Tell me, what’s a Beekeeper want with being a wickie?
I ask that question because Jason Statham, star of the 2024 action flick “The Beekeeper,” plays a man living in and upkeeping a lighthouse. However, the lighthouse, situated on an island off the coast of Scotland, isn’t actually active. The reason he’s there is because he wants to be completely off the grid at an undisclosed location.
Michael Mason is a former elite black operations soldier, and his only connection to the world is a commercial sailor and his niece who deliver supplies. However, after a tragic incident, the sailor is killed and in helping the girl, Mason is spotted by the government that now wants him eliminated to cover their tracks.
At this point, one knows what to expect in a Jason Statham action flick. The question is how the execution will be. It could be an above average experience like in 2024’s aforementioned “Beekeeper,” or below average such as last year’s “A Working Man.” Fortunately, this movie leans more in the 2024 direction.
“Shelter” is an entertaining and suspenseful action feature, all contained well within two hours, with a familiar premise that’s usually hard to mess up. The grizzled warrior with a heart of gold having to protect a younger character and, in the process, rediscover some humanity is a common concept.
It’s been done successfully on screen like in 2017’s “Logan,” as well as in video games like “The Last of Us” and Telltale’s “The Walking Dead.” “Shelter” doesn’t reach the level of quality shown in those piece of media, but while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it uses the premise to its advantage.
There’s a simple hook, intrigue with Mason’s past, and a quick emotional core in the bond he builds with the girl, Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach). The film also benefits from some really good set pieces, several of them with good intensity thanks to the R-rating, and having the bureaucratic big bad played by Academy Award nominee Bill Nighy.
That’s not to say the movie is without its flaws. The “Big Brother” aspect of surveillance that’s heavily incorporated here in tracking the protagonist feels played out. Plus, the film introduces a rather generic hacker friend of Mason who seems a bit tacked on. It’s a film that’s certainly comfortable leaning on tropes at many points.
But sometimes the simple approach can be effective, and that’s more or less the case here. This is a straightforward offering and it delivers where it counts, which is the action. For example, there’s a really good sequence in the second act in a rural area which eventually involves a car chase. A stealthy action bit in a nightclub is solid, too.
Statham also works nicely in this role, too. He’s played a lot of these sorts of characters so he feels natural in the spot. While it’s nice seeing him take a role that’s different than the usual, such as in the “Crank” series or 2015’s “Spy,” watching him in his regular habitat, so to speak, is also enjoyable when the project is right.
Not quite spectacular but entirely serviceable for a matinee watch on a weekend, “Shelter” is a breezy, fun action ride. It does put forward its fair share of generic bits and isn’t the richest movie in the genre, but for what it offers, it works well enough to check out if you’re a fan of this cinematic territory. 3.35 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 