For almost 20 years, experts have said that Jason Statham is the last true adventure movie star. It has been 20 years since “The Transporter” came out. Since then, he’s tried new things here and there. He’s had supporting parts in “The Fast and the Furious” movies and “Spy,” and he’s been the star of “The Meg” movies and the spin-off of “Hobbs & Shaw.”But his most recent movie, about a guy who uses his skills as a beekeeper to get revenge for the death of his master and caretaker (Phylicia Rashad), feels like a typical Statham movie. Thanks to director David Ayer and writer Kurt Wimmer, this quest for payback is going to hurt.
The trailer (which you can watch above) sets up the story as planned and introduces Jeremy Irons as the big boss. The prologue raises the stakes and sets the scene for what’s to come: explosions, shootouts, and moral killings. One interesting thing about this story is that Statham used to work for an undercover outfit called the Beekeepers.
That fits with “Wrath of Man” by Guy Ritchie. In that violent action movie, Statham’s angry armored car driver wasn’t just a regular guy who wanted to get back at the person who killed his son. In secret, he’s a high-level crime boss who does all the dirty work himself.This movie, “Wrath of Man,” also from MGM, did well in North America, making $23 million there and $104 million around the world in the summer of 2021. That’s pretty high for an R-rated, stand-alone Statham action movie that’s not part of a series. The “record” for this kind of thing is “Mechanic: Resurrection,” which made $126 million in 2016.
It’s not clear if this plays as well. But the hook isn’t that different. Also, Statham’s run of movies aimed at a wider audience in the middle of the 2010s (the “Fast Saga” movies, “The Meg,” etc.) may have slightly increased the number of people who watch his main movie. We’ll know when “The Beekeeper” comes out in theaters on January 12.
When Jason Statham gets even in the trailer for “The Beekeeper,” it’s not all sweetness and light. This article first appeared on TheWrap.