I SAW SHELTER (2026)

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. 

I SAW A WORKING MAN

From the director and star of 2024's cult hit, The Beekeeper, comes A Working Man. 

Directed by David (Suicide Squad) Ayer, who coscripted with Sylvester Stallone (each having pulled from Chuck Dixon's novel, Levon's Trade), A Working Man depicts a humble gent, Jason Statham's Levon Cade, who enjoys supervising his daily, construction work, grateful that the Garcia family has hired him (a family that has, in fact, become like his own). However, when the Garcia's daughter, Arianna (Black Phone) Rivas' Jenny, is kidnapped by human-traffickers, ushered by high-tier Russian gangster Wolo Kolisnyk, who's played by Statham's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels/Snatch costar, Jason Flemyng, Cade's military skills kick in, exposing a vengeful, fighting machine that won't rest until Jenny is rescued and the cavalcade of fiends bites the dust. 

Though A Working Man is a "pulpy" slice of fiction, its concept rises from hard truth. This is important, since an arrogant portion of our society dares to pretend that human trafficking doesn't exist or at least is overplayed among social concerns. On this bold basis, Cade's work-until-the-job-is-done crusade resonates with pragmatic impact, and for those who do hold a sincere, humanitarian perspective, his Dirty Harry/Billy Jack-ish assaults aren't only therapeutic, but perform as a message of awareness, in which a loathsome, biker-bureaucratic front promotes a horde of deep-rooted sins for profit.  

Statham shines in his tailor-made role, and Rivas grants the required sympathy and spunk to counter her tormentors. When Jenny is harmed, it gives the audience all the more cause to cheer Cade on. However, the surrounding cast also makes the Taken/Rambo: Last Blood-type plot engaging, creating characters, both good and bad, who are always believable, even when placed within the explosive extremes. 

These folks consist of David (Hellboy/Stranger Things/Black Widow) Harbour's Gunny Lefferty (a blind pal, who like Cade, spent time in the military); Michael (Ant-Man) Pena's Joe Garcia (an honorable patriarch); Noemi Gonzalez as Carla (Joe's warm-hearted spouse); Isla Gie as Merry (Cade's optimistic, little daughter); Richard Heap as Dr. Roth (Merry's hateful grandfather); and as the intersecting, syndicated antagonists: Emmet J. Scanlon, Eva Mauro, David Witts, Piotr Witkowski, Greg Kolpaki, Chidi Ajufo, Andrea Vasilou, Cokey Falkow, Ricky Champ, Andrej Kaminsky, Vanko Kharchenko, Merab Ninidsi, Maximillian Oskinski, in addition to a strange and dastardly extension of others, who stir the pot from all ends of the hellish spectrum. (Be warned: The many participants do make the content more complex, but this should work to its advantage on repeated viewings, giving one extra layers to inspect.)  

I give Ayer, Stallone and Statham a lot of credit for making this movie and Dixon for conceiving the literary foundation. Sure, the stuff-shirts and magic-wand proponents are likely to scoff at it, but if so, shame on them. Like The Beekeeper, A Working Man is a fantasy-revenge yarn first and foremost, but that doesn't erode the manner in which it'll resonate with those smart enough to appreciate it. That it makes wise use of good, old-fashioned virility works, too, particularly in light of the recycled, anti-macho debris that we've been shoehorned as of late, not only in the movies, but thanks to a dictatorial spread of annoying, cultural bias. 

I saw The Beekeeper

Director David (Suicide Squad/Bright/Fury) Ayer and writer Kurt (Expend4bles/Equilibrium/Sphere) Wimmer deliver the gritty, 1980s/1990s action-themed goods in 2024's The Beekeeper, and it succeeds by striking a satisfying, eye-for-an-eye sting. 

The formula works because it's identifiable, with injustice hitting hard, but not as hard as righteousness, which in this case comes in merciless punches, gunfire and explosions.  

Jason Statham is the titular, principled principal, Adam Clay, who was once part of a secret, operative group called the Beekeepers. For underlying measure, Clay is also an actual beekeeper: that is, an expert regarding hierarchical-hive remediation, which applies to humans as much as bees. When his charitable neighbor, Mrs. Eloise Parker, portrayed by Phylicia Rashad, commits suicide after losing her life's savings in a phishing scam, Clay won't let the matter stand. He heads straight to the high-tech source to mend the problem, which is tied to his Beekeeper roots and a coverup that could (and should) impact the entire nation.  

The story's villains, whether big or small, are slick and heartless, with Jeremy Irons' Wallace Westwyld often stealing the show as a puppetized CEO. He's the perfect personification of nervous deceit, but his association with Josh (Five Nights at Freddy's) Hutcherson's cocaine-sniffing, data-breeching Derek Danforth, only makes him worse for abetting the callous shenanigans.

Because of his many behind-the-scenes manipulations, one could argue that Danforth is the prime antagonist, even if a bumbling one. He's also the son of the elected-by-fraud President, played by Jemma Redgrave, and appeased (directly or indirectly) by David Witts' snotty Mickey Garnett; Michael Epp's special-operative Ennis; Minnie Driver's corrupt bureaucrat, Janet Harward; and Taylor James' brawny mercenary, Lazarus. 

The baddies are countered by Emmy Raver-Lampman's F.B.I. Agent Verona Parker, who happens to be Mrs. Parker's justice-seeking daughter, as well as her contentious partner, Bobby Naderi's Agent Matt Wiley, among other fine, co-performers and characters, who plunge fast and deep into the involuted espionage. 

Though Clay gains inadvertent support during his quest, it still proves daunting, which makes rooting for him quite easy, in particular in those crafty moments when the entrenched opposition appears impregnable. But perseverance is the key here, and Clay has inexhaustible oodles of it. Indeed, a man who never resigns is one who inspires, flaunting what all commoners believe they possess: that valorous penchant to right wrongs.

Too many people these days are left crushed and/or bullied with no recourse but to accept their depleted, financial fates. The Beekeeper presents a high-octane warning that runs contrary to that norm. Sure, the movie is a sheer, vengeance fantasy, but considering the pervading status quo, wherein hardworking folks get squashed time and again, The Beekeeper swarms forth as consummate escapism. In other words, by the time the credits roll, one's gonna feel pretty damn good, even if aware that real-life criminals continue to live, breathe and govern.

I saw The Expend4bles

The Expendables franchise is valorous fun: unblushing in its for-the-boys creed and yes, sometimes clichéd as such, but even so, through every thunderous, benevolent step, tip-top entertainment from start to end. 

The Expend4bles is the latest no-exception (and if rumors are true, the last in the high-adrenalin queue). Some of the older/prior characters are no longer employed for this non-costumed Suicide Squad, but thanks to Scott (Act of Valor) Waugh's crackling direction and a pragmatic script by Kurt (The Misfits '21) Wimmer, Max Adams and Tad Daggerhart, the leanness doesn't hurt the connective construction one bit.  

Sylvester Stallone's upstanding Barney Ross returns, along with Jason Statham's blade-maestro, Lee Christmas; Randy Couture's forever-reliable, Toll Road; and Dolph Lundgren's short-fused (though now sober) Gunner Jenson. 

They're joined by Andy Garcia's CIA operative, Marsh; Lucy Newman-Williams' Agent Russo; 50 Cent's Easy Day; Tony (Ong Bak) Jaa's Decha; Jacob (Last Looks) Sipio's Galan (son of Antonio Banderas' Galgo from Expendables 3); and in the irrepressible, eye-candy department, Megan Fox's ultra-limber Gina (Christmas' big squeeze) and Levy Tran's lethal Lash (Toll Road's potential, big squeeze). 

The plot is basic and viable in its what-if relevance: The band is dispatched to Libya to stop a mercenary, arms dealer, Iko (The Raid) Uwais' Suarto Rahmat, who steals detonators to create a larger, earth-shattering weapon, all for implied, financial gain. (Rahmat, in truth, takes the weaponry torch from Mel Gibson's cultivated but scorned Conrad Stonebanks of Expendables 3, only the former is much more ruthless in his Luthor-ian plan.) 

The race-to-the-finish is rendered through sizzling, action sequences (spirited shootouts, careening cycles, mega-explosions and dagger duels), which more than hold their own with any cathartic DC, Marvel or 007 installment. To rephrase, we're talkin' over-the-top thrills through ninety-percent of the run, and when the action isn't swinging high, the melodramatic bridges still captivate. 

The bond shared by Ross, Christmas (who spearheads most of the action this round), Toll Road and Gunner stays cozy (equivalent to Kirk, Spock and McCoy, plus one), forging an ambiance of old friends and family, which though fictional, still strikes close to the homespun bone. We care about these ballsy eccentrics and come to care about their nuanced descendants, embracing them with equal respect. The pact defines Expend4ble's shared peril, energizing its heart-pounding ascent, even though we're pretty assured that all, or at least most, will survive. (For the record, the plot features a misleading kill, but it's best not to spoil the catch.)

Expend4bles is, above all, duty-bound, which let's face it, also characterizes the previous chapters. The movies' let's-get-'er-done execution isn't as earnest as in the Rambo features, but each chapter presses enough vigilance and principle to make any red-blooded American proud, recalling the cinematic anthems that John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Tom Laughlin and Charles Bronson made great. That's reason enough to see Expend4bles, but hey, for those who believe this brand of escapism too austere, there's more than enough Disney-princess and Potter fodder to pluck.

Monster Team-Up: I saw Meg 2 (The Trench)

(The) Meg 2: The Trench is based on Steve Alten's novel of the same name and acts as a sequel to his emanating epic, The Meg, and its 2018's big-budget adaptation. Meg 2 is also more than a sharks-attack flick, for once it gets rolling (splashing/biting), it becomes a formidable monster rally, with Jason Statham reprising his role as heroic aquanaut Jonas Taylor, whose Die Hard-ish/Bondian antics are guided by Ben (Time Trumpet) Wheatley's fast-clipped direction and an unpretentious screenplay by Dean Georgaris and Jon and Erich Hoeber.

Though the first part of the movie is defined by corporate espionage and oceanic, Neptune Factor exploration (combined with all the crafty quirks that propel any number of circumstances to go awry), Meg 2 (at least from its human perspective) is really about Taylor doing his damnedest to channel Jaws' Chief Brody (as well as the mighty duo of Quint and Hooper) in a fight against colossal specimens unleashed from a deep, dark trench: apex-megalodons, relentless kronosauruses and a ferocious mega-squid. (Those who don't enjoy such creepy, survivalist hostility would be better off watching some pixie-dusted, wand-whipping effort or better yet, some soft-shell, Disney take on Hans Christian Andersen. Sorry for the bluntness, but that's the way the cookie dissolves in my end of the testosterone-packed pool.) 

For the record, Li Bingbing's Suyin Zhang (Meg #1's romantic interest) isn't in this sequel (her character is pronounced dead), leaving her capable, scientific brother, Juiming, played by Wu (Wolf Warrior) Jing to occupy her space, as he keeps a watchful eye over his sister (and Taylor)'s bright daughter, Meiying, played by Shuya Sophia Cai. Cliff (10,000 B.C.) Curtis returns as the conscientious James "Mac" Mackreides, as does Page (Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood) Kennedy's gun-tooting good guy, DJ; abetted by Melissanthi Manhut's Rigas, their faithful colleague. Seinna (Resident Evil) Guillory sways in as Ms. Driscoll, an icy, science-department head and Sergio (Rambo: Last Blood) Peris-Mecheta and Skylar (Scream Queens) Samuels are her heartless henchmen. All the characters blend well (including even those not mentioned), and considering that the beasts comprise the prime, supporting cast, that compliment holds substantial weight. 

The story speeds its way to a huge, island-resort assault, reminiscent of the recent Piranha reboot and its sequel (with many nods to Jurassic Park and its various chapters, in addition to a little Jaws 2 & 3 for those who may notice), though devoid of the Herschell Gordon Lewis-styled carnage that distinguishes the former set. In Meg 2, the deaths are more so quick and not so gory, much like those of Deep, Blue Sea, but fans of the latter and Topps' Dinosaurs Attack! should appreciate the way it all chomps down.

Meg 2 won't be a contender for a Critics' Choice Award (gasp!), which is good enough reason to see it. It's a high-powered creature feature, pure and simple in most every aspect, and as such, more than fulfills its anti-highbrow purpose. With that said (and against what the snobs may desire), let's hope that the sturdy Statham springs back into gargantua-brawling action for Meg 3!