By: Kimberly Grant
You may have heard me say this in the past. I love Jason Statham as an action hero. He’s one of my faves in a list of action stars, which includes Bruce Willis, Michelle Yeoh, Jason Momoa, Ming-Na Wen, and Helen Mirren. Statham’s latest film, The Beekeeper, is no stranger to the classic action movie genre.
The Beekeeper will be in theaters starting January 12.
Plain & Simple
These days, most action movies are big with one of two tropes: 1) an alien invasion, or 2) a lead character who is spurred on by a love interest. Every now and then we get an action movie that’s all about a main character (our hero) kicking the bad guys’ butts as they dole out their justice. Written by Kurt Wimmer, The Beekeeper is about Adam Clay (played by Statham) exacting revenge on the people who stole the life savings of someone he saw as a mother figure, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad).
Adam isn’t just a surrogate son. He’s also a former operative of a clandestine government organization where he’s been trained to eradicate the bad people in our country. Because Adam is trained to not stop until he gets the head of all bad guys, he goes on a mission. Hot on his heels is Special Agents Verona Parker (Eloise’s daughter played by Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi).
Directed by David Ayer, who wrote the screenplays for Suicide Squad, Fury, and End of Watch, the film is pure action. By that, I mean Statham’s Adam becomes a one-man army and exacts all kinds of justice. There is no special woman in his life; living or dead. There’s no kiss at the end. There’s just pure action. In true action movie form, there are times when the dialogue isn’t that great. A little too much time is spent expounding on bee facts. We get it, bees are essential to all livelihood.
Better Not Bring Your Kids!
Anyone who’s ever watched Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show knows that he warned audiences not to bring their kids to his shows, because they weren’t suitable for all ages. That same disclaimer goes for The Beekeeper. It has an R rating for a reason. The violence is strong with this one. There’s even a gore factor with strong violence that had this critic shielding her eyes a number of times.
Let’s face it. Most action films are not for kids. Even though The Beekeeper is one of them, doesn’t take away from the greatness of it. This film isn’t pretending to be a love story or trying to blow things up for the sake of blowing things up. The only other message in the film – other than to see Statham do his thing as an action star – is that cyber crime has real victims. Not to give away the plot, but there is a message about people who think it’s okay to take from others. It’s not okay. And, this movie is one big revenge fantasy for anyone who has ever been scammed out of their money by some jerk who has no morals.
The Talent
Moving on. Statham is one of my favorites for a reason. In years past, Statham has shown his humorous side while kicking butt. Alas, his character in The Beekeeper doesn’t allow for much comedy. That said, he’s still pretty freaking good. Raver-Lampman takes an interesting turn as an alcoholic FBI agent. I wasn’t sure if making her a high-functioning drunk was Wimmer’s way of giving the character a vice or if he wanted to make this woman look bad at her job. Either way, Wimmer could have done better.
Rashad is still going strong in her talents. I just wish there had been more of her on the screen. Minnie Driver makes an appearance as Director of the CIA Janet Harward. Josh Hutcherson takes a turn as the villain named Derek Danforth. And, Jeremy Irons also plays beleaguered villain Wallace Westwyld.
Talent aside, the film serves its purpose as a story about a man who has extraordinary abilities that he uses to exact revenge on people who prey on the vulnerable. While the story itself probably won’t win any awards, the film as a whole packs a powerful punch. And, it allows Statham to do what he does best: be one of my favorite action stars.
If you like movies, then you’ll want to read about my top ten favorite movies of 2023.
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