Jason Statham’s latest action spectacular, The Beekeeper, is a solid return to the roots of the actor whose relationship with the action genre has been strong since he threw his first kick at an opponent. Statham is one of those action performers who almost always makes you forget about the sense of logic in films of this nature. We forgive him for the ridiculousness and the absurdity of plots, as long as he delivers the gruff characters and explosive spectacles we’ve come to expect.
Yes, The Beekeeper is one of his typical films, with the plot taking a distant backseat, but the script is multilayered enough to provide a twist or two. That’s not to say the film doesn’t take elements from other action movies, especially the Keanu Reeves franchise, John Wick. Since the similarity is pretty obvious, we decided to rewatch it to see how Statham’s latest compares to John Wick.
7. The Beekeeper Is a Revenge Story, Just Like John Wick
John Wick’s journey started in 2014 with the first movie, and perhaps you don’t remember why he began his rampage. In John Wick, the hitman wreaks havoc on the Russian mafia because some gangsters wouldn’t leave him alone after they offered to buy his Mustang, but he refused.
That same night, they storm his house and kill the puppy that Wick’s late wife left him in order to cope with the grief of losing her. This sends Wick down a spiral that was still active through John Wick: Chapter 4.
In The Beekeeper, Adam Clay is also avenging a death. Only it’s not a puppy. In the film, the lady who took him as a tenant falls for a phishing scam, and after losing all her money, she decides to commit suicide. Clay realizes there must be an organization in charge of the scam and decides to go on his rampage of revenge.
6. The Beekeepers Share a Lot in Common With John Wick’s Enemies
After four John Wick films, we may have seen it all. The High Table has everyone around the globe working for them, and this includes all kinds of villains and assassins. They’re ridiculous and deadly, talented and outlandish. In fact, whenever the audience is able to enter the Continental (the hotel where rules are to be followed), it’s like a costume party of clever criminals.
The Beekeeper doesn’t exactly show a lot of the criminals working for the “beehive.” Nevertheless, a scene that takes place at a gas station shows a crafty lady with enough weaponry to blow it all to pieces while keeping her style intact.
And, of course, the third act shows Clay infiltrating a fancy party that’s like a reunion of John Wick characters. Among those is the loud and mouthy Lazarus, who’s like a non-mutant X-Men with a thick accent, bionic limbs, and the greatest pronunciation of the word “beekeepah.”
5. Josh Hutcherson’s Character Is Very Similar to Alfie Allen’s and Bill Skarsgård’s in John Wick
In the John Wick franchise, the mercenary faces all kinds of bosses and assassins. In parts 1 and 4, Wick goes against Iosef Tarasov and the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, the son of a mob boss and a member of the High Table, respectively. Both are young and, although they have different abilities, they seem unaware of what Wick is capable of doing.
Josh Hutcherson masterfully plays Derek Danforth in The Beekeeper. His character is a technology mogul who spends his days robbing the elderly of their life savings and indulging in ridiculous versions of yoga and meditation. He’s a rebellious young man who appears to be stuck in his teenage years due to his attire and attitude, and he’s obnoxiously unable to listen to the grown-ups who are always telling him to be careful. His demise was almost a breath of fresh air.
4. In Both Franchises, the Heroes Bend the Rules of Time and Geography
This one is a no-brainer because it happens in just about every action film. We know these heroes have all kinds of resources at hand, including money. Lots of money. In John Wick, the title character goes around traveling unnoticed and has the ability to jump around continents without much explanation and in no time.
Nevertheless, audiences don’t seem to have any issue with this. The Beekeeper works the same way, with Clay moving around with hordes of assassins at his heels. The hitman-turned-vigilante also has the ability to teleport himself like a ghost between locations and to his convenience.
3. Both Wick and Clay are “Old and Retired,” and They’re Forced to Come Back
In John Wick, the mercenary looks tired all the time. Before he was forced to return to his old lifestyle, he was supposed to stay isolated, grow old with the puppy by his side, and die of old age. However, he comes out of retirement and ends up having the resilience of a Terminator.
While Clay didn’t look tired when taking care of his bees, his relaxed lifestyle was that of a lonely dude deserving some rest. Yes, it was his decision to dust off his assassin skills, but given Statham isn’t exactly in his 20s, the beekeeper’s age is undoubtedly an important factor.
2. The Organizations Controlling Everything Turn Their Backs on Them and Promote the Hunt
John Wick begins as a revenge story with the first film—a character journey with a small scope. However, as the film progresses, audiences bear witness to the world he was a part of and one he’s forced to return to. The High Table, the overseer of worlds, was in charge of balance. But as the series continued, Wick became a victim of a witch hunt in which his previous bosses were now paying to have him killed.
In The Beekeeper, it is not as obvious, but something similar happens. The “beehive” is an ultrasecret government faction that was supposed to protect their own. However, CIA director Wallace Westwyld is revealed to have let loose a series of dangerous assassins to remove Clay from the picture. This doesn’t seem to bother Clay, as he continues to wreak havoc and tries to reach the top of the chain of command.
1. Someone Forgives Both Heroes, and They Avoid Capture
On the surface, it seems like it should be impossible for either character to go through as much as they do and remain alive. However, this inconsistency is solved by characters “forgiving” them and letting them go, or in some cases, even helping them. This happens at the end of almost every John Wick movie, save for the most recent one.
In The Beekeeper, this trope is solved with an in-your-face absolution that will probably make you giggle because of how obvious it is—especially considering the weakness of the character who lets him go: FBI agent Verona Parker, the daughter of the lady he was avenging. Nevertheless, this might be the last thing you think about, as you’ll undoubtably instead be wondering how Clay’s backpack fits all the equipment he now uses to escape once again.
After months of being released in theaters and VOD, The Beekeeper has just become available to stream on Prime Video and MGM+.