Movie Review - The Beekeeper

I have a fondness for revenge-porn movies like this, but this movie didn't execute anything new or entertaining for me. It's basically a connect-the-dots level plot. It seems obvious that the idea for this movie came when Kurt Wimmer (script writer) read that ...some bees are queen slayers, which will rise up and kill their queen if she fails to produce the wrong kind of male offspring. And then used that factoid as the basis for an entire movie.

Kurt Wimmer has written some good scripts in the past, such as Equilibrium, SALT (loved it) and Law Abiding Citizen, which is, in my opinion, one of the jewels of the revenge-porn genre. But then there's the Point Break remake which didn't impress and Expend4bles, which according to the Peeple's Poll was the worst movie of 2023. Kurt is definitely a hit and miss script writer. I would personally love to understand how someone can write a great script for a movie and then follow it up with a pile of shit script.

7:42●●● 95%

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Good writers write, great writers steal

In every movie that has a badass character there has to be a scene that sets them up. Usually it's an action scene where we see the character perform some act of violence that shows the audience what a character is capable of. But in the John Wick movie there's an example of an even better way to achieve this effect. Instead of seeing John Wick in action we see another character, the father (mafia boss), about to kill another character (the mechanic) for mistreating his son. When the father finds out that this is all because his son crossed John Wick the father completely changes his tune. The reaction of the father tells us everything we need to know about John Wick.

The same approach is used three times in The Beekeeper. This is something that works great if you do it the right way just once. But three times, it becomes a cliche of itself. That's the sort of script this movie has to work with.

Who to kill and who to let go

Another character-building ploy is to show the badasses ethics by who they injure/kill and who they let go. It bothered me throughout the movie that so many security guards, FBI agents, Secret Service agents, etc. were treated. These are prop characters that are on a job. They didn't do anything wrong. They're either security guards trying to earn a paycheck or government agents who, ostensibly, are no different than soldiers, working for the safety and security of their country.

Adam Clay (Jason Statham) goes through the security agents were killed or horribly injured just for trying to do their job. At the same time, Clay lets dozens of employees who steal from the elderly just walk away. He even tells them they can walk away even after he sees them celebrating as they fleece an elderly person.

Bad Casting

I really thought Josh Hutcherson was horribly cast as Derek Danforth. Either he can't pull off being that sleazy, or, more likely, I still see too much of Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games in him. At any rate, there are better actors around to cast as sleaze bags.

The other Beekeeper

One last complaint. What was up with the other Beekeeper character? Shouldn't a beekeeper be a person who at least tries to keep a low profile? They should have been portrayed as something similar to a ninja: get in, do the job, leave and never let anyone be the wiser. But somehow, this other beekeeper was an over-the-top lunatic with a minigun. Not subtle at all. In a world where this Beekeeper agency exists it wouldn't last long if she's out killing people for all the world to see. That's just not really well thought world-building.

Grade: D+

A second take from Rob Williams

Every so often my local cinema has a mystery screening. The tickets are half price but you don’t know what you are going to see. The only hint is that it hasn’t been released yet. My long suffering wife and I usually make an evening of it; we go out for a meal at one of our favourite restaurants and then toddle across to the cinema. It was also nice as this latest one was the day before  the current Mrs Williams’ birthday. So off we went. Had a lovely three course dinner and then went to see whatever we were going to see. You really don’t get to know until you see the censor certificate!

So we were sat there and were making plans which films to go and see based on the trailers. Wicked Little Letters looks interesting as does The Holdovers and Argylle. But they are treats for a later date. The lights dimmed, the certificate comes up and it is, obviously, The Beekeeper. Now, it  just so happens that I’d seen a trailer for The Beekeeper and knew it was going to be a typical Jason Statham action caper; lots of fights, mayhem, and uproar. What I wasn’t expecting was the number of people who walked out as soon as the title was revealed! I mean, I know you aren’t going to expect the same sort of performance from Mr Statham as you might from, for example, Ian McKellen.

Expose the Corruption

One guy a couple of rows in front, tripped as he was leaving and said that that would be more entertaining than any Jason Statham film. I’ll admit that I was a bit worried as to what my wife would think as I can just flick the appropriate brain switches and settle into mindless nonsense appreciation mode. I remember, many years ago, talking with a professor of English Literature about films he enjoyed. I expected titles like My Dinner With Andre, Babette’s Feast, or a Shakespeare adaptation. He actually said “anything with Arnold Schwarzenegger in”! His reasoning was that he spent his working life with serious performers and he wanted to relax with gurning, ridiculous, comedic, action that didn’t need any thought.

I did whisper to my wife that she needn’t expect any thespian treats from the evening. Jason Statham as Adam Clay a.k.a. The Beekeeper, was action Statham as opposed to the quasi-comedic character he played in Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, or The Italian Job. He never smiles, doesn’t say a lot, but can look after himself in a sticky situation. Pretty much the same as in The Transporter, The Mechanic, or The Expendables. You see Jason Statham’s name on the poster, you know what you are going to get. 

Protect the Hive

As it happened there were some good performances. Jeremy Irons, as the former head of the CIA Wallace Westwyld, Minnie Driver as the current director Janet Harward, and Jemma Redgrave as President Danforth were all giving their usual best. Tongues may have been firmly in cheek but there was no reduction in effort…except maybe for accents. There was a line when someone said they detected a hint of Britain about Adam Clay’s accent and the whole cinema burst out laughing. None of the four I’ve mentioned really made much effort to sound American. But, ultimately, you don’t go to a Jason Statham film for a masterclass in dialects and accents!

OK, there are ludicrous aspects. Not least is the fact that the nickname of Beekeeper is given to these particular agents due to the actual task they do. But having them all go off and actually become beekeepers is more than a little ridiculous! But you can easily ignore that. The main story is that Adam’s friend and neighbour Eloise (Phylicia Rashad) commits suicide after being bankrupted by a group of phishing scammers. Adam sets out to destroy them all and, be honest, who hasn’t answered the phone to a scammer and wished we could set Jason Statham on them? Is it high art? No. Is it mindless, undemanding entertainment? Oh yes!

Rob's grade: B+

Plot
In The Beekeeper, one man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers".