Throughout his chequered career, director David Ayer has had such a penchant for violence and machismo that it’s surprising it’s taken this long for him to team up with Jason Statham. The grit-Brit anti-hero has somewhat established an action sub-genre of his own, the latest entry of which is revenge thriller The Beekeeper. Mild-mannered Mr Clay (Statham) spends his days tending to his hive but when his neighbour Mrs Parker (Phylicia Rashad) falls victim to a cruel phishing scam, he takes it upon himself to expose the corruption within the organisation that wronged her.
If this sounds like a ridiculous premise then just prepare yourself for the dialogue. The conversations characters have are laughable and, due to the film’s self-serious tone, it’s tricky to tell whether screenwriter Kurt Wimmer is actually in on the joke. Giving the benefit of the doubt, there’s fun to be had in the delivery of lines such as ‘a beekeeper beekeeper?’ and also in the vicious fight sequences, skilfully choreographed and well captured by Ayer who effectively demonstrates his experience in this department.
With an iffy American accent and a no-nonsense attitude, it’s exactly the type of performance we’ve come to expect from Jason Statham. He can single-handedly carry films like this on autopilot and stick the landing with his unique brand of charm and charisma, and this entertaining portrayal is further example of that. A colony of recognisable faces make up an eclectic supporting cast playing genre archetypes; Josh Hutcherson and David Witts are cut and paste trust fund villains, Jeremy Irons and Minnie Driver provide plot exposition as vague figures of authority, and Broadway star Emmy Raver-Lampman plays the conflicted FBI agent in pursuit of the problematic protagonist.
After his last couple of efforts have misfired, David Ayer leans on the bankable talents of his leading man for this hugely silly but perfectly serviceable action flick, and fans of Statham should swarm to cinemas to see it on the big screen.
Cinema Perspective 