Jason Statham has proven himself to be the action hero we deserve but not the one we need. He’s there in the worst and best of times to ensure that there is always a subpar action movie in theaters. Statham was there in 2023, a year that saw two of the greatest action films ever made grace the silver screen with John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023). He brought balance to the world by providing movie-goers with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023), Meg 2: The Trench (2023), and Expend4bles (2023). With movies like Furiosa (2024) and The Fall Guy (2024) on the horizon, Statham is still here as a reminder that there is a place for cheesy action movies that are simply average by comparison.
There is something valuable to movies like The Beekeeper (2024). Especially in a hopeless month for new releases like January, it’s a gift to receive a movie that delivers on the promise of pure entertainment. If you’re willing to set aside well-rounded characters and a fleshed-out plot in favor of bee puns and engaging action sequences, The Beekeeper is the perfect film to watch as a way to escape from the world for a couple of hours.
When humble beekeeper Adam Clay (Statham) loses someone close to him after they fall victim to a large-scale phishing scam, he decides to take it upon himself to find those responsible and burn their organization to the ground. As it turns out, Adam is no ordinary beekeeper. He is a former covert operative who belonged to a program of shadow agents known as Beekeepers. Beekeepers like Adam have a particularly lethal set of skills that would make Liam Neeson blush, which they use to protect the United States at all costs, ready to eloquently dispatch anyone who gets in their way.
The first act of The Beekeeper is the most grounded section of the film; viewers learn about Adam through the unfortunate circumstances that he is quickly propelled into. Although the film never provides a proper explanation as to what Adam’s relationship was with Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), the audience can get on board with his revenge quest due to how despicable the tragedy that befalls her character is.
The sincere commentary that the film attempts to dispense about the consequences of elder abuse lives and dies with this first act. Once Adam takes down the first head of this hydra organization, he becomes acquainted with Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), the scam leader with dangerous connections. At this point, The Beekeeper diverges further into insanity, where it will either lose viewers or make them more engaged than they thought was possible when the film began.
A consistent flaw with Statham’s films is that it becomes monotonous to watch the characters he plays when they seem impervious to any sort of bodily harm. The Beekeeper is no different; Adam may as well be a tank or a kaiju wreaking havoc through a densely populated city with no weaknesses. The second act sees a rival Beekeeper take on Adam, briefly providing a foil to our invulnerable protagonist. I say briefly because this character – who gets set up as the main threat of the film – is taken off the board by Adam almost as quickly as she appears on screen.
This was disappointing because the rival Beekeeper was set up as a deranged, wildly unpredictable foe. It would’ve been interesting to see Adam fend for himself against an evenly-matched opponent, possibly needing to go down routes he may not even consider to get a job done. Instead, the film treats her as a minor inconvenience and introduces Lazarus (Taylor James), a different character who is just as crazy. Lazarus comes out of nowhere in the final act to issue the same sort of unpredictability and menace that the former Beekeeper was somehow unworthy of accomplishing.
While it can become stale to watch action with no stakes, the action in The Beekeeper is at least filmed and choreographed in an engrossing manner. Nothing about the action astonishes, but director David Ayer crafts well-paced and gruesome sequences filled with quick cuts and frenetic camerawork. It has never been more fun watching Statham mutilate a man using a stapler.
Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay further emphasizes the ridiculous nature of the film’s plot. Wimmer understands that all audiences want to get out of a film like this is some clever bee-related one-liners that would give Jerry Seinfeld a run for his honey. There are plenty laden throughout, including but not limited to: “I’m a beekeeper, I protect the hive” and “You’ve been a very busy bee.”
A specific area where the writing could have been improved is the storyline with Agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver Lampman), the FBI agent tasked with tracking Adam down. Any time the film cuts away from Adam’s quest to her and her partner trying to get back on his tail, the pacing grinds to a halt.
Across the board, no one turns in their best work in The Beekeeper, which indicates the actors perfectly understood the assignment. Statham delivers the same stoically charismatic performance that defines all of his roles. Hutcherson is particularly fun to watch as an entitled tech bro. He seizes the opportunity to chew scenery while spouting ridiculous dialogue that most actors would feel lucky to be afforded when playing a villain.
The Beekeeper is the definition of a film that is not meant to be taken seriously. It exists for people to have a great time and forget as soon as the next Statham film releases in theaters. However, there is a charm to this film that some of his previous work might have lacked. After all, his character uses a jar of honey as an accelerant to blow up a gas station in one scene. It might not make sense, but it is so astounding to watch that it may even warrant a sequel.
Review Courtesy of Evan Miller
Feature Image Credit to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures via Men’s Health
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