Review: Kate Beckinsale Returns to Action in the Fast, Funny British Thriller ‘Wildcat’

Kate Beckinsale leads a high-stakes rescue in Wildcat, blending British crime grit with sharp humor and slick action.

Kate Beckinsale Reloads for a Fast, Funny, and Ferocious British Heist Thriller

Kate Beckinsale is back in action — and she’s not here to play defense. In James Nunn’s (One Shot, Eliminators) latest adrenaline-charged thriller, Wildcat, Beckinsale proves once again that she can lead the charge in a fight worth watching. Written by Dominic Burns, the film is a slick, bullet-riddled blend of Guy Ritchie-style swagger and Heat-level urgency, with a surprisingly sharp sense of humor.

The setup is simple but effective: an ex–black ops team reunites for a desperate heist to save the kidnapped daughter of Beckinsale’s character. The catch? They have twelve hours to pull it off — and as the film escalates through car chases, shootouts, and a labyrinth of British crime families, the clock ticks louder with every explosion.

British Crime Meets Global Energy

Set against the underbelly of London’s criminal elite, Wildcat feels like a return to form for Beckinsale — not in the supernatural trenches of Underworld, but in something far grittier, grounded, and fiercely human. The film pits two rival gangs against one another in a showdown of bullets and betrayal, while Beckinsale and her crew fight not only to complete the mission but to outsmart the system that’s closing in on them.

Beckinsale’s performance hits the perfect balance between cold precision and emotional drive. She’s older, sharper, and funnier — her timing lands hard in both the fights and the quips. She’s joined by Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), and Tom Bennett (House of the Dragon), a stacked cast that brings serious grit and gravitas to Nunn’s punchy direction.

No Capes, No Clones — Just Chaos

What makes Wildcat work isn’t just the action — though the gunfights and hand-to-hand sequences are impressively staged — it’s how refreshingly old-school it feels. No excessive CGI, no superhero gloss. Just muscle, wit, and well-timed mayhem.

And here’s the surprise: Wildcat is genuinely funny. The banter between the crew keeps the energy high and the tone light enough to offset the tension. There’s also a refreshing intelligence behind the writing, especially in the way it treats the various social classes and gang hierarchies operating within the story.

HMU Verdict: 3.5/5

Wildcat doesn’t reinvent the wheel — it just spins it faster, tighter, and with Kate Beckinsale firmly in the driver’s seat. It’s lean, brutal, and surprisingly clever, standing out as one of the year’s most entertaining action thrillers.

If you’ve been missing Kate in her full-action glory, Wildcat is proof she’s still got claws.

Wildcat hits theaters and digital platforms on November 25th from Aura Entertainment.