New to Amazon Prime Video in July 2024, The Beekeeper is an action thriller typifying Jason Statham’s vigilante brand of cinema. The story concerns Adam Clay, (Statham), a beekeeper who mounts a violent revenge campaign on behalf of his swindled landlady, Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad). Hired by the FBI to find her killer, Clay is identified as a member of the Beekeepers, a cryptic organization known for secret intelligence missions.
While The Beekeeper has drawn positive reviews (70% Rotten Tomatoes) for its breathless action and slick production values, the formulaic plot makes it hard not to think of Statham’s previous action extravaganzas. Statham made the first of two Mechanic movies in 2011, co-starring the late great Donald Sutherland. For those who got a kick out watching Statham go toe-to-toe with Jeremy Irons in The Beekeeper, The Mechanic comes highly recommended.
What Is The Beekeeper About?
The Beekeeper is a vicious action thriller directed by David Ayer from a screenplay by Kurt Wimmer. Jason Statham stars as Adam Clay, an ordinary beekeeper hiding a secret identity. The plot advances when Clay’s longtime friend and building owner, Eloise Parker, is cheated out of $2 million by an online fraud scheme. Feeling immense remorse, Parker takes her life, prompting Clay to track down the criminals and serve swift justice.
Parker’s daughter, FBI Agent Verona Parker (Emily Raver-Lampman), helps Clay find the criminals, who use technology to obscure their location. Clay rounds up members of the Beekeepers, an elite intelligence task force, to pinpoint the group’s location and deliver hyper-violent justice. As they get closer, the primary villain is revealed to be Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons), the head of security for Danforth Enterprises.
Along with Wallace, Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) and his mother, President Jessica Danforth (Jemma Redgrave), are revealed to be involved with the phishing scheme that victimized Eloise. Apart from the inverted ending that mirrors the conclusion of The Mechanic, the characters, plot, and nonstop action are on par with The Beekeeper. However, thanks to the performance of Donald Sutherland, the acting and emotional nucleus are arguably superior.
The Mechanic Is Even Better than The Beekeeper
A remake of the classic 1972 Charles Bronson actioner, The Mechanic is a vigilante action thriller directed by Simon West. Jason Statham stars as Arthur Bishop, a skilled hitman who makes his assassinations appear like accidents, suicides, and coincidences. After drowning a Colombian drug lord in his swimming pool, Arthur returns home to New Orleans and meets his friend and teacher, Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland). Following the meeting, Arthur is ordered to kill Harry by his boss, Dean Sanderson (Tony Goldwyn). Despite the heartbreak, Arthur assassinates Harry, making it appear like a car theft gone badly.
Harry’s assassination springboards the plot, introducing Harry’s vengeful son Steve (Ben Foster). Steve begins training under Arthur and they start tracking various targets. When Steve kills a target named Burke (Jeff Chase), Steve becomes angry with Arthur for training Harry’s son and orders a gang of armed henchmen to attack. The plot shifts focus when it is revealed that Dean framed Harry for a blown assignment and tricked Arthur into murdering his mentor Harry. Meanwhile, another plot twist comes when Steve betrays Arthur after learning Arthur killed Harry, unaware that it was done under pretenses orchestrated by Dean.
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The ending of The Mechanic functions inversely to that of The Beekeeper. Instead of Arthur exacting revenge on Steve, Agent Parker forgoes the opportunity to avenge Adam. It’s the Jason Statham action formula set in reverse. Statham’s interactions with the great Jeremy Irons in the latter are reminiscent of his onscreen rapport with Donald Sutherland in the former. Similarly, Hutcherson’s Derek Danforth is similar to Foster’s Steve McKenna, youthful adversaries who get in way over their heads after encountering Statham’s character.
How Statham vs. Sutherland Shapes The Mechanic
The death of Harry McKenna (Sutherland) is the inciting event and emotional core of The Mechanic. Despite his brief screen time in the acclaimed action thriller, Sutherland delivers an undeniable pathos to the character, which informs Arthur’s torment the rest of the way. A loving father figure and professional mentor who has been there for Harry for years, Harry’s teary-eyed farewell in the parking garage moments before his painful demise gives the movie more heart and soul than most routine Statham action movies, including The Beekeeper.
It’s difficult enough to watch when Arthur believes he’s doing the right thing. In retrospect, it’s much more devastating when Harry learns he was fooled into killing his closest ally. Harry’s compliance and willingness to help Arthur make the death look accidental is even harder to take. Yet, beyond the emotional resonance that Sutherland adds to the film, the riveting action and exhilarating set pieces make The Mechanic cooler and a bit craftier than The Beekeeper.
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For example, a standout sequence in The Mechanic involves Arthur and Steve assassinating a bad guy named Andrew Vaughn (John McConnell). The intense scene entails Arthur and Steve infiltrating Vaughn’s high-rise and inducing a heart attack via adrenaline injection. However, when Vaughn’s ketamine levels neutralize the adrenaline, the two assassins improvise a clumsy suffocation that amplifies the tension and suspense. The Beekeeper features more routine shoot-em-up gunplay than inventive action sequences. The execution is honorable in The Beekeeper, but The Mechanic remains a fresher and more ferocious Jason Statham action movie.
The Mechanic is available to stream now on Fubo & Paramount+.
