David Ayer is a filmmaker whose sincerity has never been in doubt, as he is one of the few writer/directors of genre stories that has refused to give into snarkiness or overt satire. The grim, tough-minded sensibilities that worked so perfectly for “End of Watch” may have failed him with “Bright,” but it is nonetheless admirable that Ayer doesn’t believe he should speak down to his audience. Ayer’s films don’t lack self-awareness, but they don’t apologize for their blunt emotionality and occasionally simplistic messaging. Despite flirtations with both the prestige and the populist, Ayer has found a niche for himself with movies like A Working Man (2025) which offer enough B-movie thrills and non-nonsense pathos to be completely entertaining.

Although the premise of “A Working Man” is almost identical to that of “The Beekeeper,” the last collaboration between Ayer and Jason Statham, the film was actually...