Pensioners repeatedly fall victim to nasty scams on the phone or on the Internet. Criminal organizations have their own call centers to con unsuspecting people out of their savings – and thereby ruin lives.
In the action thriller “The Beekeeper,” Jason Statham, star of genre hits like “The Transporter,” plays “Fast
Adam Clay (Statham) actually just wants to lead a quiet and inconspicuous life as a beekeeper. He rents a shed on Eloise’s (Phylicia Rashad) estate, looks after his bees and helps the friendly widow. One day Eloise falls victim to a vicious internet scam. The criminals take Eloise’s insurance and savings, empty her accounts and also that of a foundation that Eloise looks after – over two million dollars. The pensioner then takes her own life.
He leaves corpses everywhere
Clay finds out about the fraud through Eloise’s daughter, FBI agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman). Verona knows nothing of Clay’s true identity. He was a member of the Beekeeper Special Forces and is officially retired. The US government’s elite program is so secret that hardly anyone knows about it. But one call to his old colleagues is enough and Clay has identified the culprits.
“When society can no longer take care of itself, the Beekeeper comes and restores the balance,” says main actor Statham about his role. A campaign of revenge begins in which Clay destroys everything and wreaks havoc on anyone who stands in his way. He cuts off fingers and knocks out teeth without batting an eyelid, leaving corpses everywhere. Verona and her FBI colleague Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi) give chase and uncover a delicate conspiracy.
Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), who runs the internet fraud company, has no idea what’s coming. But his unwilling protector, Wallace Westwyld (excellent: Jeremy Irons), a former CIA director who has a close connection to Derek’s mysterious mother (Jemma Redgrave), enlightens him about the Beekeeper. “His eyes will probably be the last ones you see,” Westwyld says sarcastically. Can his old CIA contacts help stop Clay?
Morally questionable revenge campaign
Thematically, “The Beekeeper” follows films like “John Wick” or “The Equalizer,” in which Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington also play elite killers and elite soldiers coming out of retirement. The visually appealing thriller also shows some parallels to the two. With some absurd characters standing in Clay’s way, “The Beekeeper” was visibly inspired by the outlandish, cartoonish “John Wick” characters. Not all of them are good for the film. A crazed hitwoman striking at a gas station is downright ridiculous.
But there is an essential difference. Statham’s Adam Clay, unlike John Wick and Robert McCall, is downright obsessed. On his morally questionable campaign of revenge, he not only brutally eliminates countless villains. In his pursuit of supposed justice, he does not stop at employees of the FBI, the CIA and other authorities or security forces.
“The law is the law,” says Statham. “But sometimes the law gets in the way of what’s right. The rules about what’s allowed can be a hindrance. That’s why Adam Clay takes matters into his own hands.” The collateral damage makes it a little difficult for the audience to understand, let alone approve of, Clay’s actions, even though they admittedly want revenge.
Statham is a perfectionist on set
In terms of action, however, “The Beekeeper” is convincing. This is also because Statham is a meticulous worker. This was evident during a set visit a year ago at the Neasden Studios in London, in a former carpet warehouse near the famous Wembley Stadium. “He’s simply incredible,” enthuses co-actress Raver Lampman in an interview with the German Press Agency. “You can tell it’s in his blood, especially the big fight scenes and the stunts.”
After each take, Statham looks closely at what was filmed on the screen. The perfectionist has a scene in which Clay throws an internet fraudster through a window repeated because he is not satisfied. Physically in top shape and highly concentrated, the 56-year-old Brit, whose career began as a dancer in music videos (including “Run To The Sun” by Erasure), does his own stunts.
Director David Ayer has made action films (“Street Kings”), dark thrillers (“End Of Watch”) and superhero films (“Suicide Squad”) in the past. Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer has a similar CV (including “Street Kings”, “The Expendables 4”). In “The Beekeeper” they combine elements of everything. Adam Clay is, in a sense, an invincible superhero. He hardly gets a scratch for a long time. So it won’t be really exciting. But thanks to an interesting punchline in the story and the well-staged action scenes, “The Beekeeper” is an entertaining and entertaining action film despite somewhat questionable morals.
The Beekeeper, USA/UK 2024, 105 Min., FSK 16, von David Ayer, mit Jason Statham, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Jemma Redgrave
