The Beekeeper stars Jason Statham in yet another action role that he can do for better or worse. In this case, the movie strongly succeeds because Statham has found both a story and character that he can tap into that gives some much-needed freshness.
Statham is Adam Clay, a beekeeper who lives with an older retired teacher (Phylicia Rashad). One day, the teacher gets involved in a phishing scam that leaves her bankrupt, and in a fit of desperation, she commits suicide.
Clay finds the body, and at first, he’s accused of murdering her, but then the charges are dropped. He decides to take the law into his own hands by finding the individuals responsible and declares a one-man war. Clay used to be a part of an organization that can supply him with the intel.
Josh Hutcherson and Jeremy Irons costar as the heads of the scam. While Irons makes the most of his screen time with a decent performance, Hutcherson is pretty miscast.
Emmy Raver-Lampman plays an FBI agent and also the deceased teacher’s daughter. She’s very much conflicted about Clay’s determination. On the one hand, she’s sympathetic to his point of view in seeking justice, but his methods make him the target of the FBI.
The scenes of Statham getting his revenge are done in a brutal albeit highly creative and occasionally darkly funny fashion. One scene involves him tracking down one of the scammers at a bridge and attaching him to his vehicle, and sending it off the bridge. Another scene has Statham taking out an assassin at a gas station with explosive results. These scenes give new life to a tried-and-true formula.
I have to admit that I walked into Beekeeper with low expectations, and by the end, I found it surprisingly entertaining. Director David Ayer and writer Kurt Wimmer have concocted a story that can be predictable, but the journey turns out to be a lot more fun than expected.
Not to mention, Statham arguably gives a performance that allows him to elevate the material beyond its potentially one-note premise. I’ve generally been hit or miss when it comes to his movies, but this one is a winner that hits the sweet spot.
It wouldn’t surprise me if we get The Beekeeper 2 in the next couple of years and I’d be all for it.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for strong violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexual references and drug use.)
