Welcome back to the blog readers. As you may know, I am a big fan of action films, with one of them being in my top 3 films of 2023. However, I am not the biggest fan of Jason Statham, who has shown me that he has no charisma outside of Deckard Shaw, his character in the Fast & Furious series (2001-present), with his film Meg 2: The Trench (2023) not only being the worst film of 2023, but the worst film I have ever seen. But would things turn around with this film? Would I actually like Statham? Stick around to find out.
The Beekeeper was directed by David Ayer from a screenplay by Kurt Wimmer. The film stars Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Jemma Redgrave, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons. In the film, after a close friend falls for a phishing scam and takes her own life, a former assassin comes out of retirement to avenge her death and bring those responsible to justice no matter the cost.
I saw the trailer and immediately dismissed the film because of my terrible experience with Meg 2: The Trench. David Ayer (and my family) kind of got me to temper my expectations because I did like parts of Suicide Squad (2016), of which they really should release the director's cut. But I find myself here today singing a different tune. I actually found myself liking the film at points. Meg 2: The Trench makes this film feel like Citizen Kane (1942). The action feels fresh and fun, and Jason Statham is actually likable in this film, although there are some flaws.
The first thing I want to talk about is the performance of Jason Statham. I have gone on record by saying that I am not a big fan of Jason Statham, who had a terrible 2023 between Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Fast X, EXPEND4BLES (of which I could not be bothered to see), and the aforementioned Meg 2: The Trench (all 2023). I though we were in for another crappy year, but he actually surprised me here. I did not expect him to actually play a compelling character. Even though Adam Clay really doesn't say too much, his actions speak louder than words. Definitely on the level of Deckard Shaw. When he says little and fights more, it is a successful outing for Statham.
The next positive I have with this film is the action. Here is the thing guys, not every action film has to be the same. I was well aware of that going into this film. I was not expecting the action to be on the level of say John Wick, but I did expect it to be better than Meg 2: The Trench, or Operation Fortune, or frankly any film Statham was in last year. And I think David Ayer knows how to do action. I love how the action is a healthy blend of the fierce and fast-paced action of John Wick and the slow, methodical burn of 80s action films. I especially loved the final fight in the island estate and the fight inside of and outside of the Boston building.
Finally, I want to talk about the ramifications of the story for a second, obviously without spoiling anything. The film introduces a quasi-private military outfit called the Beekeepers, that are described as being higher than the government and able to interfere when they cannot. And this is all supposed to be in the best interest of the "hive," better known as the day-to-day operations of the government and America as a whole. I really want a backstory as to how this group came to be, who formed it, and what it was formed for. This could really be a compelling franchise if they were to take a chance on it.
I want to take this opportunity to discuss all the negatives of the film very briefly. Not every film can be Oppenheimer (2023) or Argo (2012): masterpieces. Most films will have flaws, and this one is not free of them. I want to say that I did not care one bit about Bobby Naderi's character, as he came off as useless in the film. There were times where I didn't care about Emmy Raver-Lampman's character either, but her performance won me over. Jeremy Irons felt wasted in the film too, and Josh Hutcherson's character was unlikable for the wrong reasons. The script is also lackluster, and made me cringe in areas (that is very important).
To conclude, The Beekeeper is a fun action throwback anchored by a surprisingly good Jason Statham performance, but some issues hold it back from realizing its true potential. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next one.
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