If “The Beekeeper” was a Sundance film, the plot would go something like this:
“Disenchanted with life, a beekeeper finds himself faced with the challenging mission of self-discovery, leaves everything behind and embarks upon a solitary annual journey to follow the path of the blooming springtime flowers. However, palpable solitary silence soon turns into unspoken tension, and bittersweet nostalgia evolves into self-destructive obsession.”
Luckily, “The Beekeeper” is not that film, which actually was the plot of a 1986 Greek film of the same title starring one of Italy’s greatest leading men, Marcello Mastroianni. This Beekeeper is played by English action star Jason Statham and he is a retired operative from a secret organization that vaguely resembles “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” an intelligence society outside the government with a near religious approach to keeping the world order, or in this case, protecting the hive.
The Beekeeper literally also tends to bees and lives on a quiet Massachusetts farm, helping a retired teacher maintain the property. The teacher, played by Phylicia Rashad, becomes the victim of a computer phishing scam with devastating consequences. The Beekeeper returns to his old professional contacts to exact revenge upon the bad guys.
The film begins with intertwining the science of beekeeping with beautifully shot opening sequences, which later prove to be unfulfilled promise. As soon as the revenge sequences take off, and they do take off in the expected Jason Statham action pacing, the dialogue, any semblance of fight-scene reality, and the initial intellectual ties between beekeeping and the plot all go out the window.
A very strong supporting cast is wasted, including Jeremy Irons and Minnie Driver, who simply vanishes from the film. Statham delivers his normal, steely-eyed hero routine, shooting or fighting off the bad guys but also any and all law enforcement, all of whom can’t seem to hit the broadside of the Beekeeper’s barn.
So, on my Black Diamond ski trail rating system, “The Beekeeper” earns my lowest, beginner GREEN trail rating. For those wanting to waste two hours in mindless action in recovery from Sundance post-traumatic stress, I still would not recommend this movie. Consider Denzel Washington in “Equalizer 3” as a streaming alternative.
“Fury” and “Suicide Squad” director David Ayer wastes our time in the mishmash of an action non-thriller. As the highest grossing film of 2024 and already eclipsing $100M at the box office, “The Beekeeper” symbolizes all the reasons most of us are grateful Park City continues to host the Sundance Film Festival.
“The Beekeeper” plays in theaters and was recently added to various streaming and VOD platforms. “The Beekeeper” is rated R for strong violence, language, drug use and intellectual fraud.
