by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
There is a pervasive theme in the action genre where a retired special ops person is forced out of retirement when something personal is done to them. John Wick might be to blame for there being two or three movies of this ilk coming out every year, and most of them keep to the formula by having a loved one killed or something taken from the retired lead. Now, Miramax brings a new version into the mix with The Beekeeper. The film does follow several of the standard tropes, but also deviates from them in a few brilliant ways.
In The Beekeeper, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a retired operative for a powerful, super secret organization known as Beekeepers. After Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) is scammed out two million dollars, she commits suicide, leading Clay on a path of bloody revenge. Trying to stop Clay’s rampage is Eloise’s daughter, Special Agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), and her partner, Special Agent Wiley (Bobby Naderi). Clay takes on the whole organization of people who scam elderly people out of money, and it eventually leads him to some very powerful people. But it’s nothing this Beekeeper can’t handle. Leading the evil corporation are Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons), and President Danforth (Jemma Redgrave).
This movie surprised me. I went in thinking it was just another John Wick knockoff, yet I ended up enjoying it. My enjoyment mainly came from the reason Statham is going after these guys: Having watched people get scammed like this before, it felt like finally someone is listening. It’s not just a faceless corporation, or some human traffickers. You meet these scumbags face to face and are pretty happy to see Statham kill them. If you are a fan of his, this movie is a must-see. There also seems to be room for more in this universe, but with already so many universes to keep up with, we should maybe let this one be a standalone film.
The Beekeeper cleverly doesn’t follow Statham around while he figures out who’s next on his list; instead, you sit with the FBI, who’s on his tail. You still get awesome action scenes, but instead of the repeated scenes of the protagonist beating up thugs to find the next boss, once the action is finished, we cut back to the FBI and Special Agent Parker to see how their investigation is going. You also get to cut back to the bad guys freaking out over what’s happening. David Ayer directs here and might be winning me back, but Kurt Wimmer does a great job with the script.
Everyone works well together, and cinematographer Gabriel Beristain and Ayer do a fantastic job with the fight scenes. And credit where it’s due: The stunt team is excellent and definitely needs to be praised. The fight scenes aren’t generic or what we have seen before. This movie makes you feel like you’re going through these scenes with the characters, rather than just watching the action happen.
Will The Beekeeper be high on anybody’s list? Most likely not. Even though I enjoyed the story and fight scenes, by the end, Statham’s character ends up in a place where he really shouldn’t be, regardless of training. Plus, the team and the government knowing he was coming was stupid on their part, but they had to end the movie somewhere. This film is a great way to kill a couple hours on a cold day.
Rating: Liked It
The Beekeeper is currently playing in theaters
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