Wild Card (2015) - Balanced Mixture of Depth and Grit - 7/10 (30/12/22)

Wild Card is an action drama starring Jason Statham that walks off the beaten path. This approach might attract the famous actor some new fans but might not sit particularly well with those who have been following Jason Statham's career for many years.

This movie tells the story of Nick Wild, a bodyguard with lethal skills who is wasting away in Las Vegas where he has gotten addicted to gambling and has been drinking more and more alcohol throughout the past few years. His biggest dream is to get out of town and travel to Corsica but finances are tight. This is why Nick Wild accepts a seemingly boring job where he has to keep an eye on Cyrus Kinnick, a young millionaire lacking self-confidence who wants to discover Las Vegas and try his hand at gambling. Nick Wild's boresome life takes a dramatic turn when his ex-girlfriend Holly gets raped and beaten to a pulp by young gangster Danny DeMarco and his bodyguards.

The most interesting thing about this movie is the depth of its protagonist. Jason Statham convincingly incarnates a washed-up bodyguard who doesn't have the strength to organize any changes in his life. Throughout the movie, we observe the protagonist drinking alcohol, losing money while gambling, reminiscing upon the past, waiting for a better future and getting involved in brawls with repulsive criminals. The supporting characters are also fairly interesting such as the resilient escort Holly and eccentric millionaire Cyrus Kinnick who all have to deal with their own demons but manage to show the protagonist how to overcome these challenges.

The action sequences in this movie are short but quite intense. There are essentially only three of them: in a hotel room, at a gambling parlour and in a restaurant's backyard. However, all three sequences are quite memorable and they are also getting progressively more brutal. The fight sequence in the backyard is one of the greatest Jason Statham has ever done if you like a realistic approach to the genre rather than an overload of special effects.

The realistic grit that is present in the movie from start to finish is another strength worth pointing out. It's easy for viewers to empathize with the protagonist who doesn't come off as a hero but rather as an anti-hero with significant flaws but also a few strengths. The way Las Vegas is portrayed in this movie is also quite interesting. There are some elegant locations shown throughout the movie but also desolate places that show that all that glitters isn't cold.

To keep it short, Wild Card is an interesting movie for you if you value character development as much as gripping action sequences. The movie's plot might not be the most surprising and there are a few lengths in the middle section but the film's unique approach and balanced mixture of depth and grit make up for these minor flaws. Wild Card could even be described as one of the more interesting movie's in Jason Statham's extensive filmography.