KSL Movie Show review: ‘The Beekeeper’ is a bit over-the-top

SALT LAKE CITY — It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of Jason Statham’s since the early days of his career. He rarely disappoints, even when he’s punching a massive shark in the snout.

However, I’m forced to tread a little lightly after his latest offering, “The Beekeeper.”

See, he’s now he’s a real beekeeper, like the gathering of honey type, but before, he was an exceptionally-trained protector of justice in a super secret government program that is under no one’s supervision. The idea is that sometimes “the hive” gets out of whack and “a beekeeper” steps in to make the necessary corrections – again, without oversight.

But those days are long behind him. Retired Adam Clay (Statham) is now in the honey business on a quiet farm away from everyone, except for his kindly neighbor Eloise (Phylicia Rashad) who looks in on him from time to time.

You can imagine how ticked off he’s going to be when he discovers her lifeless body next to her computer terminal where some cyber scam company has wiped out all of her bank accounts and a children’s charity fund she managed worth more than $2 million.

I would advise a wise audience to take note of how slick these cyber crooks were at convincing Eloise to allow them access. So this acts as a cautionary tale followed by truckloads of massive butt-kicking.

The beekeeper leaves the farm

Turns out, Adam Clay knows “people” and it doesn’t take them long to find the source of the thievery. So, Adam Clay pays them a visit with two five-gallon cans of gasoline, leading to one of my favorite moments in the movie, where he gruffly tells the receptionist that he’s here to burn this company and its building to the ground. To which she replies, “Oh ok. Thank you.” Hilarious.

After warning the jerks in the call center of his intentions, he proceeds to torch the place, which gets the attention of the bigger jerk kid boss Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) who is strangely under the protection of the former CIA director Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons). You’ll find out later why and it frankly gets a little more than nuts.

Determined to protect “the hive,” Clay continues up the chain of command, even though an army of mercenaries and FBI swat teams have descended upon whatever chaos he’s created and still can’t slow him down. It doesn’t help that Eloise’s own daughter, FBI Agent Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is hot on Clay’s trail, even though she secretly respects his intentions to get revenge for her mother’s death.

Wow, Jason Statham really has his hands full on this one. It’s almost like he’s trying to “out wick” John Wick, which is not a huge stretch given Statham’s athleticism.

But come on my brother, you didn’t think this was a bit over-the-top? I’d await an answer. But it won’t be coming. Because… he’s Jason Statham!

THE BEEKEEPER (B-) Rated R for strong violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexual reference and drug use. Starring Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons and Phylicia Rashad. Directed by David Ayer (“Suicide Squad” “End of Watch”) – filmed in Boston and London. Running time: 105 minutes.

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.

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