Jason Statham movies deliver the goods and are a breath of fresh air among the suffocating, "sensitive" dreck Hollywood peddles, which isn't all that sensitive, considering its bigoted views and anti-virile pledges.
The latest Statham entry, Mutiny, coproduced by its star, directed by Jean-Francois (Plane) Richet and written by J.P. Davis and Lindsay Michel, features the successful, action hero as Cole Reed, a security officer/bodyguard for a compassionate entrepreneur named Taren, played by Jason Wong, who's murdered in Reed's presence, with Reed framed for the deed.
The resolute Reed sets forth to clear his name, which leads him to a cargo ship and a human-trafficking ring (all set for Reed's "mutinous" reveal). This heinous criminality, which reflects a monstrous practice that continues to plague our real-life, modern world, is administered by Roland Moller's Captain Marko Madsen, a coldhearted son of a bitch, who one will relish hating.
The plot captures aspects of Statham's The Beekeeper and A Working Man, but it also grazes The Fugitive and Warning Shot (an underrated 1960s melodrama that stars the star of the original, Fugitive series, David Janssen). As much as Reed is required to beat up the bad guys, he must also peel away layers to unveil why his friend was killed (and sometimes those details come more by accident than plan). Moreover, he must help those who've been captured, which is truly the ultimate point of the story. (This angle could have been--should have been--the official slant of Daredevil Born Again: Season 2.) I suppose the approach makes Mutiny a semi murder-mystery with a righteous cause, albeit of the high-adrenalin, Die Hard/Under Siege sort.
Though Statham and Moller rule the roost at opposite ends, the rest of the cast, including the aforementioned Wong, gives worthy support and includes Annabelle (Malignant/The Mummy 2017) Wallis, Chaniel Kular, Adrian Lester, Steven Blades and Arnas Fedaravicius. Their foundation is a commendable one, but not enough to eclipse Statham/Reed's recompensing thunder.
One might argue that the cause and effect of Reed's exploit isn't as important as its execution, which is tight and fight-oriented, with fists and bullets flying at a steady rate. It has the right, formidable verve to please its intended, male audience: something that certain sensitive factions will denounce, but trust me, this one fills the principled bill, just as a John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Chuck Norris movie would back in the day (and still would).
I hope Mutiny does well, and the odds favor such, considering Statham's popularity and this movie's revealing message. It would be great to see more such examples, delivered by Statham or others of comparable fortitude. Lord knows we need this type of entertainment in this insufferable, socio-political, age of sympathy-for-the-devil pretension.✊
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