At first, “Havoc” sounds like just another one of those generic, one-word titles Hollywood slaps on action movies to convey a terse, efficient shoot-’em-up. Why give such projects a long-winded name like “A Clear and Present Danger” or “Every Which Way but Loose” when you can find something punchy like “Taken,” “Crank” or “Drive”? Look it up in the dictionary, however, and “havoc” doesn’t simply mean “devastation” (of which there is plenty in “The Raid” director Gareth Evans’ excessively violent Netflix outing), but also some mix of confusion, mayhem and all-around disorder (which spoils whatever fun a couple over-the-top set-pieces deliver).

Looking worse for wear than Bruce Willis’ tank top at the end of “Die Hard,” Tom Hardy fully commits to the walking stereotype that is Walker, the least bad cop working Christmas Eve in a city that a) doesn’t exist, b) seems to be modeled on...