Movie Review: A Working Man (2025)

A Working Man (2025) co-written and directed by David Ayer

Jason Statham is Levon Cade, a single dad whose daughter is mostly in the custody of his father-in-law since his wife died. As ex-special forces, he is deemed "dangerous" by that side of the family. But Cade has given up soldiering for construction work. When his boss's (Michael Cena) daughter (Arianna Rivas) is kidnapped with no ransom demand, Cade reluctantly agrees to get her back. He hunts down what turns out to be a human trafficking organization run by Russians that has lots of layers and connections to seedy underworld businesses. Cade is all business as he works his way through their chain of command to get the girl back.

While Statham is reliably good at the action, the plot gets harder and harder to believe as the movie goes on. The set-up is solid with the intriguing mystery about why she was taken. Cade seemingly has no money but during the investigation he suddenly has all sorts of surveillance equipment, several cars, several weapons, and wads of cash to pass himself off as a drug dealer. David Harbour's role is little more than a cameo--he provides an out-of-the-way place for Cade to stash his pre-teen daughter when "things get personal." Maybe I would have put up with the ridiculous stuff if the movie had more of a sense of humor like in other Statham movies or more convincing bad guys. 

Not recommended--this isn't terrible but it doesn't offer much entertainment either. 

Movie Review: The Beekeeper (2024)

The Beekeeper (2024) directed by David Ayer

This movie starts with a harrowing sequence of a retired black lady getting all of her savings stolen by a cyberfraud company that preys on people like her. Unfortunately for the company, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) lives next door and is friends with the old lady. In despair she shoots herself, sending Adam on a revenge spree that climbs the corporate ladder all the way to the top. The lady's daughter (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is an FBI agent, so she is working the crime from a more legally restrained angle, also getting up to the top but at least one step behind Clay. Clay used to be a federal employee. He was in the "Beekeepers," an extra-elite and extra-secret unit that most of the FBI and CIA don't know about. He is very effective at what he does, and what he does is very violent and very effective.

The movie is an entertaining action romp. Some of the logic does not quite connect in many places. But the old-fashioned theme of justice winning out is satisfying, as is Statham's ability to fight out in the open or in tight situations. The movie is not going to win any Oscars but it clear is not interested in doing that. It's a rip-roaring time and plays well to Statham's strong, silent, violent type.

Recommended.

Movie Review: The Meg (2018)

The Meg (2018) directed by Jon Turtletaub

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) was a deep sea rescuer. His last rescue mission had his crew saving men from a sunken submarine. The submarine was attacked by something big enough to crush the hull. It looked like a giant shark to Jonas. Jonas had to make the hard call to leave behind two of his crew who died when the sub exploded. He lost his job, his wife, and his career. Five years later, his ex-wife  is working for a scientific exploratory station in the middle of the ocean. Her submersible is caught far below the known ocean floor and has only eighteen hours of oxygen left. The rich financier and the project head find a semi-drunk Jonas living above a bar on a tropical island (where else) and convince him to save her, because he is the only one who can! Jonas reluctantly agrees, only to face his old nemesis, a megalodon shark over 70 feet long.

The plot is a blend of many different cliches, the sort you expect in a mindless summer action film. The big surprise is how the story keeps going on and on. At first, I expected the focus to stay on the ex-wife in the ultra-deep. That story line is quickly resolved but then the mega-shark escapes and a whole extra story is provided. That seems to conclude only to lead into more big shark shenanigans and even more cliches. If you are able to put your mind in neutral, it's a fine ride.

The acting varies. Statham is charming as always though he doesn't do much martial arts (they do have the gratuitous shirtless scene). A little girl hits all her cute marks. The rest of the cast, including Jonas's new love interest (the mother of the little girl, naturally) are okay but not outstanding. This movie isn't really about acting, though. The big shark doesn't get a lot of screen time and occasionally looks a little to CGI, but otherwise is fine.

If you want to see a great and entertaining shark movie, Jaws or Deep Blue Sea are the high water mark. This is a fun, not entirely serious, not entirely believable shark movie that's worth at least one watch.

Mildly recommended.

Movie Review: The Mechanic (2011)

The Mechanic (2011) directed by Simon West

Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a "mechanic," i.e. an efficient assassin for a shadowy agency that hires out hit men. Often the hits need to look like accidents or to be blamed on someone else. Bishop is great at his job. His mentor is Harry (Donald Sutherland), who is now restricted to a wheel-chair and can't do assignments. Harry can't connect with his ne'er-do-well son, either. A hit takes out Harry. In the aftermath Bishop and the son work together, partly to avenge Harry and partly...well...to keep the story going. The plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense. This is a Jason Statham vehicle, designed to show of his grit and action skills more than to develop nuanced storytelling.

The action is surprisingly sporadic. Some bits are very unbelievable but aren't redeemed by having a fun, over-the-top feel to them. The movie is straight-faced about its drama. Statham is his usual charming self. He's great at the action scenes but they don't showcase his talent like other films (the Transporter series comes to mind). The plot is just enough to string together various action set pieces.

So this is a movie that really could be better with a sequel or reboot. Here's the end of the summer offering Mechanic: Resurrection...



This movie does look like an upgrade for the story. It embraces over-the-top action and has more of a sense of fun. Tommy Lee Jones won't die off in the first third of the film, which I guess is a spoiler but also is reassuring that Statham won't have to carry everything. There was a girlfriend in the first film, but she seemed to be there just for sex and to tie up loose plot threads; she was never a person in her own right. Jessica Alba has the cliche role of the damsel in distress. Happily, she might be fending for herself more than the cliche would allow. Maybe I'll catch Mechanic: Resurrection in the theater; I will definitely rent the DVD!

Movie Review: Parker (2013)

Parker (2013) directed by Taylor Hackford

Parker is a character tailor-made for Jason Statham. Parker is a loner tough guy who can get a job done. Most of his jobs are of the illegal sort, but at least Parker has a moral code that puts him in the sympathetic-to-likable category. He doesn't steal from people who can't afford it and he doesn't hurt people who don't deserve it. Statham as Parker definitely has the skills to get things done without killing and has enough charm to make him seem almost like a good guy.

The movie begins with a heist at the Ohio State Fair. The weekend ticket sales are somewhere between a million and 1.5 million dollars, making a good haul for five well-organized thieves. Parker does the organizing. The heist goes mostly without a hitch except one of the guys sets fire to hay bales by a stage rather than the live stock pens, which endangered some lives. The fire is only supposed to be a distraction that facilitates the getaway. The guy doesn't really care but Parker is ready to take his cut and dump these losers during the getaway.

The problem is the other brainy guy in the group, Melander, has another heist he's ready to do but he needs all five guys. Parker declines. Melander decides Parker can't live if he knows about the plan (though the information about the plan is rather meager and doesn't really justify killing Parker). Naturally, when the four other guys try to kill Parker, he just about makes it out alive. After a brief gunfight, Parker jumps from the moving car but is knocked unconscious on the road. The guys stop and they send the guy who messed up the fire to shoot Parker dead. As you might imagine, he messes up the shooting, leaving Parker for dead rather than dead. Parker is discovered by a good Samaritan family who take him to a local hospital. Before he even recovers, he escapes the hospital and seeks revenge against the four that done him wrong. The trip will take him to some dodgy places in exotic locales like New Orleans and Miami as he tracks down their next heist in order to kill them.

Jennifer Lopez is shoe-horned into the story as a Miami real estate agent who is pretty desperate. She drives Parker (who is posing as a wealthy Texan) around to various houses he might rent though he is actually trying to find the bad guys' hideout. When she finally figures out something of what he's up to, she helps him for a cut of the heist. Too bad for her Parker isn't interested so much in the heist or in her as a girlfriend (he's got one back in Chicago to whom he remains faithful, another check in the sympathetic-to-likable category). But he's an upstanding guy and by the end of the film he's taking care of her and the family who were good Samaritans to him.

The movie Parker is much like the heists in the film. A somewhat clever set-up leads to a simple smash-and-grab of valuables with a getaway tagged on the end. I enjoyed it well enough. It had some good laughs and lots of hard-hitting Statham action. The fights get a little graphic and the consequences don't last for long. Parker had a knife jabbed through his hand which was a problem during the fight but later, after his girlfriend sews up the wound, everything is fine. Also, when he left the hospital after gun shot wounds and a concussion he was back in fighting form in a day or two. Realism isn't the movie's strong point or even something remotely close to what they've done. Sometimes stuff like that bothers me but other times I just go with it. Going in with low expectations is a requirement for this film. Mine were low enough to make it enjoyable but I'm not sure I can recommend it.

Oh, and here's a fabulous line delivered perfectly by Statham when he's "interrogating" a guy with a bar stool:

If you don't tell me what I need to know, I'm gonna press down on this chair until it crushes your trachea. Trust me, it's agonizing. Plus, there's the posthumous humiliation of having been killed with a chair. 

Parental advisory:  In addition to the dubious morality of all the characters except for the Samaritan family, there's lots of violence and bad language. And Parker makes sure Jennifer Lopez isn't wearing a wire when she offers to help him out. So we all get to see her in her underwear, which isn't a spoiler because it's in the trailer. It's a solid R-rated film.

Movie Trailer

Movie Review: The Bank Job (2008)

The Bank Job (2008) directed by Roger Donaldson

The Bank Job (based on a true story) tells of a bank heist ordered by some UK government officials in 1973 to recover compromising photos of a member of the royal family. Wanting deniability, a mid-level official gets his sometimes girlfriend Martine (Saffron Burroughs) to put together a team of robbers who won't know the true objective. The robbers think they're only in it for the money. Lots of other entanglements (like various crime lords and the legitimate police investigation of the robbery) make the job and the getaway a lot more difficult and a lot more dramatic. Jason Stathham plays the guy organizing the heist and trying to keep things together in the fallout afterwards.

The story is pretty interesting. A lot of the complications seem like they'd be contrivances but that "based on a true story" under the title makes them more acceptable. For example, a ham radio operator stumbles on the frequency the robbers are using on their walkie-talkies and the police get involved earlier than anyone expects. The conclusion is satisfying if somewhat more Hollywood than I imagined it would be.

This movie does need some major warnings. First of all, there's a lot of sex and many naked women running around in it. Way too much for my taste. The language is pretty bad (standard R-rated fare). The violence is only occasionally but rough and realistic. Which brings me to the other warning this movie should have. If you're a Jason Statham fan, you might have a certain expectation when it comes to action scenes. He's a great fighter and has lots of style, something my wife and I enjoy seeing in his other movies. There's none of that in this movie. He's a tough guy and does beat up one guy, but no fancy martial arts or fight sequences are on display. He gives a fine performance otherwise.