Blu-ray

Movie: When the trailer for Wrath of Man dropped earlier this year, it was hard not to get excited about Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham teaming up for the first time since 2005’s Revolver. Sadly that trailer gave away key story elements, so we're on our best behaviour not to spoil the film for those wanting to watch it cold.

The movie (a remake of 2004 French flick Cash Truck) stars Statham as ‘H’, an armoured truck driver with a skill-set that makes him insanely over-qualified for the job. The smartly structured narrative revolves around a heist, but to say any more risks giving away important plot points.

Statham exudes his usual swagger, playing a man who’s 
as hard as a coffin nail. He’s ably supported by a solid cast that includes Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Eddie Marsan and Scott Eastwood. Ritchie, meanwhile, who 
also co-wrote and produced the film, directs with an assured hand, delivering plenty of bone-crunching set pieces that’ll keep action fans happy.

Wrath of Man was funded by MGM, and has a byzantine distribution arrangement, with United Artists handling the US release, Miramax dealing with international, and Lionsgate covering the UK. The latter pulled the original July 23 cinema release date without explanation, leaving the film in limbo on this side of the pond until Amazon announced at the end of September that it would be streaming the movie in December on Prime Video.

So it appears that Amazon's buyout of MGM scuppered any chance of seeing this Statham/Ritchie team-up in cinemas. And if you can't wait for Wrath of Man's streaming debut, importing this region-free US disc (Blu-ray only, there's no 4K BD) is your only way to watch it.
Movie rating: 4/5

Picture: The film is presented on Blu-ray in its correct 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and as you’d expect from 
a modern digital production the results are nearly pristine. The image is rich in detail, with facial close-ups and aerial shots of Los Angeles looking particularly impressive. The transfer is largely free of compression artefacts, although there were a couple of instances of banding during slow fades.

Highlights are nicely defined, and blacks suitably deep. There is a spot of crush in the darker scenes, but this might be a stylistic choice. The same goes for the colour palette, which is deliberately muted and largely dominated by browns, dark blues and blacks. However, flesh tones remain natural and 
any splashes of colour appear suitably saturated.

While the Blu-ray is good, it’s a shame there’s 
no 4K BD release, because the film was captured at 
6K and benefited from a 4K DI in post-production. Of course, it should debut on Prime Video in 4K HDR.
Picture rating: 4/5

Audio: Wrath of Man's DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix is pleasingly aggressive, giving impact to the film’s extensive gunplay. A protracted shoot-out towards the end benefits from enveloping surround effects and an LFE channel that adds weight to gun-fire and explosions. The numerous armoured car scenes also make good use of the surrounds, adding to a sense 
of claustrophobic panic at times. Chris Benstead’s excellent score is spread across the LCR stage, while the often salty dialogue is delivered with clarity.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Maybe someone 
stole them.
Extras rating: 0/5

HCC VERDICT: 3.5/5
We say: Convoluted but fun actioner enjoys detailed images and a punchy 5.1 soundtrack, but the lack of any extras disappoints. Wrath of Man, MGM/Warner Bros., All-Region BD, £30 (US import)