Who remembers when The Beekeeper was first announced? I do and let me tell you when we read that it would be a Jason Statham action vehicle that would be immersed in the lore of beekeeping, many of us were scratching our heads as this project sounded like no other The Stath had ever done…
Who remembers when The Beekeeper was first announced? I do and let me tell you when we read that it would be a Jason Statham action vehicle that would be immersed in the lore of beekeeping, many of us were scratching our heads as this project sounded like no other The Stath had ever done before. I mean, an action movie steep in the lore of beekeeping. What could it be? Statham taking out bad guys who were cruel to bees. Statham spending an hour and forty-five minutes of tending to bee hives? Yeah, this one definitely peeked everyone’s interests and it couldn’t have gotten here soon enough.
Well, The Beekeeper rolled into theaters this past Friday and with it, this is Jason Statham’s signature role and the one that he will be remembered for. Sure, Statham acts like he does in all of his movies and here it’s even more pronounced, but we all know by now that he is the master at playing the stoic bad ass who kicks the crap out of those who do evil and he does it so well.
On the surface, the movie is another story about a man with a past. A man who is deadly but has since retired from that life of violence and is seeking solace in the world of normalcy and in this case, it’s beekeeping. Seagal literally made a name for himself by starring in movies where he is a retired bad ass who was part of an elite outfit that was so secretive that not even the government knew about its existence. Well, Seagal may have done it, but Statham has perfected it and here he is a man that is so dangerous, and his organization is so secretive and hush, hush that those who actually know it exists quiver at the mere mention of him.
As The Beekeeper opens up, we meet Adam Clay. This is a man who spends his days tending to his bee hives on the land and barn he rents from the sweetest of old ladies named Eloise Parker. They have a simple understanding and Eloise essentially is a mother figure for Clay. That’s not his real name by the way.
Things take a dark turn when Eloise falls victim to a phishing scam that takes away all of her life savings and most importantly, millions in charity money. Eloise is so distraught that she commits suicide one night unable to accept what had happened. Upon discovering her body, Clay is immediately distraught as she’s the only one that ever took care of him he proclaims, and you can pretty much figure out what happens next. These scumbags have opened up the worse kind of Pandora’s Box as they have messed with the wrong lady and the wrong man that looked up to her.
Let’s just say that Clay is a former operative for a shadowy, and I do mean shadowy, organization called Beekeepers. You see, when law and order fail to do what is right, The Beekeepers rise up to protect the hive and restore balance when all else fails. Not to mention that they are essentially what is called Queen Slayers (I love that name) and when the Queen of the hive produces faulty offspring, their job is to correct the balance. That’s a clue to the major plot twist that drops two thirds in. Clay just happens to be the best of the best so said phishing guys are in a world of hurt. What transpires is a brutal and bloody campaign of violence and vengeance as Clay carves his way through a gauntlet of corruption and deceit that goes all the way up the government chain. All the way up.
From director David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch), who is one of the most underappreciated filmmakers when it comes to directing violent tales for the screen, The Beekeeper is Statham at his beast mode best. The action star has played in many movies like this in the past, but this one stands out as his greatest achievement in terms of story, action and well, Statham doing what he does best. It’s a slick, fast paced one hour and forty-five minutes of bloody, ultra-brutal retribution with Statham delivering his finest and most bone jarring fight sequences around every corner. See this movie in IMAX because you can feel every punch, kick and body flying through a window and when the bullets start whizzing, it blows you away.
The supporting cast is tops as well with The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson playing a vile and slimy piece of crap that totally deserves everything that he gets. Hutcherson plays Derek Danforth who is the head of the scam companies that are responsible for Eloise’s death and it’s so much fun watching his character squirm more and more as Clay continues his rampage. Every villain in this movie never had it coming more and when it happens, you will smile with sadistic glee. Every slimeball in this movie completely deserves what they get 100 times over so when it happens, it’s glorious to the max.
The iconic Jeremy irons is always solid and here he plays the former head of the CIA. Wallace Weestwyld, who has been relegated to keeping Derek out of trouble as he works for Derek’s mother who is very powerful. Irons sarcastic and deadpan deliveries are a treat to watch especially when he tells Derek that he couldn’t have screwed up any worse.
Emmy Raver-Lampman is perfectly cast as FBI agent Veronica Parker who just happens to be Eloise’s daughter. Her character arc is tremendous as she is torn between executing her job while really wanting to see Clay finish what he started. Her chemistry with partner Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi) is fun to watch too as they both react off each well.
Make no mistake, as good as the supporting cast is, this is Statham’s action master class masterpiece as he plays essential every character, he has in the past but on steroids. Adam Clay is a virtual unstoppable killing machine and that’s a great deal of the fun because even though its predictable and you know Statham will come out on top, it’s a hoot to see him unload on bad guys, federal agents and the lowest form of crap. Statham elevates the action sequences to a whole new level and the choreography is just plain bloody balletic.
The finale is worth the price of admission alone as Clay launches his one-man army assault that includes pistols, machine guns and some of the most hyper-kinetic CQB fight action ever captured on film. The sequence includes a top tier stairway battle which sees Clay ascend each and every step as he slices his way through helpless combatants. It really is a thing of chaotic beauty and Statham is just in complete control of the whole thing as he makes everyone look completely stupid before they succumb to death.
I always thought that Statham’s barbaric fight with Daniel Bernhardt in Parker was his best but here he takes on a South American mercenary named Lazarus (Taylor James) in the clear highlight of a movie that has several highlights. The beatdown delivers the bloody and sadistic goods and is so violent that you would be hard pressed to find anything worse in a horror movie. It’s the kind of movie fight that will make you pump both fists and shout at the screen in violent elation.
The puns and humor enhance the movie as well as this one is clearly going for an old-school, throwback feel to the proceedings. When you have so many plays on the title in the dialogue like when a villain actually says, “To Bee or Not to Bee” to which Statham replies, “I’ll take option Bee,” you know the filmmaker and star get you. In these days of cancel culture and political correctness, having an unapologetic action film like The Beekeeper hit is so damn welcoming. Also, as I write this, I just read that the movie is overperforming at the box office so Statham clearly ha another hit on his hands and this one doesn’t have to have giant sharks in it. It’s just blunt force trauma delivered to the highest degree.
Now comes the part of the review where I beg Statham and Ayer to continue to work together. there is good news that they already have another project in the works, but it is Ayer that shows off Statham at his best than any other director. Just like Scott Adkins working with Jesse V Johnson or Chris Hemsworth working with Sam Hargrave, the combination of Ayer and Statham is a match made in heaven. Blood-soaked heaven that is. It’s clear from minute one that these two get each other and if they continue to work together, we will all be the winners. The Beekeeper needs to be a franchise as it would be signature Statham dealing out the painful comeuppance with every entry. Please and thank you.