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Jason Statham stars in director David Ayer's The Beekeeper.
CNN –
While the prospect of a Jason Statham action vehicle seemingly aimed at those who find “John Wick” too intellectually demanding does present possibilities, “The Beekeeper's” revenge plot remains stuck in convoluted detours. The star's latest film was designed to attract flies, not with honey, but rather with the stale scent of its silly premise.
What could have been a simple setup starts out a little rocky, but good enough: Statham's Adam Clay is a quiet honey farmer who rents from an older woman (Phylicia Rashad) who experiences tragedy after falling victim to an elaborate online scam was robbed of their money.
Initially, Clay is suspected by the woman's daughter (“Emmy Raver-Lampman” from “The Umbrella Academy”) – an FBI agent – and it turns out that Clay is a retired member of a top-secret group called the Beekeepers dedicated to protecting society's hive by eradicating evil wherever it is found.
OK, that's reason enough to release Statham and follow a trail that leads to the wealthy and wealthy heir to a family fortune, Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson, going through a strange phase between this and “Five Nights at Freddy's”). There inevitably follow a lot of corpses in fight scenes that feel extremely efficient and brutal.
If only director David Ayer (“Suicide Squad”) and writer Kurt Wimmer (of the Statham-centric “Expend4bles”) had just been on board with the cathartic appeal of vigilantism. But no, the strange wrinkles keep piling up, from the former CIA chief (Jeremy Irons, slumming) running Danforth's security, dragging the government's wheels into the shenanigans and even trying (poorly) to learn about corruption say that turns out to be strangely pretentious and at least belongs in a much better film.
While Statham (who also produced the film) is obviously known for his tough demeanor, he's also known for dancing with giant sharks in performances like Fast & Furious and even The Meg concerned with droll humor. None of that is seen here, in a film where the occasional giggle is usually unintentional thanks to the dialogue, save for the line in which Statham's character sums up the entire film: “They have laws for these things until they fail.” Then you have me.”
Admittedly, January's film releases tend to be counter-program films, offering alternatives (often action or horror films) to the prestige films just entering awards season.
No one would confuse The Beekeeper with the latter, but even if one taps into the most basic impulses of the action genre's Hive spirit, it also fails as an example of the former.
“The Beekeeper” premieres in US theaters on January 12th. It is rated R.