Directed by David Ayer (Suicide Squad (2016); End of Watch (2012); The Tax Collector (2020)) and starring Jason Statham (Fast X (2023); The Mechanic (2011); The Expendables (2010); The Transporter (2002)), Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune (1990); The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981); House of Gucci (2021)), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games (2012); Ultraman (tv series, 2019-2023); Ultraman (tv series, 2017-2020)), Bobby Naderi (Bright (2017); How I Got There (2022)) and Emmy Raver-Lampman (Backlight (2022); The Umbrella Academy (tv series, 2019-2024)).
Action thriller; 105 mins; 16+
Living a quiet life in New England, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is a beekeeper and, as the storyline reveals, a retired Beekeeper - a clandestine government operation that "kept the system in place".
When the retired lady - from whom he rents a shed for his beekeeping - is the victim of a scam which sees all of her accounts emptied, he seeks revenge. In doing so, he uses his connections to track down the source of the scam to a call centre which he destroys, leaving a number of casualties in his wake.
The lady's daughter, Agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), is an FBI agent and together with her partner, Agent Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi), are assigned the the case of the destroyed call centre, following it all the way to the end. Along the way, they ask themselves which should be most important, the law or justice.
Adam Clay discovers that the call centre was just one of a network, so he goes to the top, 28 year-old Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) who is protected by the former head of the CIA, Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons). It turns out that Danforth Industries and all the companies within its wide network, including a data mining company who software is used by clients including the FBI itself, has been obtaining millions of dollars fraudulently to fund his mother's political campaign.
The Beekeeper exacts brutal revenge in a film that has an interesting plot and storyline, with plenty of fight sequences and some gore. But that should not take away from the peaceful New England rural setting and the multiple references to the art of beekeeping and the way that bees live. Entertaining.
Currently screening at Kineoplis in Luxembourg.
