The man behind thrillers like Law Abiding Citizen, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Recruit, Kurt Wimmer has teamed with brilliant action director David Ayer (End of Watch, Sabotage) to bring to life The Beekeeper. The Jason Statham-led action film sees him play Mr. Clay, a retired operative living as a beekeeper. However, when his friend dies by suicide after being scammed, Clay takes matters into his own hands to seek revenge against those who scammed him.
The Beekeeper Critique
When we meet Adam Clay, he is working on collecting some bees for his next batch of honey. After he was done, he met up with his friendly neighbor Eliose Parker (Phylicia Rashad), who allowed him to use her hive to make it. The duo exchange pleasantries with Clay, saying, “You are the only person who has taken care of me,” and Parker invites Clay over for dinner.
As Parker works on her computer before dinner, a thing on her screen says there is a massive spam alert and she needs to call this number to save the files on her laptop. Not being computer-savvy, she calls the number on the screen. Upon doing so, it goes to this network of guys that prey on the elderly to take advantage of them and drain them of all their money. They do, and Parker is devastated, leading to her killing herself.
When Clay comes over for dinner, he is met by Agent Verona Parker, Eloise Parker’s daughter, who handcuffs him and asks him what he is doing there. After it is revealed he had no gunshot residue, Clay is let go, but after Agent Parker informs Clay that her mother has been ripped off, he sets his sights on revenge.
From here, The Beekeeper takes off and never looks back. Jason Statham plays Adam Clay exactly how anyone would expect him to. He walks around, kicks ass, takes names, and never looks back. One of the best things about Statham is that he has that believability about doing so that you are hooked into every moment. Statham has become one of the greatest action stars of our time with his immense dedication to the craft. He is swift with his moves while also being that demanding presence amid the battles. Plus, he does it all while looking like a total badass.
Director David Ayer is no slouch when it comes to shooting the action. Sure, there are plenty of over-the-top sequences that make you go “really…,” but that’s what makes The Beekeeper as fun as it is. Ayer’s ability to capture the perfect shot throughout the intense action sequences continues to solidify my belief that this man needs his own action franchise.
Kurt Wimmer’s script has some of the more cliche moments within the action genre. Something bad happens to a retired badass, he comes out of retirement to do good by the world, kickass while taking a few on the chin, end of story. I wasn’t mad at it because it worked, but I really liked the extra layer of comedy within the film that you don’t always get with these movies. There are some well-timed laughs in the moments that need them most.
My biggest pet peeve with the movie was the lack of an “action” score to go with what was happening. I liked composer Jared Michael Fry’s work within the score, but I wanted it to be more theatrical to fully immerse myself in the scenes.
In Conclusion
Ultimately, The Beekeeper is everything I wanted it to be and more. In the current climate of awards season, the film is the perfect escape at the theaters. It’s the type of movie where you show up, grab a tub of popcorn and an Icee, sit back in your seat, enjoy Jason Statham beating people up for an hour and a half, and walk away happy.
Jason Statham and David Ayer make the great pairing as The Beekeeper is the perfect popcorn action film.
7/10
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
