Reckless Movie Review – Scott Adkins Runs Riot in This Guy Ritchie-Inspired British Action Comedy

Movie publicity doesn’t make sense. On the one hand, you can’t escape Tyler Perry’s latest fart – or potentially AI-generated one? – on a streaming service. On the other, there’s a brand-new Scott Adkins flick, Reckless, that absolutely nobody is talking about. Make it make sense!

What’s even worse is that Reckless is a fine action comedy in a similar vein as Guy Ritchie’s Snatch. The film pairs up Adkins with screenwriter Stu Small once again; they worked on the highly underrated Accident Man and The Debt Collector movies that serve as all the proof you need that Adkins can be extremely funny given the right material. Here again, thanks to Small and Matthew Robert Kelly’s script, Adkins knocks it out of the park with both his kicks and quips.

Like Snatch, Reckless‘ plot plays out like a domino effect with one event setting off a chain reaction of outlandish escapades. Adkins plays Devon, a small-time goofy thug who joins a group of thieves to pull off a heist. As it turns out, Devon is doublecrossed, resulting in him going to prison and not getting his cut of the job. When Devon receives parole, he visits his former heist partner and so-called pal, George (Jordan Long), to demand his share of the money; however, Devon walks in as bookkeeper Kimber (Nicole Deon) fights off George’s advances and accidentally kills her boss. Suddenly, Kimber and Devon find their paths intertwined, as they go on the run and avoid the goons sent by the head honcho of this whole shindig, Trent (Vinnie Jones).

Reckless moves at a breakneck speed as Kimber and Devon try to outrun their fate while Devon still attempts to claim his part of the score. Since this is a Scott Adkins movie, expect a lot of fast and frenetic action, including a few scenes that incorporate physical comedy à la Jackie Chan-lite. Sometimes, it feels like a situation is only included in the script so that Adkins can fight his way out of it in an innovative and hilarious way – but hey, let’s allow these side quests to slide because they’re entertaining as hell.

Where Reckless gambles and wins, though, is in the writing, especially the characters. Despite the gravity of the matter, the British sense of humor never disappears from the interactions, while the characters remain sharp-witted and full of nonsense at all times. There’s one humorous scene in which Devon attempts to give Kimber a gun from the back of his pants. She says no – because she obviously doesn’t want to hold a weapon – but Devon misinterprets this. So he sniffs the gun and tells her to not worry because it didn’t touch his crack. How can anyone not laugh at seeing Adkins’ nose twitch as he takes a whiff of the gun to see if it has any trail of swamp butt?!

This is a Scott Adkins vehicle after all, so expect him to be on screen more than anyone else, including Jones who isn’t as prominent as the poster might lead you to believe, but the other actors receive their own opportunities to steal the limelight at several points. Nicole Deon, in particular, knows how to play off Devon’s bravado and silliness, serving as the comedic foil of the duo. However, Kimber receives her own moments of absurdity that demonstrate she might not be as levelheaded as she thinks she is here.

Director Elliott Montello appears to be a major fan of the UK dance and art scenes, judging by the infusion of British culture into Reckless. From the pumping hard dance tracks blaring during the fight scenes to the colorful lo-fi stop-motion sequences to fill out the character backstories, this is the kind of film that you don’t see every day. It’s distinctively different, adding an adrenaline injection that pops on screen.

Is Reckless an award-winning film that’s about to redefine the genre and change the landscape of cinema in 2026? Nope, nor does it ever pretend like it will. But it’s a fun Guy Ritchie-inspired flick that celebrates British culture and cements Adkins as an action comedy lead. Maybe now there might be a chance that he can score some extra roles instead of everyone casting Ryan Reynolds in these types of movies and then letting him play Deadpool all over again.

RELATED: The Best Scott Adkins Movies