Netflix’s Havoc plunges viewers into a relentless swirl of chaos, ending much the way it begins — violently. Directed and written by Gareth Evans, the action-thriller casts Tom Hardy as Walker, a corrupt detective desperate to repay a deadly debt, and willing to fight through an army of criminals to do it.

The Story Behind the Carnage
Walker, weighed down by dirty dealings with businessman-turned-politician Lawrence Beaumont (Forest Whitaker), must retrieve Lawrence’s estranged son Charlie (Justin Cornwell) after a drug deal spirals out of control. Hardy describes his character as someone who "solves problems with his fists, not his words," a style that appealed to him precisely because of its brutal physicality. “It’s about throwing a character I love into the washing machine and seeing how he comes out,” Hardy told Netflix’s Tudum.

Walker's search for Charlie collides with a gauntlet of violence: Charlie and his girlfriend Mia (Quelin Sepulveda) have stolen a cache of cocaine, enraging both dirty cops Vincent (Timothy Olyphant) and Jake (Richard Harrington), and drawing the wrath of the Triads, led by the ruthless Mother (Yeo Yann Yann), who believes they murdered her son Tsui (Jeremy Ang Jones).

What follows is a blood-soaked Christmas Eve battle, climaxing in a savage showdown at Walker’s isolated fishing shack.

Breaking Down Havoc's Ending

After a narrow escape from a Triad ambush at the Medusa Club, Walker retreats to his shack with Charlie and a wounded Mia, hoping to finally settle his debts. But his attempt to contact Lawrence inadvertently reveals their location to Mother, who now holds Lawrence hostage. As Triad assassins swarm the shack, Walker faces off against the Assassin (MMA fighter Michelle Waterson) in a brutal fight that ends with a harpoon through her throat — a gnarly set piece meticulously choreographed by Jude Poyer's stunt team.

Inside, Mother demands Lawrence kill Mia to avenge Tsui. Charlie, protecting Mia, throws himself in front of her as Lawrence hesitates. Before Mother’s revenge can be fully realized, Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) arrives with Vincent and Jake in tow, exposing deeper betrayals: fellow Triad Ching (Sunny Pang) accuses the corrupt cops of killing Tsui.

When Jake panics and opens fire, Lawrence sacrifices himself to shield Charlie. In the ensuing chaos, Vincent kills Ching, steals the cocaine, and flees. Charlie, avenging his father’s death, guns down Jake before escaping into the night with Mia, despite Ellie’s pleas for them to surrender.

Walker's Fate: Does He Survive?

In a finale straight out of a Spaghetti Western, Walker tracks Vincent to a lonely stretch of train tracks. The two men face off in a high-noon-style shootout. Walker pulls the trigger first, killing Vincent — and with him, the last man who knew the full extent of Walker’s corruption.

As sirens wail in the distance, Walker slumps against a train, battered but alive. Director Gareth Evans confirmed it himself: "He's alive." However, whether Walker will finally turn himself in — or disappear into the shadows — is left for the audience to decide. “That moral ambiguity was important to me,” Evans explained. “Is Walker someone worth saving?”

Who Dies in Havoc?

The body count is hefty:

• Triad member Tsui and several others fall during the botched drug deal.
   
• Corrupt cop Hayes (Gordon Alexander) and Mia’s Uncle Raul (Luis Guzmán) die during the Medusa Club massacre.
   
• Officer Cortez (Serhat Metin) and his wife Angela (Jill Winternitz) are killed by Ching at the hospital.
   
• At the shack, Lawrence, Mother, Ching, and Jake all meet their ends.
   
• Vincent dies in the climactic shootout with Walker.
   

The Brutal Making of the Fishing Shack Scene

The film’s intense climax at Walker’s shack was a logistical feat. Evans revealed that three full shacks were built: one on location in Merthyr Mawr, Wales, and two on soundstages for stunts and close-quarters fighting. The sequence took six weeks of night shoots to complete.

Tom Hardy called the shoot "methodical but hardcore," with filming broken into manageable segments. Justin Cornwell, who plays Charlie, described it as “some of the most intense stuff I’ve ever seen or done.”

Jessie Mei Li underwent rigorous firearms training to prepare for the scenes, admitting that overcoming her fear of handling guns was a major part of stepping into Ellie’s shoes.

A Symphony of Blood and Violence

• Release Date: April 25, 2025
   
• Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
   
• Cast: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Yeo Yann Yann, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Luis Guzmán, Michelle Waterson, Sunny Pang
   
• Director/Screenwriter: Gareth Evans
   

Havoc fits squarely into Hardy’s wheelhouse: a brooding, broken cop navigating a corrupt Chinatown underworld. His commanding screen presence elevates a character type that, in lesser hands, might feel worn out.

Plotting and dialogue have always played second fiddle to action in Evans’ films (excluding 2018’s gothic-horror Apostle), and Havoc is no different. While some characters lean into archetype, Evans strings together hard-hitting set pieces that are pure adrenaline.

The film opens with Walker’s mournful reflection on choices that leave a man hollow: “It takes everything. Your family. Your friends. Yourself. And then you’re left with nothing but ghosts.” From there, the story kicks off at full throttle with a wild car chase — culminating in a washing machine hurled at a police cruiser.

Soon, Walker is entangled again with Lawrence Beaumont, whose political ambitions hide a darker underbelly. Charlie and Mia’s theft of the drug-stuffed washing machines triggers an escalating war involving gangsters and crooked cops alike.

Standout Action Sequences

The standout set piece? The Medusa Club. As techno music pulses, Walker battles through a whirlwind of corrupt cops, Triad assassins, and underworld hit squads. It’s a dazzling piece of action filmmaking that feels like The Raid meets John Wick — frenetic, bloody, and impossible to look away from.

The rest of the film’s violent ballet is accompanied by Aria Prayogi’s moody, synth-heavy score, evoking vintage John Carpenter vibes.

Final Thoughts

Havoc delivers exactly what the title promises: an unapologetically brutal, pulse-pounding thrill ride led by a committed Tom Hardy performance and breathtaking action choreography. It may not reinvent the genre, but for fans of no-holds-barred action, it’s a satisfying and savage spectacle.