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Not to be confused with the 1968 Dean Martin Matt Helm spy film The Wrecking Crew, or the 2000 Ice T Wrecking Crew, or even the 2008 musical documentary The Wrecking Crew , this first big teaming of Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Dave Bautista (Guardians Of The Galaxy) may be the truest use of that movie title yet, as it seems based on the violent action scale these two superstars of the genre wreck everything in sight, and that includes each other.
It is a wonder that Amazon MGM Studios tailored this action comedy for the small screen (it starts streaming on Prime Video Wednesday) rather than an IMAX attraction where the numerous and impressive over the top fights and chases would get maximum traction. If it is anything at all, this is BIG, a battle of the brawn with beautiful Hawaiian scenery counteracting the bloody blows of which there are many.
Seeing this all play out you have to wonder why it took this long to get these two guys together but it is undoubtedly an entertaining pairing for genre fans and both Momoa and Bautista deliver what’s expected – and then some.
When we meet cop Johnny Hale (Momoa) as he is in the midst of a breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Valentine (Morena Baccarin) who has had enough. He is unhappy about this, but about to get unhappier when a couple of goons from the Japanese crime syndicate Yakuza arrive demanding a box supposedly sent to him by his now dead father, Walter. He doesn’t know what they are talking about but gets into a major uber-violent brawl with both of them, dispatching them as only he can do with gut wrenching precision. Having not seen his estranged brother James Hale (Bautista) in ten years, or even venturing back to Hawaii in twenty years, he reluctantly (really!) goes back home for their father’s funeral. Johnny however has another reason as he believes his father was a victim of a major crime group, not the accidental traffic death the family believed. He is still haunted by the fact he never could catch the muderer of his mother, so this is make up time.
Unfortuanately he has to deal with his ex-Navy Seal brother and they are at odds the minute he gets there. Soon however they find they need a way to get along, and the mayhem begins with several more fights of every stripe until the pair completely loses it altogether and, in the rain no less, go at it nearly knocking each other out. This is where they lay out all their personal grievances using their fists and I have to say its fun to watch. Still they need each other for the greater cause of solving the mystery of their father’s death, and more importantly the larger looming political scandal this is all leading to including the introduction of our chief villain, Marcus Robichaux (Claes Bang) who has big plans beyond the death of Walter Hale, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals in Hawaii. To get to him you have to get through his personal army, but hey, no problem.
Before we come to the big finale and ultimate destruction derby, Johnny and James welcome Johnny’s ex Valentina to Hawaii where she delivers some of his belongings but plans to go right back after a day on the beach. In just minutes on the highway though with the brothers and friend Pika (Jacob Batalon) they all get involved in the single best, and most absurd, action set piece of the entire film. With a killer helicopter swirling above the traffic, guns blazing from out of it, they must avoid getting blasted to death, running into every other car, and surviving the wildest chase of January movies, no doubt. It is a dazzling piece of stunt coordination and gives truth to the film’s title before it ends.
Jonathan Tropper’s screenplay hits all the right notes for this sort of thing, even eliciting genuinely emotional moments from both Bautista, and especially Momoa. Danish star Bang seems to having a grand time playing the I-want-it-all villain of the piece and is amusing to watch. Tropper is an interesting screenwriting choice for this assignment since some of his more cerebral past films like This Is Where I Leave You, Kodachome don’t prepare us for this body slamming work, but he is a versatile guy. Director Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle) proves he can handle the heavy action lifts, as well as giving each of his two stars the right balance and screen time to make fans satisfied.
Both stars are in their sweet spot with this material and manage to handle not just the huge action quotient here, but also make it believable that in the end Johnny and James are just family, hale and hearty.
Producers are Matt Reeve, Lynn Harris , Jeff Fierson, Bautista, and Momoa.
Title: The Wrecking Crew
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Release Date: January 28, 2026 (Prime Video – Streaming)
Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Screenplay: Jonathan Tropper
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa,Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Frankie Adams, Miyavi, Stephen Root, Morena Baccarin, Lydia Peckham, Roimata Fox, Branscombe Richmond, Maia Kealoha, Josua Tuivavalagi
Rating: R
Running Time: 2 hours and 2 minutes
English (US) ·