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| Star Jason Statham looks intense while apparently dissolving into a swarm of bees on this mostly yellow poster for David Ayer's The Beekeeper |
An elderly lady on a remote farm is phone-scammed out of all her savings. But the morally bankrupt crooks behind the scheme did not expect that her barn was housing a mysterious retired beekeeper.
The Beekeeper is written by Kurt Wimmer (Street Kings (2008)) and directed by David Ayer (Harsh Times (2005)).
Part of the charm of this hard-hitting escapism is that it is made without any pretense as to its nature or ambitions. Pairing one of the top action stars of our time, the slick, effective Jason Statham (Furious 7 (2015)) with one of the best testosterone-fueled macho action directors, Ayer, is a strong match, and for action fans an enjoyable one.
The story here is a thin veneer that would be suited for a cheap 1970s exploitation b-picture. And that's more or less exactly what The Beekeeper is, only it's a (not that) cheap 2020s exploitation b-picture. The setup is simple yet effective: Phone wire fraud scams are as widespread today as they are hated, and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show (1984-92)) is ideal as the sympathetic, innocent 'old' lady that the viper's nest of scammer douchebags wring dry. Her drastic reaction justifies the finger-cutting, neck-stabbing, auto-drowning, live-incinerating train of manic vengeance that Statham's cipher character unleashes in response. Expletives and brutal violence go hand in hand, as the super-simple plot soon implicates not only local spaghetti trash Mickey Garnett (David Witts (Manhunt (2021, TV-series))) and his immediate boss, young worthless tech guru Josh Hutcherson (The Disaster Artist (2017)), - linking crypto investments to drugs and robbing the elderly in a neat bit of writing, - but also retired CIA director and current rich bastard father Jeremy Irons (Lolita (1997)), - a scoop casting for the film, - and his ex-wife, now a modern two-faced President of the US (Jemma Redgrave (Demon (2021))). There's also a crazed female beekeeper and a gonzo, spit-shooting, one-legged goon performance from Taylor James (Christmas Eve (2015)). Plus Emmy Raver-Lampman (Jane the Virgin (2019, TV-series)) as the personally implicated FBI agent with a giant afro and attitude to spare, who connects the dots and sometimes has Statham's back.
If this sounds outlandish but enjoyable, that's because it is. No, there's no sense in the beekeeper identity that basically has Statham a retired secret government killer, whose life is about keeping bees, collecting honey and stashing it in massive amounts in a barn in the middle of nowhere for eternity (until this shit happens!) And there's no brilliance in the pulpy developments. But they are mostly practical, CG-free action, delivered with all the elegance and refinement that goes along with having a massive pork chop slammed to your forehead. In other words, I dug it!
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2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Sabotage (2014) or, Hardcore Badasses!
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Reportedly 34 mil. $
Box office: 75.3 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[The Beekeeper was released January 8 (Philippines) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place from September - December 2022 in Massachusetts and in England, including in London. The film opened #2, behind Mean Girls, to a long 18.5 mil. $ MLK opening weekend in North America, where it has just spent its 2nd weekend still at #2. It has 6 markets still scheduled for it to open in during January and February. Likely ending up a profitable endeavor, a 150+ mil. $ gross should likely secure a sequel. Ayer is announced to direct two upcoming films, the Sylvester Stallone co-written Levon's Trade, starring Statham, and a Dirty Dozen remake, - but might Beekeeper 2 come first? Statham is announced to return in Levon's Trade, Martin Zandvliet-helmed Russian mob movie Small Dark Look and Fast X: Part 2 (2025), - but again, who knows if Beekeeper 2 could arrive first? 11+k IMDb users have given The Beekeeper a 6.7/10 average rating.]
What do you think of The Beekeeper?
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