The Beekeeper Review: Jason Statham action film is dumb, but a total blast

David Ayer and Jason Statham team up to make an entertaining throwback action film in The Beekeeper. The action film lacks the world-building and mythos of John Wick, but Statham still packs a mighty punch.

After a neighbor commits suicide, Adam Clay is forced to come out of retirement and take down the people responsible. As he mows down those responsible for stealing his neighbor’s life fortune, he discovers a conspiracy that goes to the top of the hive. In addition to the data mining company, the FBI is also working to stop Adam’s one-man killing spree. One of the FBI agents is the daughter of the neighbor played by Emmy Raver-Lampman.

Clay is a character that fits Statham like a glove. Clay rarely talks and when he does it’s usually a play on beekeeping or menacing. He’s a beekeeper. Beekeepers are a secret intelligence organization outside the command of federal law enforcement. Similar to John Wick, the people who are aware of Clay as a former Beekeeper resign themselves to their fate. If Clay wants to kill you, then you will die, it’s only a matter of time.

The main villain is Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson). He’s the CEO of the data mining company and the head of a scheme that siphons money from vulnerable people. Derek is an entitled, rich man who views himself as above Clay’s reach. Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons) is responsible for protecting Derek. Irons chews the perfect amount of scenery as the former head of the CIA who must protect this entitled brat of a CEO due to a promise he made Derek’s mother. Derek’s mother is the POTUS.

The entertainment value of The Beekeeper is watching the creative ways in which Clay runs roughshod over waves of call centers and assassins.

The biggest issue in The Beekeeper is there’s never any tension over whether Clay will succeed. Nobody comes close to matching his skills, which means you are always wondering how Clay will kill these people. The daughter’s quest for justice could have been interesting. However, The Beekeeper doesn’t slow down enough to let her grief sit in. Instead, Kurt Wimmer‘s script takes the lazy route and makes her a drunk, loudmouth without much depth.

The Beekeeper is a fun, surface-level action film full of creative setpieces and a cool Statham performance. The Beekeeper is a major improvement over Expendables 4 and Meg 2: The Trench, but falls below Wrath of Man in the recent slate of Statham-led films.

The Beekeeper Review Score: 6.5

Above Average

With the overview of The Beekeeper completed, let’s take a closer look at the elements that stood out for good and bad in the action romp.

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The hive in need of protection

The Beekeeper opens with Statham’s Clay living out of a barn he rents from an elderly neighbor, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). He seems to live a lonely existence that revolves around actualy beekeeping. After taking care of a hive of bees, Eloise invites Clay for dinner.

Before dinner, Eloise receives a pop-up on her computer urging her to call a number to prevent data loss. Eloise calls the number and a handler systematically takes all of Eloise’s money, including a pension fund she manages. Eloise commits suicide over the situation. Rashad does what she can to elevate this part of the film.

Clay arrives for dinner, but is soon apprehended by Eloise’s daughter Verona. She’s an FBI agent and questions why Clay was in her mom’s house with a knife. Clay provides enough of an alibi to remove himself from suspicion. Verona finds out about what led to her mother’s suicide, but can’t get those responsible.

Clay recognizes the situation is beyond the FBI and reaches out to his contacts. The hive is broken. Therefore, Clay must fix the system and reclaim his role as a beekeeper.

Who is The Beekeeper

The Beekeeper is similar to Treadstone in the Jason Bourne films or the IMF in Mission Impossible with a touch of James Bond. Beekeepers exist outside of the chain of command of law enforcement. However, there aren’t multiple beekeepers roaming the world. Similar to the 00’s in James Bond, there’s only one Beekeeper at a time.

Statham’s Clay retired from active duty. Similar to the John Wick films, The Beekeeper doesn’t dive into his past or what led to Clay’s retirement. However, when Westwyld hears that a Beekeeper is after Derek Danforth, the young CEO responsible for stealing from vulnerable people. He recognizes the situation is hopeless but does what he can to keep Derek safe.

Unsurprisingly, Statham shines in action scenes. He’s a one-man killing machine. Wick is machine-like but takes little pleasure in the pain he dishes out, Clay is also a man of purpose but takes glee in doling out punishment. While he avoids killing innocent people, he doesn’t hesitate to permanently disable them or anyone else who gets in his way.

The target

Clay focuses his effort on taking out every Danforth call center until he can get to the top of the food chain. Meanwhile, the hapless FBI tries to track Clay’s whereabouts.

The FBI subplot is kind of useless. They’re either a step behind Clay or serve as fodder. There’s an opportunity to show Verona’s grief while trying to stop the man who is attempting to bring those responsible for her mother’s death to justice. However, The Beekeeper mostly focuses on a conspiracy that ties Danforth to the POTUS.

Hutcherson is quite good as the entitled son with too much money and who you can’t wait to see Clay destroy. However, the decision by Westwyld to draft off the POTUS’s protection is baffling but does set the stage for a bloody entertaining finale.

The Beekeeper Final Thoughts

The Beekeeper is an entertaining action film with little depth or much suspense. Statham is in top form as Clay and Irons show he can still chew scenery at the highest of levels.