SPOILER WARNING: This article gives away a few key details from Havoc and MobLand. If you have not seen the new Netflix movie or the new Paramount+ original TV show, I recommend that you proceed with caution as you read on.
Havoc, the latest from Gareth Evans (creator of instant action movie classics The Raid and The Raid 2), famously took a while to become available with a Netflix subscription. Yet, I would say the thriller, led by Tom Hardy, was worth the wait, even if it did give me a little déjà vu.
You see, I have been using my Paramount+ subscription lately to watch MobLand, which also stars Hardy in the lead role of Harry Da Souza. There were times as I was watching Havoc where I almost felt like I was watching an extended episode of the British gangster show because it seems like Hardy is, essentially, playing the same role in each title, with the biggest difference being that they exist on opposite sides of the law… let alone their accents. So, what are their similarities? There are quite a few…
They Both Live In The Land Of Moral Ambiguity
In Havoc, Tom Hardy plays Patrick Walker, a homicide detective with a rocky family relationship who becomes wrapped up in a deadly conspiracy while remaining loyal to a politician (played by Forest Whitaker) by protecting his son. In MobLand, Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, a mafia fixer with a rocky family relationship who becomes wrapped up in a criminal underworld conflict while remaining loyal to an Irish mob boss (played by Pierce Brosnan, donning a divisive accent) by protecting his son.
Both characters boast a conscience that makes each of them easy to root for, despite how easily and how often they get their hands dirty. It adds an extra layer of engaging complexity to their respective stories, even if it does make them feel a bit familiar. However, we are only getting started with the comparisons.
They Both Use Intimidation To Get What They Need
For me, many of the best scenes in MobLand see Hardy’s Harry going full beast on an antagonistic character, or even just flashing an unnerving glare in their direction to make them bow to his will. I could also say the same thing about my favorite scenes in Havoc involving Hardy’s Walker.
Intimidation is easily the most valuable tool in each character’s arsenal, and they use it to astounding effect, not just on their enemies but the audience as well. It might be the one similarity between Hardy’s MobLand and Havoc roles that I welcome with fully open arms, considering how well the actor has been known to convey this characteristic in many other must-see Hardy movies.
They Both Have Badass Scenes Taking Place In Nightclubs
If I was to pick one scene from Havoc that impressed me the most, it would have to be when Walker engages in a fight with a group of corrupt cops (including Timothy Olyphant in a rare villainous role) in a crowded nightclub trying to get Charlie (Justin Cornwell) safely out of their grasp. When choosing my favorite scene from MobLand so far, it would have to be when Harry brutally assaults the manager of a crowded nightclub to get some information out of him.
Havoc’s otherwise stunning nightclub sequence was actually the moment that convinced me Hardy was just playing Harry again, but with his Eddie Brock accent from Venom. I realize this and all of the circumstances above are purely coincidental, but the fact that both characters get violent in a key scene taking place at a nightclub was too weird a coincidence to ignore.
The déjà vu does not actually stop there. The theme song for MobLand, “Starburster” by Fontaines DC, is also used in the trailer for Havoc. It is just a shame that the film, which wrapped production in 2021 according to The Midgard Times, was delayed so long and released in the middle of the series’ first season, because these many comparisons likely could have been avoided.
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