12 Best Movies Like A Working Man

“A Working Man” teams director David Ayer with action star Jason Statham, with a surprising script from the Italian Stallion himself, Sylvester Stallone. It’s the latest entry in a growing field of action flicks about a downtrodden, blue-collar hero on a mission of vengeance. Here, Statham plays Levon Cade, a construction worker with a checkered past. When the daughter of his employer is kidnapped by a deranged gang of criminals, he’s left with no choice but to call upon the skills he learned from his time in the Royal Marines to save her.

Movies about a trained killer trying to start a new life — but lured back into action after a personal tragedy — are nothing new. Heck, Stallone himself wrote one of the originals, “First Blood.” But the genre gained new life thanks to “John Wick,” which gave the concept a fresh twist. With so many similar titles, though, it can be tough to sift through them all and pick out the cream of the crop. 

Of course, we’re not exactly looking for the best movies ever made, but the ones that deliver the most enjoyable set pieces, the most satisfying stories of underdog heroes, and maybe the ones with the best action stars. So here are some of the finest movies like “A Working Man” that are sure to get your blood — and fists — pumping.

If you’re looking for a movie about a seemingly ordinary fellow who turns out to be a dangerous man with lethal skills, “Jack Reacher” might be the best place to start your journey after “A Working Man.” Based on a series of books, “Jack Reacher” stars Tom Cruise, and while many fans were unhappy that the “Mission: Impossible” star didn’t quite match the description of the character in the book, he turns Reacher from a physically imposing threat into the kind of hero who everyone underestimates.

Instead of an oversized, overly-muscled superhero, Cruise plays a more ordinary, humble man of action, a former Army MP who now lives the life of a drifter, moving from town to town with little direction or purpose. He’s something of a vigilante, a streetwise do-gooder concerned more with helping those in need when facing insurmountable odds than following the rules. Coming to the aid of a former fellow Army Ranger (Joseph Sikora), who’s implicated in a series of murders and facing the death penalty, Reacher deduces quickly that the man is innocent. But when he begins to investigate, he risks exposing a shadowy conspiracy.

In “Jack Reacher,” Cruise goes from the spywork and stuntwork of the “Mission: Impossible” series to street brawls and suspense. He’s a perfect “working man” hero, just like Statham, and while the Amazon TV series may hew closer to the books (just don’t expect to see a “Reacher” movie featuring series star Alan Ritchson), the 2012 movie tells a better underdog story. 

Getting his start around the same time as Jason Statham was Scottish actor Gerard Butler, and they’ve had similar career trajectories since. While Butler hasn’t joined any global megafranchises yet, he has, like Statham, become one of the best action stars working in the industry, as well as king of “so bad they’re good” movies. His 2023 action-thriller “Plane” might be the most Statham-like movie he’s made yet. 

Like “A Working Man,” the hero of “Plane” is a seasoned military vet. Captain Brodie Torrance (Butler) is a former Scottish pilot for the RAF who has since moved on to a career in commercial aviation. On his latest flight, however, he’ll need to call upon his old training when things go horribly wrong. The plane is on its way across the Atlantic, and Torrance is already uneasy about the presence of a wanted murderer named Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a former French Foreign Legionnaire being extradited to Canada. When the plane suffers a catastrophic lightning strike, Torrance is forced to make an emergency landing on a remote island in the Philippines. 

Suddenly stranded, things go from bad to worse when a rebel militia takes the plane’s passengers hostage. Torrance has to decide whether he can trust Gaspare in a daring plan to rescue the passengers and stop the group of heavily armed terrorists.

An action movie by David Ayer, starring Jason Statham, about an ordinary man — who nobody realizes is a seasoned soldier — who comes out of retirement when a dangerous new threat emerges? No, we’re not talking about “A Working Man,” we’re talking about “The Beekeeper,” released just a year earlier. Instead of a construction worker, Statham plays Adam Clay, a retired special ops agent who has settled into the quiet life of — you guessed it — a beekeeper, working in the barn of a kindly older woman named Mrs. Parker (Phylicia Rashad).

On an otherwise ordinary morning, Clay arrives at Mrs. Parker’s home to discover that his friend and neighbor has taken her own life after falling victim to an internet scam. With authorities unable to find those responsible, Clay sets out to get justice for Mrs. Parker himself, quickly zeroing in on a diabolical international operation designed to prey on society’s most vulnerable. Though they dismiss his attacks at first, what they don’t realize is that Clay was once an operative for one of the world’s most lethal clandestine forces, known as the Beekeepers.

Blowing everyone away at the box office, “The Beekeeper” was a sleeper hit with a streamlined story about an everyman hero seeking justice for the little guy. In the hands of any other duo it might have been mere action schlock, but with Ayer and Statham, it was one of the best action movies of 2024.

The 2014 Keanu Reeves vehicle “John Wick” changed action movies forever, with an emphasis on down-and-dirty fight scenes, fast-paced gun-fu, and a hero who feels every hit he takes. There were plenty of imitators, but one of the very few to do it well is “Nobody,” which turned Bob Odenkirk into an action star. It’s written and directed by Derek Kolstad and produced by David Leitch, both of whom were instrumental in the success of “John Wick.”

As in “A Working Man,” the 2021 film begins with a seemingly ordinary man, this time Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell, who works in the back office of a fabrication factory. When his home becomes the target for a group of petty thieves, Hutch doesn’t fight back, and we quickly learn why: He is a former special ops soldier with extra-lethal skills, and he wants no part of that life anymore. But when the thieves take his daughter’s favorite bracelet, he sets out on a mission of revenge, putting him in the path of a dangerous crime boss and his crew.

When it comes to the trope of highly-trained killers hiding in plain sight, there are plenty to choose from, but “Nobody” might be among the very best. It’s the movie’s pitch-perfect blend of bone-crunching fight scenes, bullet-whizzing shootouts, and sarcastic humor — rather than outright slapstick comedy — that elevates it above most of its action-comedy kin.

Reuniting “GoldenEye” director Martin Campbell with Pierce Brosnan, “The Foreigner” might have you thinking you’re in for a James Bond adventure. But Brosnan takes the role of villain this time around, as it’s Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan who plays the title hero. Blending elements of “A Working Man” with Liam Neeson’s “Taken” series, “The Foreigner” tells the tale of an underdog hero with secret skills who goes on a mission of retribution. 

Chan stars as the aging, retired soldier Quan Nhoc Minh, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a loving husband and father who was once in special ops. He lost two children during his perilous escape from the country, and his wife died after his third child was born. Years later, Minh owns a small restaurant in London where he makes a meager living while trying to enjoy what he can out of the remainder of his life. When a terrorist bombing kills his daughter — the only person he had left to live for — he sets out on a blood-fueled mission of vengeance, using long-forgotten skills that allow him to act as a voice for the voiceless.

Like “A Working Man,” 2017’s “The Foreigner” follows an ex-military man who calls upon his past while on a quest for justice. Part action flick, part political drama, the film is a favorite for its hair-raising action, layered plot, and standout performances, making it one of Jackie Chan’s best movies.

When it comes to action movies about highly skilled mercenaries who hide beneath the guise of an ordinary man, look no further than the films of Liam Neeson. While his “Taken” series gets the most attention, they’re not necessarily the best comp for fans of “A Working Man.” That honor goes to “The Marksman,” a 2021 film with a similar story of a world-weary, blue-collar underdog who is just trying to live an ordinary life when he must call upon his deadly mercenary skills after a threat emerges that endangers those closest to him.

A beleaguered Vietnam War veteran who served as a U.S. Army sniper, Jim Hanson has long since retired and runs a ranch on the Arizona-Mexico border. His daughter works for the Border Patrol, and most of Jim’s days are spent tending to his ranch and reporting illegal border crossings like a suburbanite complaining about his neighbor’s grass to the HOA. 

But just as he is about to report a mother named Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) and her son Miguel (Jacob Perez) for crossing illegally into the Land of Opportunity, he learns that they’re not out to leech off the system, but to escape death at the hands of a drug cartel. When the cartel kills Rosa, it’s up to Hanson to save her son from certain death, and that means embracing the violent and dangerous man he used to be.

Clearly audiences love stories about a former special ops soldier coming out of retirement, and movie studios love making them. They’re the perfect fare for an afternoon matinee, whether it’s in the theater — or more likely — on your favorite streaming platform. And that’s the thinking behind the 2025 French movie “The Gardener,” a raucous action-comedy starring ’90s action megastar Jean-Claude Van Damme, who found late-career success making movies that embrace the absurdity of the genre.

The “Timecop” star plays Leo, a retired assassin who’s put his past behind him and has started a new life with a trowel and pruning shears, serving as a gardener on a wealthy family’s lavish estate. That estate belongs to local politician Serge Shuster (Michael Youn), and when Serge becomes the target of an assassination attempt, Leo is caught in the middle and must turn plowshares into swords when all of their lives are suddenly on the line.

With its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, “The Gardener” isn’t to be taken too seriously. But if you’re seeking a story like “A Working Man” filled with laughs, this is it. And if you want a story about an otherwise ordinary man who must call on his dark past for a mission that sees him going comically ballistic on a bunch of folks who have it coming — it’s a must.

British actor Daisy Ridley became a star thanks to her role as Rey in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. But outside of that galaxy far, far away, she’s struggled with flop after flop, perhaps making Disney cautious about bringing her back to lead a new series of films. Yet in 2025 she hit it big on Netflix with “Cleaner,” a disappointment at the box office that home viewers discovered is a gritty, satisfying action-thriller in the same vein as “A Working Man.”

“Cleaner” features Ridley in the role of Joey Locke, a humble window washer whose latest gig sees her scrubbing glass on a high-rise building that’s host to a business conference. But she also plays caretaker to her troubled brother, and when the building comes under threat from a group of violent eco-terrorists known as the Earth Revolution, Locke and her brother get caught in the middle. Thankfully, though, Locke is no ordinary window washer: She’s a former black ops soldier for British Special Forces, and with her brother in danger, she’ll need those skills to stop a terrorist madman (Clive Owen) and save the only family she has left.

Another first-rate action movie from two-time James Bond director Martin Campbell, “Cleaner” is a return to form for Ridley, who proves beyond any doubt that she has what it takes to lead a guns-blazing action movie.

A beekeeper, a gardener, and a window cleaner — all great occupations to help a highly-trained killer keep their head down while attempting to turn over a new leaf. Well, “The Dark Knight” star Aaron Eckhart finds another vocation to serve as cover for his former life in 2023’s “The Bricklayer.” Like Levon Cade in “A Working Man,” Steve Vail is a former CIA operative who now works in construction, using his hands to build homes in an effort to forget his old life.

Content with a modest living outside the service, Vail must decide whether to return to his old life for a new mission when he’s approached by his former agency to help track down the person responsible for the murder of three foreign journalists. Their deaths have put the CIA in the hot seat, with many believing that the intelligence agency silenced them to keep the CIA’s own clandestine activities from going public. The real culprit, however, may be closer to home, and to stop him, Vail will have to confront the ghosts of his past and embrace the violence within him one more time.

A bit schlocky, “The Bricklayer” won’t be winning awards, but it’s a bare-bones action story just like “A Working Man.” With hard choices, harder punches, and plenty of machismo, it’s a lightweight actioner that does exactly what it sets out to do.

While Jason Statham has built a career playing gruff, no-nonsense, blue-collar heroes with a wit to match, his “Fast X” co-star John Cena has earned a similar reputation playing sarcastic, slightly dopey good guys in films like “The Suicide Squad,” “Bumblebee” and “Heads of State.” But if you want a John Cena movie to watch in the same vein as “A Working Man,” the answer is 2023’s “Freelance,” where the former WWE standout plays an ex-special forces soldier now working a white collar job after leaving the service.

His name is Mason Pettits, and after a botched mission to assassinate a foreign leader, he’s left with an injury that forces him off the job. Now he’s just an ordinary button-masher in Sector 7-G of a local law firm, wasting away what he has left of a life. But he gets renewed vigor when he’s approached by a journalist named Claire Wellington (Allison Brie), who wants to hire him as her private bodyguard when she travels across the globe to conduct an interview with a foreign leader — yes, the same foreign leader Mason was supposed to kill.

A wild mix of buddy comedy and action movie, “Freelance” has a very different tone than “A Working Man,” but tells a similar story of a former soldier who gets back into the game with personal stakes.

Sylvester Stallone’s “First Blood” set the standard for off-the-grid loners hiding a violent past, and his script for “A Working Man” upped the ante. In that same category of action movie protagonists is the title character in 2022’s “Lou,” another highly-trained former government agent trying to put their old life behind them. 

These days, Lou (Allison Janney) appears to be little more than a grumpy older woman renting out a cabin to Hannah (Jurnee Smollett), a mother just looking to live a quiet life with her teenage daughter Vee (Ridley Asha Bateman). But when Vee’s estranged father Phillip (Logan Marshall-Green) reappears with deadly intentions, Lou reluctantly reveals herself as the gutsy, skilled soldier she really is. And when we discover that Lou and her dark past may be somehow connected to Phillip, we realize that the situation isn’t as random as it may seem. 

Eschewing massive stunts and high-stakes adventure, “Lou” is a simple story about a complicated woman who must face up to the difficult choices she’s made. Beyond its suspense and action, Janney delivers an unexpected, powerhouse performance as Lou to rival Jason Statham’s working man — and even Stallone’s John Rambo.

You might be familiar with the 1989 classic “Road House,” which stars Patrick Swayze as a nightclub bouncer. It’s not much like “A Working Man” at all, but its 2024 remake, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, makes some significant changes to the story and tone that park it right next to that Jason Statham vehicle.

In this version, the bouncer is no mere security guard; he’s a former UFC fighter looking for a new lease on life. His name is Elwood Dalton (Gyllenhaal), and his days in the octagon are long over after accidentally killing a  fellow fighter during a match. Dalton now spends his time scamming unsuspecting street brawlers, “White Men Can’t Jump”-style. But just when he thinks he has nothing left to live for, Dalton gets a shot from a bar owner looking for someone to run security at a rough-and-tumble watering hole called the Road House. When he becomes the target of a dangerous gang leader, he’ll have to confront his own dark demons to come out on top.

As in “A Working Man,” Dalton is a man who just wants to be left alone to live in peace. But he finds no escape as his violent past continues to haunt him. It didn’t get great reviews, but “Road House” is one remake that critics got all wrong.