Moviegoing in January often means there will be an on-screen heist or revenge adventure to entertain fans of flat out action films. These movies usually have very little to do with the surfeit of excellent cinematic entries roaring around the awards circuit track.
Referencing the race for the gold, it’s time that the folks who give out the Oscars recognize stunt people as legitimate representatives of a form of acting that adds billions of dollars to motion picture studio coffers. I’d like to see the president of the Academy try to fall off a horse and bounce right back up.
Good action films are a staple of Hollywood and beyond. There are times after watching a group of so-called “serious” movies, critics who are honest with themselves, will admit to needing an element of on-screen danger to relax. One appealing crime thriller can do that.
The coldest month is often the perfect playing field for actors such as Jason Statham or Liam Neeson to deliver the goods to audiences. I will gladly debate anyone who claims that Statham’s “The Transporter” or Neeson’s “Taken” are not masterpieces of the action genre. Both features hold up just as well now as they did when they were released in 2002 and 2008, respectively.
This winter, Statham has arrived in theaters with “The Beekeeper,” which is a title that is lovely bit of clever seasonal wordplay. Well-made action pictures don’t only succeed due to gunplay and car chases, or because of well-staged fights and tension-building traps set by the bad guys for the good guys. They succeed because they are rooted in situations that are perfectly matched with the capabilities of the central hero. The consistency of the character’s actions is necessary because it invites the audience to first care about, and then follow, him or her anywhere.
In “The Beekeeper,” Statham, who is one of the era’s best action actors, plays Adam Clay, a retired operative from a top-secret national security agency, which was created to solve problems, remedy situations, and restore order whenever some dangerous criminal element threatens societal norms. The people who work for this classified government task force are called “beekeepers.” Their job description allows them to “sanction” America’s enemies, sanction being a code word for kill.
Even though he might no longer be a deadlier form of beekeeper, Adam is still keeping bees. Actual bees. The kind that makes honey. He raises his bees on pastoral farmland owned by a woman named Eloise Parker (nicely played by Phylicia Rashad). She’s a retired schoolteacher, and she appreciates Adam’s presence because he’s a responsible security blanket for her and her property. Eloise’s goodnatured heart has a calming effect on Adam, who is happy to be away from the dangerous world in which he once toiled.
This interesting and equally intelligent odd couple gets along wonderfully well. A sweet, mutual respect exists between them, which is a nice byproduct of their landlady-tenant friendship. Through the first phase of the movie, we enjoy and become comfortable with these main characters. And, we learn a lot about beekeeping. For her part, Eloise may be retired, but she helps a charitable organization by managing the more than two-million dollars it has in its financial account.
Of course, what has been an engaging bucolic reverie will suddenly be shattered. Director David Ayer and his screenwriter Kurt Wimmer have set the stage for the rest of their movie, and it shifts quickly from bees to bedlam.
Eloise gets scammed through a computer phishing operation conducted by a gang of data-mining criminals. A phony virus alert pops up on her computer screen. After a few taps on the keyboard, and an ill-advised telephone call, Eloise not only loses all of her personal money, but the charity’s as well. Shattered and devastated, she makes a horrific decision.
Most assuredly, Adam will not let stand this tragedy that has befallen his friend. He vows to destroy the thieves, and he will use whatever brutality is necessary.
The vendetta against the data-mining company is superbly framed and delivered. Adam’s anger and violent reactions build scene by frenzied scene in a number of unique ways. Can honey be part of a human killing machine? The audience is on Adam’s side. Its empathy exists because they like Eloise who becomes as much a friend to them as she is to Adam. He can do whatever is necessary to exact revenge because he has righteousness on his side. Plus, he’s Jason Statham.
I like that director Ayer and writer Wimmer decided to create a successful, multi-faceted story that’s complex in a number of ways and manages to deliver a few surprises. There is duplicity afoot within the criminal underbelly and among law enforcement. The Beekeepers still exist, and there seems to be no reluctance about killing one of their own.
Additionally, Eloise has a daughter (played by Emmy Raver-Lampman) who’s an FBI agent and her mistrust of Adam creates unexpected tension for him. Ayers has also cast the gang of thieves and associates with an excellent group of talented actors and actresses, including Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson and Jemma Redgrave, who in real-life is a member of Great Britain’s celebrated Redgrave acting family. The CIA is also involved, and Minnie Driver plays its Director.
Statham is terrific. He knows the action genre, and he delivers the goods. The well-acted film is propelled by superb editing by Geoffrey O’Brien. The cinematography by Gregory Beristain is so good that it could be a second action hero. He does some fancy camera work in one scene that literally flips viewpoints within the moment. It’s not an editing trick, but rather a sharp camera trick.
“The Beekeeper” is the kind of film that satisfies as it excites. The villains kicked over an allegorical hornet’s nest. If you have the winter entertainment doldrums, here’s your moviegoing cure.
Michael Calleri reviews films for the Niagara Gazette and the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.