets in underwater breath‑holding and endurance, gets a phone call telling him that his father Walter (Brian L. Keaulana) was killed in a hit and run.

James is a steady, sober family man and the exact opposite of his half-brother Jonny (Jason Momoa), who is raising hell as a cop on the Reservation in Oklahoma. We first meet Jonny driving home on a mean bike to an angry girlfriend, Valentina (Morena Baccarin), who is furious with him for having forgotten her birthday. He makes matters worse by trying to sweet-talk her in Spanish when she is Brazilian and he should be using Portuguese.

The brothers have not spoken for 10 years and James is unwilling to call Jonny to inform him of their father’s death. James’ wife, Leila (Roimata Fox) informs Jonny of his father’s death. Much to James’ surprise, Jonny turns up for the funeral. The visit from a bunch of bloodthirsty yakuza demanding the package Walter posted might have convinced Jonny that there is more to his father’s death than a simple hit and run.

A still from the film
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video

Once Jonny is in Hawaii, he stirs things up as only he can and soon both Jonny and James are fighting yakuza, the local Syndicate ruled with an iron fist by Mr K. (Branscombe Richmond), and sundry villains while digging through Walter’s past for clues to his death.

There is an oily hotel magnate, Marcus Robichaux (Claes Bang), his muscle in the form of Nakamura (Miyavi) and his yakuza goons, and some shady casino deal. The police led by Karl Rennert (Stephen Root) persist in thinking Walter’s death was accidental.  

In between all the running, shooting, and things that go bang, the brothers iron out their differences. Jonny spends time with James’ son, Kai (Josua Tuivavalagi), and daughter, Lani, (Maia Kealoha) who wishes to braid Jonny’s hair.

Pika (Jacob Batalon), who helped Walter with tech stuff, assists Jonny, albeit reluctantly. Jonny’s cousin, Nani (Frankie Adams) also helps; her job as assistant to Governor Peter Mahoe (Temuera Morrison), proves useful in getting information quickly.

A still from the film
| Photo Credit:
Prime Video

The Wrecking Crew moves at the speed of light with spiffily choreographed action sequences (that helicopter chase is out of this world) and sharp one-liners.

The bevy of pop anthems, including Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Paradise City’, Air Supply’s ‘Making Love out of Nothing at All’, Duran Duran’s ‘Ordinary World’, and Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’ add another level of fun. RZA’s ‘Like a Drum’ is used to great effect in the final punch-up.

Hawaii looks lovely and the chemistry between Momoa and Bautista is crackling. While the concept is not wildly original, but by giving a polished execution to every tried-and-tested-action-movie beat, The Wrecking Crew offers a delightful escape from real-world grimness.

The Wrecking Crew is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video