I know that this is one of those big movies but I simply had to talk about it. You might think that The Beekeeper is just another generic Jason Statham action movie but it’s actually not. It’s an elevated Jason Statham action movie featuring all the things we like plus an intelligent and very current story. It’s funny to think that the man, the myth, and the legend just skipped a whole part of the cinematic evolutionary cycle. Statham’s movies always leaned into his larger-than-life persona, taking this rather cynical but still balanced approach. However, the story in almost all of those movies was pretty much generic.
Generic to the point of almost negating all the other good stuff. Granted, The Beekeeper does feature a generic plot of a secret organization whose retired agent has gone rogue but still. The scam, or, to be more precise, the phishing element of the story is the one that blew me away. As an IT guy, which is the latest euphemism for a nerd, I follow these issues relatively closely. I highly recommend you check out the YouTube channel of Kitboga, a man who exposes and fucks around with these scammers, oftentimes giving them the taste of their own medicine. These assholes are taking advantage of older people who don’t know much about computers.
I remember when I first started seeing ads for this movie and how I instantly thought that I’d already seen it. This is why I didn’t look up who was involved in the production, which was a big mistake. The director of The Beekeeper is none other than David Ayer (End of Watch) and the writer is Kurt Wimmer (Law Abiding Citizen). This dynamic duo brought us a highly entertaining action movie that shines a light on an important issue of scammers. Of course, we have evil corporations, corrupt governmental officials, and a lot of assholes, just to make things a bit more realistic.
So, I think you already know that this is one of those “turn off your brain and enjoy the action” movies. The main story had a lot of potential but the subpar script kind of ruined it. The character development varies from non-existent to barely acceptable. And this includes Jason Statham’s character Adam Clay. The two agents trying to find him also could’ve been much better. The cast did their best to compensate for this. Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson were marvelous along with Emmy Raver-Lampman. However, let’s face it, you’re not watching this type of movie for its character development. You’re watching it because it’s action-packed.
Keep in mind that Jason Statham was 55 years old during the filming of The Beekeeper. The man is a force of nature. I can see him making these movies well into his early sixties. Now, the fight scenes were quite balanced. Not too brutal and not too PG-friendly. The same goes for the shootouts and chase scenes. We’ll also get a couple of nasty kills just to get that wow effect. The important thing, at least in my mind, is that this isn’t one of those “unrealistic” action movies like John Wick. It does walk a fine line but ultimately manages to come off as a charming throwback to old-school action movies of the eighties and nineties.
Did you know that MGM/Amazon Studios thought The Beekeeper was going to flop at the box office? They were counting on their other releases giving this Statham vehicle a limited release and low-key marketing. However, as soon as the movie actually started showing in the theaters they reversed their decision pumping money into both promotion and more theaters. Made on a budget of just $40 million, the movie went on to make $150 million proving the formula still works. The whole thing reminds me of the Taken controversy that happened some ten years ago.
Director: David Ayer
Writer: Kurt Wimmer
Cast: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, Taylor James
Fun Facts: The beekeeping suit Jason Statham’s character Adam Clay wears is actually a suit used for fencing with a couple of patches.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15314262/
