Man of War - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Man of War

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:




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Movie
I make no bones about the fact that a lot of DTV films are pretty much straight-up drek. Especially low-budget American action films that Well Go USA releases. They’re mostly known for their Asian leanings, but every so often Well Go USA pumps out an Aussie, a British, or just a low-budget American film to fill in the gaps between the Asian flicks. And most of the time they’re rather bland. But I was a bit curious being that William Kaufman was directing/writing this one, and he’s got a decent name in the DTV world. Most of his flicks are low-level action films and sequels like The Marine 4: Moving Target, Jarhead 3, The Hit List, and The Brave. None of which were stellar films, but all reasonably watchable (especially The Marine 4. I have a really bad weakness for those films), and I was hoping Man of War would be as well. And frankly, it really is one of his better films, and I’m actually not trying to find the good in it to make my time worthwhile. Man of War is actually a competently done film with good action, some nice fight scenes, and a reasonably well-put-together story that is basically Taken light.

Taking advantage of the Russian/Ukrainian war, our story drops us right in the middle of 2022, where Special Forces commando Michael Connor (LaMonica Garrett) watches as his adopted niece Riley (Rosmary Yaneva) is kidnapped by invading Russian forces while she teaches at an orphanage in Kyiv. Calling in a favor to his old intelligence handler Charlie (Jason Patric), Michael heads out on the first cargo plane out to Kyiv, where he is going to use a “particular set of skills” in order to extract Riley before it’s too late. He doesn’t have a lot to go on, but Riley’s smartwatch is still sending a GPS signal, and with the help of Ukrainian asset Dany (Andrew Howard), he just might stand a chance.

Man of War is ridiculously simple and straightforward. Michael is a one-man wrecking crew, using his paramilitary training to meet up with and coordinate with Ukrainian soldiers to facilitate his mission. There are lots of guns, tons of hand-to-hand combat, and a few side stories about Dany’s family and the evil commander Koniev (Daniel Bernhardt), who acts as the mustache-twirling Russian villain in all of this. And while the story itself isn’t Godfather tier, the film makes up for it with relentless action and some pretty punishing fight sequences.

I’m usually the person who makes fun of gunplay in low-level action movies due to their poor understanding of how firearms work and how military tactics play out. But in this case I was rather impressed. It’s not perfect, but Kaufman directs the film with a sense of panache and style, giving us fairly realistic gun handling and some awesome action scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat. Sure, they shoot WAY more than 30 rounds out of those 30-round AK mags, but that’s something filmmakers have been doing for decades, so I’ll forgive it.

I also appreciate that the story doesn’t try to go too deep and get too involved in the weeds. Kaufman’s Warhorse One tried to be too emotional and too drawn out for its own good, despite having some good action. But it seems like he learned from that mistake, using tighter action, fewer words, and more straightforward scenes that show the audience what was going on, rather than trying to elaborate in a long, drawn-out way in order to emotionally tie the audience to what’s going on. As I said, this is basically Taken with paramilitary forces rather than a -off father. LaMonica Garrett struggles a bit as the lead, but Andrew Howard and Daniel Bernhardt make up for it as polar opposite secondary characters that elevated Garrett’s slightly weak performance.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

As is the case with MOST of these Well Go USA films, I couldn’t really find any technical information on the film online. I’m guessing a 2K master judging by how it looks and an obviously digital shoot. But once more, if I’m wrong, feel free to let me know so we can update the information. Man of War looks really good, with your typical DTV monochromatic gray, and burnished ambers for the interior shots. Being that this is coated in such a heavy gray, colors are rather muted, with even reds and greens looking a bit dulled by nature. Fine details are great though, and skin tones (while a bit ashy) look solid. Banding was kept to a minimum, with only the swipes and scene shifts cropping up with any visibly noticeable levels. Crush is moderate to minimal, as you can see everything quite clearly in even the underground battles. Thought that dark gray does tend to mute some of the fine details in the dark. Not by a whole ton, but enough to make me wish it was a BIT clearer.







Audio:

By far the best facet of the film, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio mix is more than aggressive and fills the room with some pretty intense action. The opening scene isn’t that wild, but once Mike gets overseas in Ukraine, things start picking up big time. By the second half of the film,m we’re in a non-stop gun battle, with gut-ripping bass for the assault rifles (a bit hot and heavy compared to real-life guns), and that ending battle between the Russians and our intrepid heroes really brings down the walls. Surrounds are pinging with constant data, ranging from bullets whizzing by overhead to crumbling of walls and stones falling in the scuffle. Top-notch track all the way around.










Extras:

• Well Go USA Previews
• Trailers

Final Score: ​

Honestly, this wasn’t bad at all. And I'm genuinely surprised by that. I really felt like this was going to be a 1.5 or 2/5 rating from yours truly, but I’m happy to say that this was a solid 3/5 in my book. With just a teensy bit of spit and polish, this easily could have been in theaters. It may not have done amazing, but it was theatrical quality for sure. At least the bones of the situation are there, as some cleaning up could have made it a bit more presentable to the general audience. The Blu-ray looks and sounds solid, though the extras are as anemic as expected (the typical previews and theatrical trailers, and that’s it). Decent Watch if you like throwaway action flicks.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: LaMonica Garrett, Andrew Howard, Rosmary Yaneva, Jason Patric, Daniel Bernhardt
Directed by: William Kaufman
Written by: William Kaufman, Paul Reichelt
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 110 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 8th, 2026

Recommendation: Middling Watch