- Release Date: 19/01/2024
- Cast: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons
- Director: David Ayer
There was a time when David Ayer made gritty, visceral, and grim films like ‘Fury,’ ‘End of Watch,’ and ‘Sabotage’ that fostered Hollywood in an era of innovative and grimy filmmaking. There was also a time when Jason Statham was featured in quirky, smart, and outrageously entertaining films like ‘Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels,’ ‘Snatch,’ and ‘Revolver,’ which underlined his acting abilities more than his proficiency in dispatching goons in hyper-realistic fashion. I could never have imagined that these two iconic individuals would one day collaborate on a film, and that film would be the extremely predictable, safe, generic, and clichéd ‘The Beekeeper.’ Having said that, the film still goes bonkers with its storytelling and how it portrays its leading man and what can be expected of him. The film also surprised me at least a couple of times through its rather short runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes, with a few set pieces and certain things going in a direction that I was least expecting. This was also the first time that I watched a film in theatres without any interval. That was a start, PVR, and probably you should do the same for all Hollywood releases, as they are designed not to have intervals, unlike our own films, wherein the interval portion is strategically designed and hardcoded in the film itself.
Coming back to ‘The Beekeeper,’ the film tells the story of Adam Clay (Jason Statham), a man in possession of a very particular and dangerous set of skills that make him a nightmare for people who cross his path or end up on his wrong side. That line sounded familiar to you, didn’t it? Well, it was lifted from the dialogue of Liam Neeson from ‘Taken.’ What you felt reading this line would best explain my experience of watching this film. It felt like an assemblage of plot points, ideas, action set pieces, and genre tropes that I have seen in countless different films of the same or similar genre before. Moving along with the story, Adam Clay, in the film, goes against a gang of international online frauds when someone he knows and deeply cares for loses everything to one such fraud and commits suicide. What happens next is what the film is all about, and it is anybody’s guess which way the story would head and how it ultimately would end.
The only thing that the director could have done differently from a zillion other films of a similar nature was to design, execute, and place his set pieces in a way that it feels like a film of its own and gives the notion of being radically different. David Ayer was partially able to pull that off, as I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this film. I could have ripped it apart with criticism, but when I was watching the film, I was not only entertained by it but also felt very satisfied. The reason for that was simple. Online frauds and scams have become a bane of society, and they have destroyed countless lives. To see some of these self-obsessed and cocky criminals meet some of the most gruesome and unbelievably violent ends at the hands of Statham was not only satisfying but also highly inspiring. In real life, something like this never happens. Cinema is our escape into a world that we cannot have and is in many ways our best shot at experiencing a world like that through imaginative storytelling and sequences that bring us a certain kind of wish-fulfillment. When done right, this can be extremely enjoyable, entertaining, and exhilarating. That is something that David Ayer is able to pull off with ‘The Beekeeper.’ There was a point in the film where I believed that the protagonist would be killed in the end, but how the story went along was nothing short of surprising for me.
Being outrageous is just one little thing about this film that makes it so enjoyable. Everything that you think cannot happen in the real world happens in this film, and then the protagonist goes a little further and does far worse things to people who are considered untouchable in this world. This was one factor about the film that made me not care for its outrageous nature and the impossible things that it was showing unfolding. I knew the entire plot and everything else shown was impossible, and yet I was enjoying it like a dream that you know will never come true and are aware of its impossibility even when you are dreaming it but still want to sleep a little bit more so that you could enjoy it for a little while more. That’s exactly how I felt about the film, and I am sure I will not be alone in this.
The film is riddled with flaws, and as it nears its finale, it gets increasingly bizarre and unbelievable. The hero is not even pushed to the limits to save himself when he is fighting for his life against some of the most powerful people on earth. The ease with which Statham pulls off his mission may seem shockingly inadequate to many, and they would be correct. But then those people would have missed the entire point of the film, which was to provide unabashed entertainment with a no-holds-barred approach and having a protagonist who was beyond question and impossibility. Yes, Ayer could have gone for a more realistic and grounded approach, as he made popular in his previous films, and that would have definitely made the film better, but then that would become a whole different film. Everything about it would have to be changed, including the maniacal pink/velvet-clad mini-gun-shooting, hysterically laughing lady hitman who is sent in to subdue Statham. Wouldn’t that be a miss if it was done away with?
Jason Statham is ageing, and it shows in how he pulls off his actions. He is not as fast as he used to be. There were multiple shots where a stand-in was used, but he still has his comic timing and that charismatic presence to play off of, making wonderful use of the same to entertain his audience.
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The dialogue of the film was quirky. How certain sequences are designed and pulled off, coupled together with the dialogue, extracted roaring laughs in the theatre where I was watching the film. The action and violence were extensive and justifiable, ensuring that it was always enjoyable and laudable. Josh Hutcherson as the primary antagonist in the film was wonderful. He had the perfect vibes for a person who was so disconnected from the real world that he didn’t even understand the quantum of danger that he was in when faced with an enemy like Adam Clay. This not only resulted in some laugh-out-loud moments but also ensured that he was always one step behind the protagonist, giving him enough leverage to deliver his hits. I thoroughly enjoyed Hutcherson’s performance and also that of Jeremy Irons, who has this uncanny ability to deliver regular dialogue in a way that makes it feel poignant. There isn’t anyone like him, probably other than Morgan Freeman. His mere presence in certain scenes lifts up the film and catapults it to a whole new level.
As I mentioned before, the film is riddled with flaws, and the biggest one for me was the incorporation of the Bee Theory into how the group of operatives (that Adam Clay is a part of) take inspiration from and operate. This becomes too repetitive and clichéd after a while. It is also a fact that I have had enough of assassins being part of clandestine agencies that even the FBI and the President are not aware of in American films. This too is becoming too repetitive and boring. If that was not enough, the character played by Emmy Raver-Lampman didn’t work for me at all. In a film like this, there is no place for a realistic, body-positive, gender-conforming, ethnically diverse character like her. What we needed in a character like that was a bombshell who would grab our attention and keep it transfixed on her in scenes where she was to perform without the presence of Statham. Emmy has a rather long character in the film, and every time she was left on her own, I felt like dozing off until Statham popped up and made things better. This might not sound too good, but certain films demand certain types of actors to portray certain roles, and Emmy just wasn’t the one for this character. She would do great in a realistic and aesthetic film but not here. Also, her performance left a lot to be desired.
‘The Beekeeper’ thrives in delivering unabashed entertainment with Jason Statham’s enduring charisma, well-timed comic moments, and neatly done action sequences. Despite its imperfections, the film manages to surprise and captivate, thanks to the unexpected twists and standout performances, particularly from Statham, Josh Hutcherson and Jeremy Irons. While acknowledging its shortcomings, I found myself willingly immersed in the outrageous world crafted by David Ayer, embracing the film for what it is—a wild and entertaining ride that doesn’t shy away from its larger-than-life ambitions. ‘The Beekeeper’ might not redefine cinematic norms, but it successfully carves its niche in delivering the escapism and wish-fulfilment many audiences seek in a thrilling action-packed experience.
Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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