Hollywood and the crew presented us with a new action-packed film, with the movie coming out all but standing alone with many other films to also come out at the time. Due to this, people may not have also fully recognized the movie at all because of its advertising. It was under the radar, but once reviews started rolling in, the cash and people came through as well. Amazon MGM Studios presents: The Beekeeper.
The Beekeeper came out in U.S. theaters and the rest of the world on January 12, 2024. As of March the only way to watch is in theaters and paying the big streaming services to snatch up your money. The official runtime is 105 minutes or 1 hour and 45 minutes, it’s directed by David Ayer with cinematography by Gabriel Beristain, and the official budget for the movie was $40 million.
The Beekeeper follows a dramatic plot where lead role Mr. Clay, played by Jason Statham, seeks revenge against scam and call centers scattered around the United States. He seeks revenge because Mrs. Parker, being an elderly woman, was the only one to ever care for him, but she happens to kick the bucket when she gets scammed out of $2 million in savings. Mr. Clay takes it personally, and was also supposed to enjoy dinner with her that same day when he stumbles upon the body. He meets Agent Verona Parker played by Emmy Raver-Lampman, who is the daughter of Mrs. Parker, and she begins to question and talk to Mr. Clay.
Other protagonists include Matt Wiley, played by Bobby Naderi, who is Verona’s FBI partner. These three have a trio-like dynamic in the film although sometimes antagonize each other in scenes. It splits into scenes about Mr. Clay and the others, focusing on Verona and her partner Matt. They often cross paths with each other and Mr. Clay and Verona having to work together because they share sympathy and relation to the main victim, Verona’s mother and her untimely passing. Mrs. Parker being the only one who ever cared for Mr. Clay, he took it upon himself to avenge her and destroy the scam centers.
On key movie rating websites, IMDb rated it 6.4/10 and Rotten Tomatoes rated it 71%. However it should be noted that if you like a movie you like it, and these websites are a collective group of people with a final average rating. The movie was pretty good and had a lot of what people were looking for: some action with a side of humor. It met these goals or criteria fairly easily with its style of deadpan comedy (no emotion after jokes). It could also be due to the action itself, and some scenes were meant to be funny even though they were action and it all fits well. Mr. Clay is a guy with a serious tone but who is funny when not expected to be comedic; to put it short it hit.
For what it wasn’t so great with however was its timing. It took a huge jump from when the plot was initiated and resolved. It is an action film, but action took form too quickly, and it didn’t have time to fully display what the characters’ full potential and stories were. Only Mr. Clay had some full development because he was the center point for the film. It also had plot twists that weren’t too necessary and served no full purpose. The main problem I had is despite its good humor, there were parts when the character was meant to be funny but came across as annoying. A character like that would be Lazarus, a main antagonist who tries to kill Mr. Clay. However, those were only the key points that were distasteful while the rest was a result of amazingness.
The film however was rated R due to its extreme violence and use of language. Other than that, the action was great, the casting fit well, the humor had its ups, and the pacing needed work. It was a great film even for people who might not always enjoy a few blood splatters. I give a lot of praise to the acting and the writing which meshed very well. The Beekeeper definitely was an interesting movie but I hope more come out just like it.
