Displaying items by tag: Jason Statham

A WORKING MAN

US, 2025, 116 minutes, Colour.

Jason Statham, Jason Fleming, Maximillian Osinski, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Arianna Rivas.

Directed by David Ayer.

25 years, ever since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, former British champion diver, Jason Statham, has starred in, and mostly top-lined, a continuous range of action films. And that includes the Fast and Furious franchise from number 6  onwards. Nearing 60, he is still one of the favourite actors for this kind of show, always British, not attempting an American accent.

He worked with director, David Ayer, in The Beekeeper (and a sequel is promised). They obviously click.

We see Statham’s character, Levon Cade, working for a Hispanic construction company in Chicago, on building sites. As a warmup, a group of thugs menace one of the workers – and come off the worse for wear after an encounter with Levon, much the worse for wear. But, we already knew what he was capable of.

He explains that he spent many years in Special Ops for the British, that it had its effect on him, tactics, violence and deaths, his absences, the death of his wife, not being able to see his young daughter, his wife’s resentful father now looking after her and trying to limit custody and access. But, it turns out to be the company owner’s daughter who will be in trouble, strong-minded, working in her father’s office, martial arts training (just as well for the final rescue) but suddenly abducted from a club.

If you are going to see A Working Man for the fights, you will not be disappointed (even if, probably, Statham himself is not doing all of them). But, this is rather complicated plot and we need to keep our wits about us. There are bikie gangs dealing drugs. There is a brotherhood of Russian migrants, well-to-do, sinister with their contacts and controls – but also some rebels in the next generation causing all kinds of trouble, living the high life, arrogant, and, somehow or other in their destiny, not fated to live longer lives after the initially smug encounters with Levon Cade.

Chicago settings, clubs, mansions, all kinds of popular ingredients, the hero who is rather impervious to feelings when villains and gangsters confront him, vigilante executions – but, always the soft spot for the daughter he rescues and nice sequences with his own daughter.

A Jason Statham show.

1. The popularity of Jason Statham action films? Working with director, David Ayer?
2. Statham, his screen presence, age, physique, British accent? At times laconic, at times talking? Strength, determination, fighting ability?
3. The title, Cade and his construction work, his background with the British, Special Ops, training, techniques, violence, detachment and involvement, ruthless, seemingly unemotional?
4. The company in Chicago, the boss and his family in the office, the threat to the worker on site, Cade confronting, defeating them and routing them? Anticipation of what is to come?
5. The boss’s daughter, strong-minded, work, study, martial arts training? Celebrating at the club? The abduction, being held, the woman guarding, her taunts?
6. Cade, the commission from the father, his commitment? His personal background, the suicide of his wife, his action, overseas, the depression, the daughter, love for her, his father-in-law and his hostility, custody and access, the outing with his daughter?
7. The complexities of the gangs and drug trading in Chicago? Cade and his getting information, tracking people down, going to the club, the African-American former soldier, leader, his henchmen? Cade involving him, drug deals?
8. The Russians, following the arrogant son of the leader, seeing him abuse his wife, getting the house, the confrontation, interrogating him over the pool, his death? Reactions of his father, the brotherhood of Russian gangsters in Chicago, the profligate son and his drugtaking, self-confidence, involved in the abduction? Cade confronting, their deaths? The manic members of the group, machine guns…? The quiet controllers in their offices, on their phones? The father, wanting revenge, crying out, told to be loyal to the group, no personal involvement?
9. The businessman, trafficking, choosing victims, his associates and their ruthlessness, self-confidence, his aquarium and fish hobby, their failures? The hold over the daughter?
10. Cade, following through, the leads, the confrontations, the shootings and deaths? The confrontation of the entrepreneur and his associates, their deaths?
11. Finding the daughter, her using her ingenuity, effecting the escape? Restoring her to her family? And coming back to his daughter and his future?
12. The portrait of a military man, skills, ruthlessness, issues of conscience, vigilantes, emotions?

THE BEEKEEPER

US, 2024, 105 minutes, Colour.

Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, David Witts, Taylor James, Phylicia Rashad, Jemma Redgrave, Minnie Driver.

Directed by David Ayer.

Yes, action star, Jason Statham, shows a certain expertise in beekeeping at the beginning of this film. But, he is much more. In fact, bees and beekeeping becomes a dramatic metaphor, frequently spelt out and quite explicitly throughout the film, for a clandestine very secret ops squad. With Jason Statham is the star, with a background of 57 films over 25 years, still maintaining top billing, audiences will know what to expect in terms of action, violence, heroics.

But, many older audiences will immediately identify with the action. On the day of writing this review, the reviewer saw on page 1 of the Melbourne Age, a heading: Thousands Hit by Fraud Scam. With venerable American television icon, Phylicia Rashad, so well remembered from The Cosby Show, sitting at her computer, suddenly getting a message that she is being hacked, responding to a phone number on her screen and, audiences identifying with her, becoming more tense as we (and not she) see a large team of generally young hackers, smug, greedy, affluent, completely amoral, sweet-talking her, giving her instructions, yet mocking her when she is not listening, and emptying her personal and charities account.

But, on her property, is Adam Clay, a very earthy biblical name for the beekeeper, who is indebted to her for her kindness to him. Of course, we are hoping that he will unmask this fraud team, wreak revenge on them. In fact, pretty quickly into the film, he does that, not just personal confrontations but firebombing the whole high-rise tower where they work. We see he has old connections with the beekeeper network.

But, this is only the beginning. He is led into even more avenging, and the characters behind the fraud and scamming have significant American political connections. He is violent in his avenging, the kind of combination, so popular in American films (as with Clint Eastwood, for instance, in High Plains Drifter) of Jews will Angel/Avenging Devil. And his principle for action is to abide by the law. But, when the law fails, justice, including punishment of which is the arbiter, is required.

It is a surprise to find Jeremy Irons co-starring with Jason Statham. He is the former head of the CIA and involved in the finances of an IT company, the owner of the company, played by Jemma Redgrave, has become President of the United States. And the focus is on her 28-year-old son, Josh Hutcherson, smug and smarmy, ultra-narcissistic, no consideration for anyone (except, sometimes, his mother). He is behind the scamming. The audience will find him loathsome. So does the beekeeper…

The film has a strong supporting cast led by Emmy Raver-Lampman, FBI agent, Phylicia Rashad’s daughter. There is also Minnie Driver as a Langley chief.

One hopes it is all highly far-fetched! But, given the emotion of the initial scam and the audience identifying with the drive for justice, action director, David Ayer, carries us along. So that we don’t have time to think about why they have no time for sleep, no meal breaks, no toilet stops, and how on earth the beekeeper could organise all the equipment that he uses, for fires, for weapons, for a final escape, and it all happening within a couple of days. Sequel likely. Very much willing suspension of disbelief!

1. The popularity of Jason Statham, as action hero, for more than 25 years? His screen persona, manner, appearance, age, British accent?
2. The title, Adam Clay, seen as a beekeeper, the scenes with the bees and the hives? His devotion to Mrs Parker, her care for him? Her episode at the computer, the warning, the phone call, the hackers, smug, greedy, disregard for her, mocking her behind her back, the passwords, her emptying the accounts? Her dismay, the consequences, shooting herself?
3. Clay, discovering the truth, his contacts, the information about the hacking company, his immediate action, within 24 hours, the gasoline, getting into the building, guards, his physical violence, going into the room for the hackers, confronting them, touches of violence, some escaping, the leader and Clay challenging him, pouring the gasoline, blowing up the building? Walking free?
4. Agent Parker, her story, her brother, proving herself, FBI? Her mother’s death? Her suspicions of Clay, meeting him, the arrest, harsh, the interrogation, no gunpowder were? Letting him go? Her wanting justice, his wanting justice? Issues of the law, application, limits? Vigilante justice? Her options? Clay’s options?
5. The pursuit of the case, Clay and is confronting with the leader, the car, his death in the river? Tracking down the other office, the smug group, the leader, confronting Clay? The same procedure, destruction?
6. Derek, his age, narcissistic, his dissolute way of life, control, his relationship with his mother, West willed as his minder, his CIA background, personality, issues of money, political connections? His phoning the CIA leader, her willingness to help, learning the truth about the Beekeepers, backing out? His ability to hire thugs, the attack on the beekeeping, destruction of the bees in the hives, burning down Mrs Parker’s house, but the confrontation with Clay, his destroying them?
7. The political issues, Derek and his mother, Pres of the US, his coming for the weekend, her devotion to him, spoiling him? The social, Clay and his infiltrating, preparation of weapons, for the getaway raft?
8. Derek, presumptuous, the money, control, his contacts, the shock of the destruction, the thugs and their deaths, political protection?
9. The buildup to the confrontation, Clay with West willed? Derek, with his mother, her learning the truth, her son financing her campaign, her decision to tell the truth, his reaction? Clay and the confrontation, Derek’s death?
10. Agent Parker, the apartment, their interactions, the pursuits, getting information, the FBI meetings, the commission to pursue the issues? The FBI, the social, death? Agent Parker and the personal response to Clay, letting him go at the end?
11. Clay, the final escape? The plausibility of the plot? Vigilante violence? Justice when the law cannot administer it?

EXPEND4BLES

US, 2023, 103 minutes, Colour.

Jason Statham, 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Andy Garcia, Sylvester Stallone, Jacob Scipio.

Directed by Scott Waugh.

As we might expect from the previous three Expendable episodes, this is an old-fashioned, macho action show. Actually, an emphasis on the “old”, with Sylvester Stallone turning 77 as the film was released, Andy Garcia 67, Dolph Lundgren 66 – but hero, Jason Statham (just coming from The Mg 2) only 56! In a fight scene, Sylvester Stallone’s character throws a fight opponent over his shoulder, the immediate thought arises of stunt doubles.

We might have been expecting more oldies, as there were in the previous films, but this is something of the B-cast. There are the two action actors, Tony Jaa from Malaysia and Ilo Uwais from Indonesia, both popular from martial arts movies, A-listers from Asia.

The often crass humour is of the bar-brawling, crotch-clutching type. And the issue of the presence of women? Not a main feature of this kind of very male action show. At first, there is a stridently angry Gina (Megan Fox) and pole dancers and assorted women in a bar. And the language about women and crass references are very much out of place in these times. And this must have occurred to the writers because there are later references to dealing well with women and, to our surprise, the leader of the main expedition turns out to be Gina, with a female associate, but in terms of casting, raising the question of the credibility of Megan Fox leading an attack expedition confronting a large ship, big crew, in the Indian Ocean carrying nuclear warheads.

So, an opening of explosions and gunfire in Libya, then the expedition in the Indian Ocean, fights, heroics, and a high body count of expendables, mainly the baddies.

There is one of those old-fashioned twists in the narrative, the American government sending the expedition off, a traitor, a final confrontation.

This is one of those action adventures that one can watch, enjoy and criticise, wonder about the credibility of so much of the plotline (action in Libya, the invader confronting a general, might have taken about 20 minutes in real time – but then, the scene in the bar, the report of the events, the rounding up of an expedition, and a flight from the US to Libya, the forces arriving at the end of the 20 minutes in real time!)

Apart from Stallone being absent for most of the film and the revelation of the traitor, it is all rather obvious and straightforward stuff.