I'm late on the latest, Jason Statham, action-thriller, due to a monumental, snow storm and the inconsiderate lack of cleanup that followed. A mailed, screening copy saved the day; thank goodness I received it, considering the problems I've been facing with mail.
Shelter, coproduced by Statham, directed by Ric Roman (Greenland/Angel Has Fallen/Snitch) Wahl and written by Ward (The Shattering) Parry, deals with a former, government assassin (of the Black Kites) named Michael Mason, who's on the lam with is dear dog, doing the lonesome, Omega Man thing, hiding on a Scottish island. As he tries to eschew his past (harboring knowledge that may, for some, bring to mind Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner), Mason comes upon a young lady, Bodhi Rae Breathnach's Jessie, who's been injured in a stormy sojourn.
To get her medical help, Mason shelters her (yeah, get it?) and risks drawing attention to himself. The chase is then on, with our valiant lead focusing full-force on the one in need, as others intervene, which includes Bill (Pirates of the Caribbean/Underworld) Nighy, as Mason's M16, ex-handler and now Gerard-minded tracker, Steven Manafort; Naomi Ackie as Manafort's curious auxiliary/replacement, Roberta; Daniel Mays as Mason's pal, Arthur Booth; Bryan Vigier as the relentless mercenary, Workman; and Harriet Walter as Prime Minister Fordham.
Indeed, certain plot elements do mirror those of Statham's Safe and Homefront, in which he protected other young ladies, but Shelter gets into an intrinsic, survivalist perspective, where the situation references Shane, with Mason teaching Jessie techniques she wouldn't learn in school, like handling a gun, but she, in turn, summons his humanity.
Shelter's later segments hold evident nods to Bond, Bourne, John Wick and Ethan Hunt, most of which are highlighted by the Mason/Workman melees. Even if one should be apathetic about the character progression, the fast, two-fisted pace will more than compensate. (I can only imagine how breathtaking some of the sequences would have been if I were to have seen them on a theater screen, but ah well...)
Sure, this movie isn't meant for everyone. For those who turn away from life's problems, whether big or small, succinct or allegorical, Shelter won't mean a thing. So be it. Those sorts can visit the boring-as-hell Heated Rivalry and pretend its sanctimonious bull is the be-all and end-all. Shelter, however, is pure, unaffected, hero fare, which always makes quality entertainment in my book. It was just what I wanted, and by golly, it's just what I got.
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