The Beekeeper (English) Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
THE BEEKEEPER is the story of a ruthless man. Adam Clay (Jason Statham) leads a quiet life as a beekeeper. His neighbour is her kind-hearted landlord, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a retired schoolteacher. One day, she falls for a phishing scam and is robbed of over $2 million. A majority of this money belonged to the charitable organization that she manages. She is so devastated by the turn of events that she ends her life. Adam decides to teach the scammers a lesson. He contacts the Beekeepers, a mysterious organization that he's a part of and is determined not to stop until he eliminates all the players from the bottom to the top. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Kurt Wimmer's story is clichéd. Kurt Wimmer's screenplay is arresting but since the plot is not original, it fails to overall impress. The dialogues are okay. In the absence of subtitles, it becomes difficult to decipher some of the lines.
David Ayer's direction is decent. He tries his best to enhance the entertainment quotient of the film. But the biggest problem with the film is the plot and it instantly reminds one of JOHN WICK. In fact, in the scene where Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons) tells Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) that no one can save him from Adam, one can’t help but draw parallels with the Keanu Reeves starrer as it had a very similar sequence. The film stagnates in the middle and the track of the FBI agents is not convincing.
Thankfully, the film has a few plusses. The scene where Adam sets the call centre on fire is sudden and fun. It also comes too quickly as one doesn’t expect him to reach his target so soon. The track of the US President gave some novel touch to the otherwise beaten-to-death storyline. The finale is watchable.
Jason Statham, as expected, slips into the role effortlessly and looks quite cool while performing the action scenes. Josh Hutcherson is convincing as the villain. Jeremy Irons lends able support. Phylicia Rashad is lovely in a cameo. Emmy Raver-Lampman (FBI Agent Verona Parker) and Bobby Naderi (Agent Matt Wiley) are fair but are let down by the writing. Jemma Redgrave (President Danforth) is bland. Don Gilet (Deputy Director Prigg) and Taylor James (Lazarus; tough mercenary) are memorable.
Dave Sardy and Jared Michael Fry's music is in sync with the narrative. Gabriel Beristain's cinematography is praiseworthy. Ben Munro's production design is top-class while Kelli Jones' costumes are authentic. The action is quite gory and disturbing. Geoffrey O'Brien's editing is sharp.
On the whole, THE BEEKEEPER fails to impress as it’s too similar to JOHN WICK.