‘THE BEEKEEPER’ Review: Jason Statham’s Bee-Movie Provides a Satisfying Sting

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

THE BEEKEEPER

Rated R, 1 hour and 45 minutes

Directed by: David Ayer

Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, David Witts, Taylor James, Phylicia Rashad, Jemma Redgrave, Minnie Driver, Enzo Cilenti, Megan Le

We go to Jason Statham films for a few things: Brutal beat-downs, cheeky throwback one-liners and over-the-top, vengeance-fueled action set pieces. In that sense, director David Ayer’s THE BEEKEEPER delivers on all accounts. By combining these special ingredients and adding a clean-lined story centered on pummeling scammers, hyper-stylized stunts and larger world-building, the filmmakers gift their picture with the perfect punch. It’s also blessedly self-aware, as evidenced by the actors’ sincerity when dropping silly bee-themed references – the best being a brawling baddie delivering “to bee or not to bee.” Honey, this is un-bee-lievable B-movie glory at its best.

Adam Clay (Statham) is a laconic man living a quiet, uncomplicated life as a beekeeper, tending to his swarms of bees on a remote farm outside of Boston. He also exterminates wasps. It’s clear he’s a man who’s not only struggling with a mysterious past, but also human interaction in general – except for his sweet friendship with his kindly landlady, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). Adam also has a big secret: Years ago, he was an operative for a shadowy government organization whose assassins are called “Beekeepers.” When Eloise invites him up to the house for dinner one random night, he encounters more than he’d ever expect: food burning on the stove and her lifeless body, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Earlier that afternoon, he learns, Eloise was unwittingly hooked by a phishing virus on her computer, leaving her penniless and panicked. The culprit is Mickey Garnett (David Witts), a detestably douchey tech bro who manages a regional call center (an allegory for a wasps’ nest, as the dudes in charge are all literal W.A.S.P.s). He used Eloise’s call as teaching tool (in a sequence with overt nods to THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) to drain her bank accounts. Full of fury, Adam rescinds retirement to literally smoke out these predators, torching their million dollar building. Yet their hive-like operation is extensive and Adam’s main directive is to extinguish all the busy bees working for the queen, Jessica Danforth (Jemma Redgrave). This will be difficult with her company’s shifty slimeballs, spoiled son Derek (Josh Hutcherson) and family friend/ head of intelligence Wallace (Jeremy Irons), sending their muscular minions after Adam. Plus he’s being pursued by FBI agent Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman) – who also happens to be Eloise’s drunkard daughter – and her partner Wiley (Bobby Naderi).

Though inspiration wafts from other bruising actioners (along the lines of COMMANDO), essentially Ayer and screenwriter Kurt Wimmer lift directly from the first JOHN WICK’s simple outline and transpose it onto their own innovative world: Instead of avenging a dead puppy as the catalyst, the pissed-off protagonist avenges an elderly Black woman. Instead of a spoiled, Euro-trash son of a gangster as the initial target, it’s a spoiled, Euro-trash-loving son of an influential leader. And instead of an underground criminal network of morally murky mercenaries from which our hero is retired, it’s an underground network of government-approved secret agents working toward societal betterment.

Once in a while, characters – specifically Verona and Wallace – stop the action to monologue in wildly expository speech dumps about how bees’ ecosystems function. Raver-Lampman is able to sell the sincerity a bit more nimbly and naturally than Irons, perhaps because she has the better developed character arc. This elicits cackles of delight from the audience that anyone would go through such trouble to explicitly lay out the connection between the Beekeepers’ code and work ethic and that of a honey bee. Sure, there are some convoluted and contrived elements, particularly dealing with badass 80s punk assassin Anisette (Megan Le) and stealthy CIA director Janet Harward (Minnie Driver). But it’s all in service to the overarching narrative, which is swift, never stale; ferocious, never forgettable.

Action set pieces move at a quick pace, each setting their own unique rhythm and character-forward momentum. Adam delivers lectures before delivering death. The first cathartic fisticuff shows off a comedic energy, turning the tables by utilizing phones as his physical weapon while a dial tone complements the action. Adam’s honey-hive barn smack-down is lit in orange and yellow hues and augmented by David Sardy and Jared Michael Fry’s musical compositions – which, albeit fleetingly, mimic the sound of buzzing. Fight choreography is captivating outside and inside the boiler room of the crown jewel of Derek’s data-mining empire, managed by Jordan Belfort doppelganger Rico (Enzo Cilenti). Though there are absolutely no surprises as to who will triumph in a battle (as most of us have heard of Statham’s alleged contractual clauses that he can’t lose an on-screen fight, Ayer makes the third act mirrored-hallway tussle with lone Beekeeper-survivor Lazarus (Taylor James) look and feel as if our hero has met an undefeatable, formidable foe.

Despite a few sticky political dealings with Jessica Danforth’s character construction (She sneaks cigarettes like Obama! She has a drug-addicted son like right-wing conspiracists pin on Biden!), which can’t be taken too seriously even by the most cynical of critics, Ayer and Wimmer give us exactly the right kind of movie to launch our new year. They even keep a running body count for audiences, demonstrating they know what we came here for. It’s fun, frivolous and I sincerely hope it launches a franchise. It’s a sting we’ll chase until a sequel appears.

Grade: B+ (obviously)

THE BEEKEEPER opens in theaters on January 12.