A Working Man

NZ release: 27 March 2025

Violence and offensive language Rated on: 13 March 2025

a working man poster

What’s it about?

Levon Cade walked away from his old life to work in construction and be a devoted father to his daughter. But when a local girl goes missing, he's called back to the skills that once made him a legend in the covert world of counter-terrorism.

The facts 

  • Directed by David Ayer (The Beekeeper)
  • Stars Jason Statham (Hobbs & Shaw), Eve Mauro (Stormageddon), and David Harbour (Black Widow)
  • English language 
  • Runtime: 116 minutes

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Violence

This film has a number of fight scenes including shoot-outs and the use of weapons. Bladed weapons often result in blood spray, and injuries are sometimes shown up close. 

Some of the stronger examples of violence include: 

  • A character’s blood-smeared torso is shown with several bullet wounds. 
  • A character is tortured using the “waterboarding method” – their face is covered with material and water is poured over their mouth.
  • A character is tied to a chair and dropped into a pool. The other character watches him drown. 
  • A bullet goes through a character’s open palm, creating a hole, clearly seen with blood smear. 
  • A character stabs another, pulling the knife down before stabbing the victim in the throat and plunging the blade in deep. 

Offensive language

The word ‘f*ck’ is used frequently, both casually and during moments of violence.

Drug use 

Drug use is limited to a villain snorting drugs, depicted in a negative light.

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

Further information 

Recent featured decisions

24 June 2025

Offensive language

In this documentary, a 2013 luxury cruise goes off the rails when an engine-room fire knocks out all power – leaving over 4,000 people stranded in extreme heat with no lights, air‑conditioning, plumbing, refrigeration, or working toilets.

Read more

11 June 2025

Bloody violence, horror, offensive language, nudity & content that may disturb

Almost three decades since the rage virus spread and plagued the world, a group of survivors maintain their village on an isolated island. When two people leave the island on a mission into the mainland, they discover a world of secrets, wonders, and horrors brought about by the infection.

Read more