Director: David Ayer
Cast: Jason Statham, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, Taylor James
Where: In Theatres near you
Rating: 3.5 stars
This, ‘individual versus the system’ film where the hero seeks justice for the innocent, weak, and vulnerable people, who scammers fleece, does not stir emotions or inspire us but entertains us with its action-packed, not to be taken seriously drama.
The film gets its title from Jason Statham’s mysterious character Adam Clay, the man- who leads a quiet life in a rural Massachusetts barn as an apiculturist or a beekeeper.
Adam’s life gets disrupted when his landlady, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a retired schoolteacher who lives alone, is found dead with a bullet shot in her head. FBI agent Veron Parker, who happens to be Eloise’s daughter, arrests Adam on suspicion of murder, but is soon released after establishing that Eloise took her own life after being robbed of her life’s savings and the money that she managed for a charity organisation, in a phishing scam.
Blown by this revelation, Adam seeks justice for Eloise and all the helpless victims by destroying the scammers because Eloise was “the only person who took care of me,” he reveals.
And when he is told that there are laws to take care of the fraudsters, he retorts with, “They have laws for these things till they fail you.”
Adam’s intention and sincerity hook the audience’s interest. He is a one-man army who tracks and destroys Danforth Industries, the IT company that is the root cause of the evil, while being trailed by the FBI and CIA.
Statham, stoic and detached, with his typical over-the-top action, while not concerned with the expected storytelling beats- does a great job of delivering a fun-filled entertainer as the ruthless killing machine brutally meting out retribution in a satisfying way.
He is aptly supported by a team of ace cast, who are all natural and sincere in their disposition. Josh Hutcherson as the enfant terrible Derek Danforth, helmer of the Danforth Industries, Jeremy Irons in a wishy-washy and a bit confusing role as the ex-chief of CIA, Minnie Driver as a CIA Bigwig, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Veron Parker, and Phylicia Rashad as Eloise, leave their mark on screen.
Apart from the performances, the intensely pulsating action/ stunt sequences elevate the viewing experience. The two scenes that stand out are the superbly choreographed hand-to-hand combat scene in the last act and much before that when the vehicle plunges into the sea with one of Derek’s henchmen strapped to it.
Kurt Wimmer’s script is entertaining, but at the same time, it is excessive or exaggerated. While the bees are used- as metaphor in the narrative, there is also a mysterious organisation called the Beekeepers that help Adam identify the scammers. There is too much B-grade bee talk- in the narrative, making it sound forced.
Overall, with a simple story and some soap opera twists The Beekeeper is unexpectedly engaging and enjoyable.