Action Speaks Louder Than Words: William Kaufman's Man of War (2026)

In a year of disappointing blockbusters, trust director William Kaufman to give us one of the best action films of the year. Made on a fraction of the budget of what is currently playing in Multiplexes, Man of War (2026) puts those to shame with a film filled with a gripping plot, terrific acting and pulse raising action scenes that perfectly combine to make this rank amongst Kaufman’s best work. 

One of the first films to focus on the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war, at least to my mind, Man of War centres on retired United States Army Special Forces Michael Connor (LaMonica Garret), a man who has seen and done too much, almost on the brink of ending it all. After his niece Riley (Rosmary Yaneva), a foreign aid worker, is kidnapped by mercenary Koniev (Daniel Bernhardt). 

Connor puts in a call to old C.I.A. contact Charlie (Jason Patric) who helps get him on a plane to Kyiv. Also on the plane is a British private mercenary group, led by former SAS member Bunny (Linds Edward) who have been hired to rescue a wealthy Ukrainian man who has been taken prisoner. Although they have different objectives, Connor agrees to share information with Bunny if they come into contact.

From there they go their separate ways, with Connor meeting up with local contact Dany (Andrew Howard), who has agreed to help Connor if Charlie helps him get his family out of the country. Connor and Dany forge an uneasy alliance as the both of them travel into the middle of a war zone in the hopes of rescuing Riley. 

William Kaufman continues to be one of the best directors currently working in the action genre. Kaufman’s films stand out as he favours a more tactical approach to action than his counterparts, with his command of large scale shootouts being second to none. Even last year’s Osiris (2025), which saw Kaufman dip his toe in the sci-fi genre, had a strong focus on tactical based action. 

Obviously when I say tactical action I don’t mean absolute realism. After all, we have lone heroes taking on small armies almost singlehandedly. But for the most part, the action strives for authentic manoeuvres and gunplay, with no one pulling off moves that go against the laws of nature. Kaufman’s best examples of this is in his terrific Sinners and Saints (2010), the extremely underrated Lazarat (2019) and the more recent The Channel (2023). 

Well you can now add Man of War to this, with it easily rising to the top of Kaufman’s best work. However, as those other films mentioned, Kaufman once again shows that a film needs more than just great action scenes, with him making sure the film is bolstered with great performances, bringing in several of his previous collaborators. 

After co-starring in Osiris, Lamonica Garret is leading the charge for Man of War, giving a commanding performance as the battle scarred and mentally damaged Michael Connor. Ready to end it all until learning of his niece’s kidnapping, Garret’s Connor puts any thoughts of himself aside in order to rescue her, heading straight into the thick of battle. 

This is an extremely physical role for Garret, with him getting involved in multiple firefights as well as several violent hand to hand confrontations, with him being totally convincing as an elite killing machine. The only question you’ll be asking is why has it taken him so long to become a leading man, as this could be the birth of Garret as a new action star, even if he is now into his early 50’s. I don’t mean this to sound ageist, as the role needed someone of Garret’s age, someone who’s believably been put through the ringer. 

Garret has been a regular collaborator of Taylor Sheridan’s of late, having main roles in both 1883 (2021) and Lioness (2023) and although he is used well in these, it is great to see him getting to be the main focus for a change. 

As great as Garret is, the real heart of the film, at least for me, was Andrew Howard, whose character Dany escorts Garret into the heart of darkness. For him, the fight is more personal, as this is his country. Not only that, he has a family to worry about, with his reason for helping Connor is that in return his family will be evacuated to safety. 

Howard has been appearing in television and films for decades, normally in supporting roles. Always bringing his A game, some may remember as the terrifying Russian Mobster Gennady in Limitless (2011) or more recently from the show Steal (2026). This year he also featured in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026), with him getting a good deal of screen time. 

Still, these films and shows mentioned pale in comparison to his work here, giving a performance filled with emotion and despair at not only what is happening to his country, but what could happen to his loved ones. I appreciated that Kaufman didn’t go over the top with sentimentality when dealing with this aspect, something that could have been easy to do considering the subject matter, with Howard’s performance being set at exactly the correct pitch. 

In addition to getting to show off his acting chops, Howard gets involved in quite a fair share of the film's action scenes, with his character Dany proving to be quite adept when the bullets start flying, even pulling Garret’s Connor out of the thick of it when needed. 

Garret isn’t the only actor from Osiris to appear, with Kaufman regular Linds Edwards giving a great show as the loudmouthed Bunny, leader of a group of British private mercenaries. Initially he comes off antagonistic, reminding me of Graham McTavish’s memorable performance in Rambo (2008). Like McTavish, Edwards comes across as somewhat of a blowhard, but when it matters he rises to the occasion, putting his life on the line to help others. 

What I particularly like about Kaufman’s characters, at least when he’s involved as screenwriter, is that he doesn’t get bogged down on their backstories, rather their character is defined by their actions as the film progresses. I have probably said before how his writing reminds me of the great Walter Hill, with both whittling their scripts down only to what is necessary.

When it comes to Man of War, there is certainly no character more defined by their actions than Daniel Bernhardt’s Koniev. While the action legend has played his fair share of villains before, I can’t remember him playing such a vile character as he does here. Bernhardt excels at playing such dark characters, and they don’t come much darker than Koniev, with the battle hardened mercenary not only relishing murder but really enjoying multiple rapes. Honestly, he can’t seem to get enough of it. 

Don’t worry, Kaufman makes sure this aspect of the film isn’t exploitative. We are never actually shown these rape scenes, but we know what Bernhardt’s character has done. Fans of Bernhardt’s martial arts skills may be slightly disappointed that the majority of the action he is involved with is of the gunplay variety, but they will still get a taste of them with him getting a brutal, albeit brief, one on one fight with Garret during the lengthy finale. 

I should also give a mention to Jason Patric who plays an old friend of Connors who assists him from afar. Patric’s role could have been filmed all in a day, but he still brings a level of gravitas to proceedings and is always a welcome presence. 

In the same month as watching Man of War I also saw The Odyssey and The Furious (2025). Each of these films rank as the year's best, with Man of War comfortably sitting amongst them. What is more impressive is that Kaufman made Man of War on what The Odyssey probably spent on catering. The last 25 minutes alone has some of the best action you will see this year.

What additionally makes Man of War stand out from the crowd of other war based actioners is that it smartly doesn’t take sides or offer up easy answers. Whilst the film may be on the side of the Ukranian’s, it shows how war can bring out the worst in people. This is shown through several discussions between Garret’s Connor and Howard’s Dany as well as one shocking scene where a Ukrainian soldier shoots down a group of captured Russian soldiers in cold blood, merely because they don’t have time to take prisoners. 

Obviously I can’t comment on the real situation of the war, but I appreciate that a filmmaker like Kaufman is willing to shed light on it, even if it is in the shape of an action movie. 

Released digitally by Well Go USA, Man of War will soon be coming to physical media, released on Blu Ray and DVD on September 8th. Don’t listen to some other critics online who have said the film is silly or unrealistic. It isn’t striving to be a documentary, but rather a gripping action movie which it certainly is. Not to be missed. 

Rating: 4.5/5