REVIEW: The Beekeeper (2024)
Jason Statham declares war on kleptocracy--and we love it.
Director David Ayer returns with a welcomingly cynical depiction of the political elite linked with fraud networks. The connection puts them in the crosshairs of an ‘80s throwback to the one-man-army picture. Coming from a lesser income audience member, I’m considering drafting a thank you note to Ayer.
I’ve spent years rooting for Ayer, never overtly impressed with his work, but recognizing his talent. After how egregiously his cut of Suicide Squad (2016) was treated by fat-cat execs, I’ve been pulling for him. Ironically, The Beekeeper seems to be his release on said fat-cats with entertaining results.
One of the more noteworthy names attached to the film is screenwriter Kurt Wimmer. Responsible for one of my favorite sci-fi-actioners of the early 2000s, Equilibrium, staring Christian Bale, Wimmer is nothing if not derivative. George Orwell and Ray Bradbury are referenced without apology for Equilibrium, but the film was undeniably Wimmer’s. Likewise, he takes the one-man-army-for-justice motif and primes it for Ayer’s style.
Ayer and Wimmer don’t play much with the formula, but the nuance adds enough to keep the story just out of Wal-Mart bargain bin territory. The story plays as if Hunter Biden’s mother was Hillary Clinton and they illegally won the presidential election on the dime of hard working, middle classers. Jason Statham’s Adam Clay stands in as a wrathful specter for the elder working class wronged by those in positions of power. A Boomer’s wet dream aside, the heart of the story convicts the wealthy and dominant for taking advantage of the defenseless. In an era where politicians of all shapes and sizes have put their depravity on blast, The Beekeeper’s illustration of bureaucrats plays on relatable pains. It’s a universal outrage in the post-Trump world that the ruling upper crust is void of accountability. So when Jason Statham goes on the warpath, the outcome is wildly cathartic.
Because The Beekeeper is still a Jason Statham flick on the surface, carnage is a guarantee. Clay is a former agent of the secret “Beekeeper” program which is an easy way to explain his proclivity toward ending SWAT team careers in record time. Wisely, little exposition is spent on the shadow organization; worldbuilding takes a much needed vacation, and focus stays on his rampage through the rich and powerful. Although the camera work doesn’t have the same confidence in fight choreography as a John Wick film, the kills are cheer-worthy because the adversaries are so detestable.
Proving there’s still room in cinema for a muscle brawn big-gun racking up a sizable body count, The Beekeeper promises just desserts toward familiar villains of this era. I don’t know if enjoying the slaughter says worse about myself or the people the antagonists are based on, but props to Ayer and Wimmer for understanding how effective the fantasy is.