DIRECTOR: David Ayer
PRODUCERS: Jason Statham & David Ayer & Chris Long & Kurt Wimmer
WRITER: Kurt Wimmer
PERFORMERS: Jason Statham Emmy Raver-Lampman Josh Hutcherson Bobby Naderi
Minnie Driver Jemma Redgrave with Phylicia Rashad and Jeremy Irons
The Beekeeper is the latest of action-packed films to come out, in what seems to be a long time, but with a different take and a new approach to the genre all together. In a way, it even brings a whole new meaning to the description of Beekeeper. This film being the first of many reviews of the new year 2024, has left a rather surprising impression and in doing so... opened a hive of one thing after another.
We've seen many revenge-driven actioners like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando, Kevin Costner in Revenge and Denzel Washington Man on Fire '04, the list goes on. But this one is the latest in that roster and not once does it fail to let up. In a world where bees are used to make honey as well as maintain their sites, action star Jason Statham takes beekeeping to the next level as he seeks vengeance against the people (and sources) responsible for the crimes of cyber-robbery and fraudulent activities. When someone close to him ends up being a victim of these crimes, you already know how things are going to go: "you mess with anyone in my circle, you mess with me!" From there, it's "Calling all bad guys! Everybody run because we picked the wrong guy to mess with." Statham is absolutely relentless in this film; he takes down every single person to accomplish his goal and anyone who gets in his way (law enforcement or not!).
For the story aspect, there's one with Statham hunting down the criminals and the FBI agents played by Bobby Naderi and Emmy Raven-Lampman on the trail of the organization behind the crimes. How they keep up with one another is beyond question as both parties intertwine and certain details intersect through revelations and dark secrets. Seeing how corrupt and deceitful the super wealthy really are behind closed doors also adds to the hopes of Statham getting them and strength to the overall picture. In that department, everyone from Josh Hutcherson to Jemma Redgrave and especially Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, these guys knock it out of the park and hit a homerun with each of their on-screen presence. You believed there was more to their arc than what was being told, you see how dirty and rotten their family really is and the fact that the empire they run was built on lies and deceit, makes you glad you aren't a part of that family.
Besides this being action-packed, this is also suspenseful as the car chases, fight scenes and the explosions, as well as the music are what keep you at the edge of your seats! The suspense level was what really took away the breath, you don't know what's going to happen next... until it does. Upon that, the more the momentum, the better each sequence gets in the moment. Statham doesn't fail to make us root for him in these areas and neither does director David Ayer. For someone who's not too prolific in directing, he was the right man for the job in a film like this. Whatever he did, he did it with complete surprise and average results. But perhaps the aftermath in the end could have been better executed with few storylines being tied up and explained. But maybe those moments have yet to be revealed.
If you're a Statham fan, or an action fan or just looking for something entertaining and thrilling to start the movie season off right in 2024, this may be the ticket for you. This is very suspenseful, very gory at times, but just the kind of amount of action you could look for in any action film. This may very well be one of Statham's best works and will not go unnoticed. What next action hero will we get next and what will that person bring to the table? Whoever it may be, is very unlikely to reach Statham's status at this point in time. But in the meantime, let him reign in his prime and let him be his bee's keeper for as long as he can. The Beekeeper is a swarm only recommended for the older and young adults and not for children, but a worthy kick-off to the moviegoing season of the year.
MY RATING: 4.5 out of 5