Well, you’ve heard the tales: don’t mess with beehives, or the bees will be out to swarm your crew. Only this time, don’t screw around with the beekeeper, an individual prized with protecting these buzzing insects and their products. The apiculture has existed for millennia, and destroying its manner would be a transgression.
Hence, the namesake title of another action thriller in a laundry list of them. Jason Statham, probably our most recognizable gritty English actor in the modern-day action setpieces (he’s the equivalent of being a heir to Sylvester Stallone), takes the helm and violence as he is considered a “Beekeeper,” an operative of a clandestine organization. In the plot, he is referred to as Mr. Adam Clay and seeks to exact revenge on the phishing system that caused a friend neighbor of his to commit suicide. A stark reality of today’s time bleeds (or, sorry, sticks) to the main screen, subconsciously making audiences quiver in fear of knowing the consequences of getting hoodwinked. Director David Ayer gets points for illuminating the concept. (Maybe not in whoever designed the marketing, since it strangely pops to mind of the Candyman persona.)
Speaking of Ayer, he’s well due for a success story ever since the visceral showcase of Fury ten years ago. Suicide Squad was a crapfest tutorial of how to make a mundane superhero motion picture and then waste the opportunity for every single talent onboard. Bright is a juvenile mess, and The Tax Collector is taxing action to get through thanks to trite visual language and a bland take on the gangster genre.
The Beekeeper is an acceptable product buoyed by Jason Statham’s staunch, violent attitude and continual mannerisms of lighting up the screen with more chaotic action. The one-person wrecking crew shtick is fun, even though not as inventive as a John Wick, but it gets the job done. Perhaps there’s a nary sense of “new age takes on the old guard,” as you have folks like Josh Hutcherson and his childish demeanor trying to keep it together as his character Derek Danforth scams people to stand out in his own family. Oh yes, that new age of cryptocurrency or cybersecurity attacks is trampling the internet sensations daily, while some folks live in reclusion to avoid the risk. Don’t worry; Statham and Jeremy Irons’ characters don’t want to integrate themselves with the perpetual petulance of the youth. Someone did learn to let loose with the chaos, so some comedy never hurts when we’re dismantling the regime and tossing in some bee puns.
The film could have more potential to showcase but falls back into rehashed cliches and narrative elements seen in hundreds of thrillers. There’s a beloved reason why fans respect the Jason Bourne and Mad Max series; this execution ever-so-slightly misses those marks. Oddly, the film almost felt like a redux in structuring, like when Jackie Chan took a chance recently with The Foreigner and played against type to become a sympathetic figure, only there’s no solicitude prevalent here. Ayer can drive along the action efficiently but can’t give enough depth to certify most of the folks’ presence on screen (Emmy Raver-Lampman’s Agent Parker becomes a background player when a strong story arc is built for her).
You’ve already been here before regarding genre, so you know what to expect. The Beekeeper is another suitable star action vehicle for Jason Statham to hop in, flex his onscreen mannerisms, then bounce off for the next production. But we can probably do the same for the following action thriller.
