Rent The Beekeeper on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Kurt Wimmer
Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Phylicia Rashad, Minnie Driver
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers."
Verdict
This is mindless action that hopes the over the top violence will cover the lack of story or plot. If the movie leaned into the ridiculousness of the plot instead of taking itself so seriously, it could be a lot more fun but it doesn't do that. It's another throwaway Jason Statham one man army movie. The only notable thing about this are the crazy plot turns.
Skip it.
Review
This is another of Statham's one man army action movies that started with The Transporter, though his most famous might be Crank. Every now and then the action movie isn't bad like Wrath of Man, but his movie before this was the terrible Expend4bles.
Jason Statham plays Adam Clay, a simple beekeeper. We know that's not true, though he rents a barn from Eloise (Phylicia Rashad). A scam company preying on the elderly's computer ignorance manages to steal all of Eloise's money. This feels like a parody. At the least, the few opening scenes could be a PSA as to how dangerous the internet can be for seniors.
It's beyond silly that Clay worked for a group of operatives call The Beekeepers and then actually became a beekeeper after he retired. If his secret organization was called the garbage men, would we have seen him hanging on to the back of a garbage truck? If his group were the sweepers, he could run around this movie attacking people with a broom. On top of that his organization's purpose is incredibly vague.
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| Jason Statham plays Adam Clay, The Beekeeper |
Eloise's predicament results in dire consequences. I assumed she'd go to Clay and ask him for advice or help, but this movie takes it to an extreme. Adam Clay decides he must right this wrong and bring down the phone scam operation. I give the movie a few points, everyone hates phone scams, but this is a ridiculous premise. Clay starts by blowing up the call center. In turn the group that ran the call center shoots up Clay's beehives. I could only guess with that Clay would go scorched Earth. You don't mess with a man's beehives.
John Wick had to provide some inspiration for this movie, but this is much more violent just for the sake of it. That or as a way to distinguish itself. Blowing up a building because it's a call center doesn't absolve all the collateral violence. While Clay claims he doesn't harm innocents, he's a killer.
In the wildest twist of them all, the head of the call center happens to be the United States President's son. Not only that, his illicit dealings funded mom's campaign. As I write this, it seems like something I made up. It's not. Will The Beekeeper kill the President?
I wish the movie leaned into the silliness and had more fun, but it plays the plot as very serious when it should embrace the nonsense. Everything about this movie is silly, see the joke and embrace it. This movie is some kind of video game. It really feels like there are different levels with more difficult bosses at each step. I don't think the premise for this is much more than someone thinking, 'People like John Wick, let's have Jason Staham punch his way through this movie.'
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