'Man Of War' (2026) Movie Review

In writer/director William Kaufman’s new action film, Man of War, we meet our protagonist, Connor (LaMonica Garret), an elite spec-ops veteran, like we always meet this character in movies. He’s shirtless, so we can see both his muscles and his scars from a lifetime of combat, drinking straight from a bottle of booze, staring at a photo of a lost or distant loved one, a loaded gun on the table in front of him. He’s a man lost, adrift, uncertain of how to live in a world beyond the bounds of warfare. 

 

Then immediately he gets a phone call that pulls his life back into sudden focus. Russia just invaded Ukraine and Riley (Rosmary Yaneva), an aid worker who is also his “niece,” is kidnapped by the vicious Koniev (Daniel Bernhardt). Connor calls in every favor he can from his CIA-coded buddy Charlie (Jason Patric, who changes his t-shirt a few times, but never leaves one room) to get him back into the fray. Once on the ground in Ukraine, he links up with his local “tour guide,” Dany (Andrew Howard), and they set about the business of rescuing Riley. This all happens in roughly the first six minutes.

 

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Plot wise, Man of War is standard men-on-a-mission fare. They go from place to place, one escalating situation to the next, fighting their way across a war-torn hellscape, trying to accomplish their goal. It’s grounded more than many similar films as it’s couched in a very concrete, very of-the-moment conflict that we’ve all watched unfold in real time in front of us on the evening news. In Kaufman’s hands, the action also elevates it above its peers—he’s one of the best working filmmakers when it comes to this type of clear, concise tactical action, and the battles are fantastically staged and executed on his watch.

 

Because it’s set in such a real and current situation, there’s a pressing immediacy and the pervasive feeling that the movie wants to weigh in on the matter, but that it doesn’t know exactly what it has to say, or how. In a quiet moment, Connor remarks, war is hell. To which Dany responds, then why do you make it your life? This moment is emblematic of the film as a whole; it poses interesting moral and philosophical questions, but never examines or dramatizes them in any meaningful way, relying instead on tropes and platitudes, never taking a side, careful not to take a side. Here, and in his body of work, Kaufman clearly has a deep affection and respect for these men, and military operators in general, but it presents a tricky narrative line to be critical of war while also celebrating the warriors. 

 

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Garrett, a veteran of many outings in the expansive Taylor Sheridan universe—this is especially of-a-piece with his turn in Lioness, my favorite of that bunch—gives a solid performance, though the character is largely one-note and stoic to the point where the audience is kept at arm’s length. Bernhardt plays his sadistic Russian with a wicked glint in his eye. He’s a nasty motherfucker, and though he’s sidelined for the bulk of the middle of the film, when the two finally do clash, it’s worth the wait.

 

Howard, however, is the stealth MVP of the whole thing. He’s a go-to when your project needs a menacing, vaguely European heavy, and while there are traces of that, it’s nice to see him get the opportunity to do something different and more nuanced. He’s a badass, but also sarcastic and funny, and easily the most engaging character. And if there’s a moral center or beating heart of this film, it’s him. He’s doing this because it’s the only way to keep his family safe, while at the same time he’s trying to make sense of his homeland being ripped asunder by an outside invader. He’s where the film strikes the best balance between depicting these tough guy men-of-action types as actual flesh and blood people with feelings, emotions, and interior lives, and all the messiness that entails.

 

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If we’re being honest, most of us found our way here for the action, and don’t worry, you will get your fill. As I said, Kaufman is, in my opinion, one of the best filmmakers working in this low-to-mid-budget realm. The gun battles and scenes of hand-to-hand combat are crisp and plentiful, full of the stark, brutal, stripped-down efficiency that is his stock-in-trade. He has a way of making the world large and expansive, not penned in or limited, providing the broader scope and scale a story like this needs to ring true and authentic.

 

At 110 minutes, Man of War plays a bit long, especially since it comes out of the gate at a dead run; Connor is on the ground in Ukraine in mere moments. The plot mechanics are predictable; nothing unexpected ever happens. Still, thanks to the efforts of William Kaufman and crew, it delivers an entertaining slice of gritty cinematic combat that you can enjoy as a kick-ass action movie or as something with more on its mind, even if it has trouble articulating that on a consistent basis. And if nothing else, the ambition to deliver something more is always admirable. [Grade: B-]