Rating: ***
Review Date: 5/23/26
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González,
Carlos Bardem, cameo by Rosamund Pike
Rachel Wild (Eiza González) is a bad-ass lawyer bitch who specializes in retrieving funds from clients who refuse to pay back their debts. She has a team of strong, handsome, and incredibly violent men to do her bidding, who are unconditionally loyal to her and would lay down their lives in an instant. It's quite romantic in a twisted sort of way. After failing to get crime lord Manny Salazar's money back, Rachel is reluctantly hired by another lawyer bitch (Rosamund Pike) to complete the job, which results in a ruthless attack on Salazar's assets. In preparation for the inevitable showdown with Salazar, Sidney (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) make intricate extraction plans in case they need to get Rachel out in a hurry. Unfortunately, after the job is finished, Rachel is double-crossed and kidnapped, forcing Sid and Bronco to rescue her. It's a good thing those evac plans are still in place...
This was a bit of a stealth release, as I literally didn't see or hear anything about it until a week before it was in theaters. It's a lean and simple heist film, filled with ridiculously attractive people and equally ridiculous heroic violence. Director Guy Ritchie knows exactly what he wants, and delivers a somewhat empty, but deliriously entertaining film. It's just good guys vs. bad guys with no moral ambiguities, so just turn off your brain and enjoy.
Eiza González is superb as the impossibly beautiful and cold as ice Rachel, and while she's the big boss, it's unfortunate that she ultimately gets reduced to a damsel in distress. But her arena is litigation, not guns. Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal are effortlessly charming as skilled mercenaries whose job is to ensure Rachel's safety and make sure the operation is carried out without a hitch. While there's a lot of setup and tiresome exposition, the action scenes are expertly crafted and very exciting to watch. In a strange way, it's a feel-good, adolescent wish fulfillment, stick it to The Man, escapist fantasy, and I was elated to see the good guys come out on top.