Featuring: Jason Statham, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman
Genre: Action, Thriller
Director: David Ayer
In Cinemas: Now
In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organisation known as “Beekeepers”.
The Beekeeper is written by Kurt Wimmer, who wrote Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and Expend4bles (2023), among many others. It is also Directed by David Ayer, most well-known for his films such as Fury (2014) and End of Watch (2012); he was also involved with Will Smith’s Bright (2017) and the forgettable Suicide Squad (2016), the Jared Leto version. The less said about that, the better. This is a classic Jason Statham generic action film, and familiarity sets in as we are first introduced to a calm and mild-mannered Adam Clay (Statham), who is enjoying retirement by collecting and taking care of bees on a rented plot of land owned by a vulnerable older woman called Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) who lives alone. Clay has a lot of affection and compassion for this lady; sometimes, he visits her house to check up on her. When he discovers that she has been taken advantage of and is the victim of an online money scam, revenge then ensues in the most brutal and violent form. The scam element of the movie is quite fitting in highlighting the problem in today’s society, and it showcases a strong message and awareness about the risks involving online fraud.
Statham then goes on his quest to get his vengeance by going to the company that scammed Eloise and burning the place to the ground. There are a lot of coincidences and comparisons to John Wick, and sometimes, it can be ignorant to associate films like this with the franchise just because they have some of the same themes linked to them. But the similarities are awkwardly similar, almost like a collection of copy-and-paste scenarios, and identical at certain moments. It becomes a little distracting when there is an obvious connection to John Wick; even the Josh Hutcherson character (Derek Danforth) is painfully and exactly like Alfie Allen’s Portrayal in the first film as the bad guy; the mannerisms and character traits are the same. The potential of creating something more extensive in the plot, unfortunately, goes unattempted, and the poor script writing doesn’t succeed in gaining extra merit. The dialogue is atrocious, embarrassing and considerably weak as the story progresses; characters often do and say things that make no sense whatsoever in the context of the situation. Sometimes, The Beekeeper can be severe and gritty, and then it will do the opposite, which is idiotic and requires more explanation.
Eloise’s daughter Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman) coincidentally just so happens to be the leading Agent involved in the search for Adam Clay, and her dialogue is awful and unfunny when attempts at humour do not land. Some tragedy has happened to her Mother, and her house and surrounding buildings are set on fire by the gang, and her initial response to being the first on the scene is this line, ‘Damn, I lost my virginity in that barn’. There is no remorse from her or even an attempt by the screenwriter to make the scene somewhat believable and authentic; there is no requirement to put humour in this profound and devastating occurrence; there is a need for it to be compassionate. Putting aside the fast escalation and negative parts of the film, it is outstandingly bonkers and obviously over the top, but it doesn’t take away from the impressive, fun action sequences. There is some care and a considerable amount of time devoted to the choreography and planning of the fight sequences that make them worthwhile and entertaining. This is nothing more than a fast-paced action movie fronted by Jason Statham, kicking the living daylights out of people. This could be a better movie if the more vital elements, such as the screenplay and character development, were equally dedicated.
Overall: 6/10
Movie Reviewer
