About The Beekeeper
In this day and age of technology and data, online scams have become more common than we know. But what happens when someone who is close to you becomes a target of these online scamsters and finds themselves in a situation where the only way out is the worst possible outcome? David Ayer’s latest directorial aims to tackle this new-age style fraud in an old-school Jason Statham fashion, which is by killing everyone closely involved with it. But despite an intriguing opening, The Beekeeper fails to hold that firm grip as the film progresses.
The Beekeeper Film Review: Plot and Theme
The early 20 minutes of the film work wonderfully to the running theme of the film based on online scams and the limits these scammers are willing to cross to run an innocent down. While the film may have taken things a bit too far with its portrayal of scams and the empire that runs these scams, it still seems relevant to some extent. Jason Statham, as a beekeeper, is out to avenge a close friend who becomes one of the unfortunate victims of these scams and decides to take a drastic step that would end up becoming the centre of the story. While on the hunt, Jason eventually uncovers a bigger ring that runs deep in the veins of innocence.
The Beekeeper Film Review: Execution
Starting from the very beginning of the film, the film was extremely expressive in its narrative. With a well-maintained pace and no beating around the bush, the film started well and kept the audience guessing as to what will happen next. But soon, it turns out there is no guessing to the plot of a typical Jason Statham film as we all might already be aware of the one-man army concept that Jason is known for. In the second half, while the pace was still intact the film itself starts losing its edge as the scenes start becoming repetitive in nature. it eventually becomes a film with the same old running theme of one man, apparently working alone, takes down a criminal organisation that was run by somebody with unimaginable power and control over people.
The Beekeeper Film Review: Performances
After making a series of films on a similar concept, it was only expected that Jason is currently in his natural habitat of playing the hunter that preys on the predators. His performance as Adam Clay may not have been his best, but it wasn’t really bad either. For a character who is the soul of the film, Jason evidently did a good job at his portrayal of a ghost special agent. Josh Hutcherson plays the main antagonist of a film that is oozing with antagonists at every turn. Despite his limited screen time, which is mostly shared by Jeremy Irons, he still manages to hold his own as a rich spoilt brat that got out of hand.
Jeremy Irons on the other hand is as a supporting antagonist who comes across as usually helpless despite being the advisor of the son of POTUS. Emmy Raver-Lampman’s portrayal of the supporting protagonist Agent Varona Parker was probably the weakest one among the major characters of the film as she seemingly has no clue how to react to her mother’s death and instead decides to carry on with her duty as a police officer as long as she finds it comfortable.
The Beekeeper Film Review: Direction
David Ayer has evidently put in a great deal of effort in the making of the film, which is expressed in his production quality and the style of narrative. However, despite giving his best, it seems the film fails to reach the milestones that were previously set by the director for himself.
The Beekeeper, despite its promising start and engaging exploration of online scams, loses its way in the second half. While Jason Statham delivers a solid performance, the repetitive plot earns the film a decent 2-star rating for its execution.