John Wick was widely acknowledged as a major comeback for Keanu Reeves, who was finally given the opportunity to flex his action muscles once more after experiencing a career downturn following the poor reception to The Matrix Revolutions. Comparatively, Jason Statham never experienced a dip in his popularity, as he has remained a fixture of the modern action genre ever since landing his breakout roles in early Guy Ritchie films. John Wick certainly inspired a new wave of mid-budget vigilante thrillers that put a strong emphasis on practical stunt work, and Statham got his own highly entertaining revenge romp with The Beekeeper. Director David Ayer may have been on a cold streak due to the failures of Suicide Squad and Bright, but The Beekeeper proved that he was highly talented at making gritty, ridiculously entertaining action.
Similar to John Wick, The Beekeeper created an original, immersive universe that featured different assassins and soldiers who had masked themselves in everyday society. Statham stars as Adam Clay, a former special operations assassin who has retired to a quiet life as a literal beekeeper, in which he assists the kind-hearted elderly woman Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). After a group of malicious Internet scammers lead to Parker’s early death by suicide, Clay becomes a vigilante, and sets out on a cold-hearted streak of revenge. Although there is undoubtedly a cheeky sense-of-humor that enhanced John Wick and its sequels, The Beekeeper pushed its absurdities even further to become a future B-movie classic.
‘The Beekeeper’ Is Revenge Cinema Done Right
It can often be challenging for audiences to invest in violent cinema, particularly in an era in which legitimate gun violence casts a shadow over what is seen on screen. However, John Wick and The Beekeeper both give their character complete justification to seek revenge, as the villains commit crimes so ghastly that they need to be eliminated. In John Wick, viewers were willing to watch John take down an entire gang of Russian gangsters after one of their members killed the dog that he had been given by his dying wife. The Beekeeper presented an even more upsetting scenario, as many viewers may have had to help an elderly member of their family deal with confusing Internet systems. The Beekeeper does a surprisingly good job at establishing a relationship between Eloise and Clay, as she is one of the few people that he actually confides in. Since The Beekeeper quickly indicates that the authorities will be of no use in a situation like this, Clay’s quest to take down those responsible feels even more justified.
As with any great revenge film, The Beekeeper features an entertaining rogue’s gallery with villains that are completely fun to hate. Josh Hutcherson, best known for The Hunger Games and The Kids Are All Right, was cast against type as Derek Danforth, a cruel, privileged CEO that leads a scamming enterprise, that takes advantage of vulnerable people like Eloise. Jeremy Irons gives an equally scene-chewing performance as Derek’s grandfather, Wallace Westwyld, in what may be his best villain role since Die Hard With A Vengeance. Despite the characters being very eccentric and over-the-top, they represent real institutions and capitalistic attitudes that viewers may be legitimately upset about. However, The Beekeeper is never at risk of taking itself too seriously, as a political twist in its third act is nearly impossible to have anticipated.
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‘The Beekeeper’ Is One of Jason Statham’s Best Roles
Statham is often a much better actor than he is given credit for, as he is great at playing tough, wounded characters who have to keep their internalized rage locked up. While Statham’s grittiness can be diluted whenever he appears in more cheesy spectacle films like The Expendables or The Meg, he is surprisingly effective as a dramatic actor in The Beekeeper, particularly as Adam Clay tries to justify his actions to Eloise’s family. Even if the notion of a former assassin being returned to his former life can feel somewhat derivative of John Wick, The Beekeeper takes advantage of the terminology inherent to its title, as Clay describes how members of a clandestine intelligence organization attempt to manage a strict organizational culture among American businesses, which often includes removing harmful forces. There is certainly some deeper capitalistic satire to be found, but for those who simply want a goofy action movie, The Beekeeper more than delivers.
The Beekeeper shows what Statham is best at, as his ability to do his own stunts makes the set pieces in the film even more fresh and exciting. Even though the film goes to some surprising places, particularly when the action diverts to the White House in the third act, it is still relatively grounded, and does not break under the weight of too much computer-generated imagery. Rarely does a film show such self-awareness about what it wants to be, and Statham couldn’t have been a better choice for the role. With a sequel now in production, The Beekeeper just may be one of the first action cult classics of the 2020s.