“To bee, or not to bee” is just one questionable zinger from acclaimed director David Ayer’s new b-movie about a retired federal agent (Jason Statham, in his comfort zone) who just can’t seem to retire. Here it’s Adam Clay, who returns to action to do right by a poor old woman conned by a sort of Jordan Belfort in training (David Witts). There’s R-rated violence and deliciously unlikable villains galore, but it’s perhaps not enough to makeThe Beekeepera standout in comparison to the countless other Statham action flicks out there.
It also doesn’t help that this honeybee business all feels a bit silly, and that the film embraces every obvious pun in the book. Ultimately, it’s an unbalanced combination of awkward humor and surprisingly vicious violence, but for fans of the genre, it’s kind of fun and well-made despite being predictable and by-the-numbers.
‘Who Are You, Winnie the Pooh?’
The Beekeeper
Statham, who reports hedid his own beekeepingin the film, is a true action hero who deserves more roles like, say,Spy, when he successfully parodied the type of persona he often tackles. That andtheExpendablesmovies— even the bad ones — prove he’s got comedic chops, in addition to those dashing looks and crime-fighting demeanor. Even throwback hits likeThe Bank Jobshowcased a bit more range and vulnerability.
WithThe Beekeeper, he’s all business and virtually sidesteps any sort of funny, humorous impulses. Too bad, especially since, as we said, this is a pretty silly movie. After a flashy opening credits sequence getting us right into the action of honeybees and their hives, we meet Clay (Statham), who is like a U.S. version of one of the folks from the Oscar-nominatedHoneyland(2019). Clay is a seemingly harmless beekeeper who tends to the nests on the property of Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad).
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It’s never good when Clay leaves the scene, however. Danger might ensue. As he packs up his truck following a job well done, Eloise taps away on her computer inside her house — and gets hacked. Enter Mickey Garnett (Witts), an executive at one of the branches of United Data Group, a criminal organization that can hack into your personal computer and literally steal all your money. How does that relate back to Clay? Well, Eloise turns up dead by suicide, and her daughter, Agent Verona Parker (a standout Emmy Raver-Lampman), puts together some context clues and ultimately thinks Clay had something to do with it, since he’s the last person to have seen Eloise alive.
When Clay is interviewed and states his profession, Verona claps back with, “Who the f*** are you, Winnie the Pooh?” Not bad, in terms of zingers. And on that note, Verona’s banter with her partner Agent Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi) is perhaps the strongest element in the new film from Ayer, who also helmed films likeFury, End of Watch,and even the 2016Suicide Squad— which is still abuzz in Hollywood to this day amid rumors of the original cut surfacing. Ayer has made better films thanThe Beekeeper, but action lovers will surely eat up some of the gritty sequences here.
Odd Supporting Actors and a Killer Fight
And did we mentionThe Beekeeperfeatures an iconic Oscar-winning thespian? No, not Leonardo DiCaprio playing that aforementionedWolf of Wall Streettype persona, but rather Jeremy Irons himself, playing the security director of the criminal organization led by Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson, oozing sleeze). Irons' Wallace still has connections with law enforcement, including FBI Director Janet Harward. She’s played by another iconic Oscar-nominee, Minnie Driver, which feels a bit odd given her proven talents in past classics likeGood Will Hunting. Driver only appears briefly here, so we’re left wondering why she might have taken the part.
And then there’s Hutcherson, fresh off his Universal Pictures hit and probably getting ready for that confirmedFive Nights at Freddy’ssequel. Until then, he certainly looks the part inThe Beekeeper, a millennial brat whose mom is the literal U.S. president (played by Jemma Redgrave). All these little supporting characters are, of course, no match for Statham’s Adam CIay. He’s in his comfort zone here, occasionally on autopilot as a result, but his stone-faced and angry demeanor is often a hoot when juxtaposed with the film’s frequently over-the-top moments. It’s a little awkward but still memorably funny to see him break into one of Derek’s scam offices, beat down the helpless security guards, and make all the scammers say in unison, “I will never steal from the weak and vulnerable again.”
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“Protect the hive” is another one-liner that really leans into the whole beehive metaphor. These get a bit repetitive — even contradictory at times — but then you see a household name like Jeremy Irons say, “If a beekeeper says you’re gonna die, you’re gonna die,” and you may’t help but giggle. Minnie Driver’s Janet also sends a riotous assassin after Clay, for a rambunctious sequence that arguably serves as the film’s centerpiece scene: a shootout at a gas station. You’d never guess that it ends in a gargantuan explosion. Later, however, another killer hitman played by Taylor James swoops in for some memorable hand-to-hand combat, and your jaw might just drop at the explosiveness opposite Statham here. It’s all very impressive even if it can be tonally weird.
And despite its overall formulaic nature — combined with the expected eye rolls from Statham’s schtick and the silliness — you might just have a fun time at the movies, especially given the sitcom-like banter between Agent Verona and her partner, as mentioned earlier. Plus, the devilishly handsome Statham finally dons at nice suit in the third act, and you might just find yourself failing to take your eyes off him.
