Movies
“The Beekeeper” Is An Action Letdown From Ayers & Statham
Unfortunately, this bit of action slop is not good.
“One man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers.””
Director: David Ayer
Writer: Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons
Release Date: January 12, 2024
IMDB
Dumpuary was in full effect for 2024. The Beekeeper (2024) is revenge themed Jason Statham led action romp. These movies usually do alright on Stanko’s Stance because the barrier of entry is remarkably low. However, sometimes the height check at the gate of the roller coaster is a bit higher than one would expect.
Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a quiet man operating a bee farm. His mysterious yet respectful demeanor has won over Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), whose land he has been helping make more hospitable. They have a mutual understanding with one another, so when some money hungry online predators scam Parker for all she’s worth, Clay takes offense.
The greedy sons of bitches, who are portrayed in classic Gen Z annoying fashion, have no idea that Clay is a government agent part of a classified program called “Beekeepers”. Turns out that if you are a Beekeeper, you are an expert at snarkiness and killing. These scammers are in big trouble.
By taking down these lesser poachers, Clay has begun angering the higher-ups of this illegal online scheme. Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) is a petulant young man trying to act as if things are going to be okay, but his advisor Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons) has a more precautions approach to the developing situation. The stress of Clay’s rampage forces the pair to consult the one person they least want to bother.
The president. President Danforth. Derek’s mom. Wallace’s friend. Yes, the son of the president and her old friend are operating an illegal online scamming project under her nose. NOT WISE, BOB!
The Beekeeper culminates with all these twists unfurling in an action-filled finale at an utterly non-descript house. Clay comes in ready to burn the whole thing to sunder, and the Danforth’s and co. are left trying to gather whatever their Robin Hood-esq perpetrator is willing to let lie.
I think it’s time to ask the question. What was the last good movie that Jason Statham starred in? The Derbyshire Englishman is not known for his outstanding acting talent, but for most of his career one could bank his film’s as watchable. Looking back on the last few years, the only venture of Statham’s that I have not seen is Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023), which is Guy Ritche and Statham’s fifth collaboration. We will pass judgment on that.
The Exped4bles (2023) is bad, and Meg 2: The Trench (2023) is abominable. Statham appears for a hot second in Fast X (2023), and it’s daming that that F9: The Fast Saga (2021) exists. I think one has to go back to 2021 with Wrath Of Man (2021) to comfortably say that a film of Statham’s was quality.
Do we want to run the same experiment on The Beekeeper’s director David Ayers? In 2020 he put out The Tax Collector, and while I have not seen it, I have watched the trailer, and can say with confidence it’s not good. Before that his previous project was Bright (2017), the dreadful Netflix original that had everyone on their heels about the streaming service originals. A year prior was Suicide Squad (2016). There has been enough discourse around that.
Ayers’ last good movie, which was legit very good, is Fury (2014). I randomly remember the movie fondly because my dad had an invested interest in it. He is an aging man with a growing appreciation for World War II, as many of his ilk are.
The Beekeeper is a team-up between the slumping professionals, and unfortunately it doesn’t act as the spark plug either man may have hoped for. At least from the perspective of Stanko’s Stance. The Beekeeper is an action movie from which I remember none of the violence. The best parts of the movie are when Josh Hutcherson and Jeremy Irons are verbally batting with one another like immature teenagers. Their whining and moaning brings more smiles to the audience’s face than anything the scowl faced by Adam Clay.
Watching The Beekeeper, one can’t help but feel like there is an attempt at an extended universe. The concept of The Beekeepers being a government agency steeped in secrecy and proficiency is admittedly primo territory for something. But what that something is…well The Beekeper leaves the audiences unwilling to commit.
Perhaps now is the time where I should mention that reviews for The Beekeeper are generally kinder than what I am spelling out right now. It was rather shocking to see the movie having positive reviews both on IMDB and on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, these services are not the end all, be all. But still, it shows that people can take different things from different projects. For many viewers, The Beekeeper may be a return to form for both Statham and Ayers, and for them I am genuinely happy.
Let’s end this winding thought experiment with one unifying fact that everyone would agree on. The character of Agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is not a good character. She is horribly written, so we don’t need to kill that acting job because there was nothing to work with. Parker is just a paint by numbers agent whose backstory is too shallow to dive into. Literally, it’s like the warning in the town pools. You will hurt yourself if you do it.
The Beekeeper is not streaming anywhere. I rented it while I was dealing with my medical drama. It was not the best treat-yo-self viewing experience, but fuck it. It’s a new 2024 movie to add to the list.
STANKO RATING: D
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