They fight like brothers. They wreck like legends. The Wrecking Crew brings together Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista for a bruising, funny, and surprisingly emotional action-comedy that hits Prime Video on January 28. Directed by Puerto Rican filmmaker Ángel Manuel Soto, the film is a throwback to the action movies of the ’80s and ’90s—with heart, humor, and a strong cultural point of view.

The story centers on Jonny (Momoa) and James (Bautista), estranged half-brothers forced back into each other’s lives after their father’s mysterious death. What begins as an uneasy reunion quickly turns into a high-octane journey through the streets of Hawaii, where old wounds, buried secrets, and a dangerous conspiracy collide. The cast also includes Morena Baccarin, Jacob Batalon, Claes Bang, and Stephen Root.

Soto spoke with Entertainment Affair’s Raffael Alejandro about blending explosive action with comedy, masculinity, and family trauma—and why this film feels deeply personal.

Growing up, Soto says action movies didn’t just entertain him—they shaped him. He describes The Wrecking Crew as a natural evolution in his career, a chance to revisit the genre he watched with his father while adding the emotional complexity he’s known for. When he first read the script while working on Blue Beetle, he immediately connected to its core: two grown men who can’t move forward until they confront the childhood trauma that still defines them. For Soto, vulnerability isn’t a weakness—it’s the key to the story.

While the film delivers plenty of laughs and hard-hitting set pieces, the director was just as interested in what’s happening beneath the surface. He sees the brothers’ fractured relationship as a reflection of how unresolved trauma often leads to toxic behavior, particularly in men who were never taught how to process pain. That emotional undercurrent, he explains, is what gives the action real weight.

Filming in Hawaii was also crucial to Soto’s vision. From the moment he arrived, he felt an immediate connection between the islands and Puerto Rico—the neighborhoods, the people, the shared history of displacement and gentrification. Rather than using Hawaii as a postcard backdrop, Soto insisted on shooting in real locations and involving real members of the local community, allowing them to represent themselves authentically on screen.

That authenticity extends to subtle details, including a Puerto Rican flag that appears in the film. Soto confirms it was intentional. Hawaii has a long-standing Boricua community dating back to the early 1900s, and during production he met locals with deep Puerto Rican roots. The inclusion didn’t feel like a stylistic flourish—it felt honest. As Soto jokes, some of the best Puerto Rican food he’s ever had was in Hawaii.

Inspired by classics like Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, and Die Hard, The Wrecking Crew embraces the idea of broken heroes—characters who are tough, funny, and flawed. Those films, Soto notes, weren’t afraid to show their leads hurting, emotionally and physically, and that balance is something he aimed to capture here.

Off-screen, Soto’s bond with the cast mirrors the film’s themes. Despite everyone’s packed schedules, he says the relationships have endured, especially with Bautista, as they continue talking about what they might do together next.

At its core, The Wrecking Crew is more than an action-comedy—it’s a story about brothers, identity, and the difficult work of healing. Under Ángel Manuel Soto’s direction, it proves that the most satisfying action movies don’t just deliver chaos and carnage—they come with soul.

The Wrecking Crew premieres exclusively on Prime Video on January 28.