I saw news online that Jason Statham recently starred in a new movie, The Beekeeper, and although I didn't go into detail about it, I was very much looking forward to its release.
Jason Statham is one of my favorite foreign movie stars, and I watch his films all the time, and some even watch them twice, especially "The Trafficker" starring him and Shu Qi.
His handsome appearance, strong physique, clean movements, and intelligent acting skills often make him play the role of the embodiment of personal heroism and justice, which is deeply loved by the audience.
However, this time "The Beekeeper" disappointed me. The entire film is almost entirely action-oriented, lacking depth and surprising twists. The only thing the audience can experience is the contrasting charm of Jason Statham's action of slashing all the way to the end and his characteristic London accent.
At the beginning of the film, the viewer sees a man busily harvesting honey in the quiet countryside. He is a real beekeeper and his life is as industrious as that of a farmer. His landlord is a kind retired old woman who manages a charitable fund.
This beekeeper is Jason Statham, playing a character named Adam Clay. When he told the old lady that he had never been cared for so much, I had a premonition that misfortune was coming. Sure enough, the old lady was confronted with a telecom scam, a simple and crude method that tricked the elderly into downloading malware and using botched lines to gain their trust and sympathy, and eventually ransacked their bank accounts.
Faced with the despair of having her account ransacked, the old lady chose to commit suicide.
Her death provoked the anger of Adam Clay, who pulled his phone out of his hive and searched for the hideout of the scam syndicate, carrying two barrels of gasoline and reducing the office building to ashes.
The enemy quickly came in search of revenge, but Adam easily dealt with it. He then took the initiative, dismantling in a short period of time a network of telecom fraud that had kept the FBI helpless for years, and unexpectedly exposing a vast interest group whose tentacles extended to the top of the government and even touched the president of the United States.
In Statham's film universe, the role of the villain is often less important. Thus, Drake, played by Josh Hutcherson, is nothing more than an arrogant, reckless, arrogant liar whose office is decorated as a nightclub. As for the more important villain in the film, Wallace played by Jeremy Irons, his presence also seems a little redundant, as if he is just a stepping stone on Adam's path to justice.
Guided by Adam's fearless and relentless strategy of revenge, the FBI finally found a breakthrough in the telecom fraud network case. By the end of the movie, the FBI chooses to let Adam go, destroys the wire fraud syndicate, and exposes the scandal of the President of the United States. On the surface, it seems that the ultimate beneficiary is still the U.S. government.
It's a superficial, goofy, but enjoyable film. In the film, Statham portrays a contemporary Steven Siegel-esque character, a skilled killing machine: with high morals and unconventional ways of killing. However, the era of this genre of cinema is gone, and it is no longer enough to attract people to the cinema.
The key to the success of the movie "The Beekeeper" lies in Jason Statham's performance. The role he plays needs to be a thug who shines with power, not an actor who is good at acting. Whenever Statham appears in his serious image with a sense of humor, viewers have every reason to believe that he can defeat an entire Navy SEAL team with just one glance.
It is through director David Ayer's powerful approach to filming, huge sound effects and intense editing that the action element of the film is pushed to the top. In fact, almost any actor will be able to master this somewhat chaotic absurdist comedy, just by showing his side at the right time.
These scenes further reinforce the stereotype of a "Statham film", but Ayer cleverly arranges a detail in the film: before Statham's action, he pauses briefly to reiterate his moral convictions, the biology of bees, and warns against theft of the elderly.
Director Aya finally realized that in filmmaking, understanding the psychology of the audience is crucial. Audiences walk into the cinema in search of excitement and experience that dizzying thrill. In order to achieve this effect, the most effective way is to speed up the pace of the plot and avoid leaving room for the audience to think.
Throughout "The Beekeeper", Adam Clay seems to be chased by an invisible ghost, constantly running and fighting. He was like a "moving disaster", as if no obstacle could stand in his way.
From the beginning to the end, the film seems to show Adam's madness for days and nights. It's so fast that you can barely breathe.
The film "The Beekeeper" intuitively presents a raw aesthetic. Jason Statham's on-screen performance is not just a display of violence, but a direct and brutal art form. Aya may want to express, and this is what the viewer really desires, this element that directly touches the visual and emotional. He probably guessed right, at least for viewers who love action movies, the movie does provide enough thrill.
From this film, we can deduce a cinematic meaning: it emphasizes the power of raw power and the charm of direct action. In today's society, people may be tired of complex emotions and slow plot development, and they seek a direct, energetic way to release.
Through the character of Jason Statham, the film offers an idealized way to escape reality, allowing people to experience a primal sense of impulse and control while watching it.