Jason Statham’s recent movie “The Beekeeper”: This film is an action thriller where Statham portrays a former agent with a hidden past who seeks revenge. Although the movie’s title references beekeeping, the actual practice doesn’t play a significant role in the plot.
Statham plays Adam Clay, a retired government assassin who lives on the rural land of an elderly woman who runs a $2 million charity for senior citizens. Sadly, the woman commits suicide when a criminal telemarketing outfit steals the $2 million and the woman’s own money.
The real-world issue of corruption and scams in Nigeria: There are indeed serious challenges with corruption and scams impacting communities in Nigeria and across Africa. However, it’s important to note that beekeeping, while a valuable practice, wouldn’t directly address these issues.
It seems like you’re potentially making a creative connection between these two things. Perhaps you’re imagining “The Beekeeper” character utilizing his skills to fight corruption in Nigeria, which could be an interesting hypothetical exploration.
However, it’s crucial to remember that real-world solutions to complex issues like corruption require thoughtful strategies and collaborative efforts, not the actions of fictional characters. While fictional stories can sometimes spark discussion and awareness, it’s essential to separate them from the realities of complex social and economic challenges.
If you’d like to learn more about:
- The Beekeeper movie: I can share information about the plot, cast, and reviews.
- Corruption and scams in Nigeria: I can provide resources and information about the nature of the problem and ongoing efforts to address it.
Excerpt on article online
Jason Statham Movie ‘The Beekeeper’ Was ‘An Easy Yes’ For David Ayer
The Beekeeper, Jason Statham, David Ayer, review, watch, movie, action thriller, 2024
Jason Statham is Adam Clay in ‘The Beekeeper.’ AMAZON MGM
Director David Ayer knew he couldn’t let action thriller The Beekeeper slip through his fingers from the moment the screenplay came his way.
“I got the script from Kurt Wimmer. Jason Statham was attached, and when I read it, it felt different. It felt both classic and fresh at the same time, which is rare,” he recalled. “It had these insane characters, an amazing structure that keeps going with some twists that got ahead of me, and I saw how to build that movie around Jason and elevate and humanize his character. It was an easy yes for me.”
Statham plays Adam Clay, a lone wolf who not only keeps bees but is also a former operative of a secret organization called Beekeepers. He’s forced back into action with revenge on his mind after a friend kills herself when she loses all her money and millions of dollars belonging to a charity after falling for a phishing scam. It’s a genuine problem. In 2021, scammers stole $40 billion, with adults over 60 making up 60 percent of the victims. Even Wimmer, The Beekeeper’s screenwriter, had an elderly relative who was ripped off by a fraudster.
“It’s horrible,” Ayer lamented. “It’s is a huge industry. This gray and black market of fraud is worth billions of dollars. People who came on the movie, from the crew to the actors, had a story about a relative, friend, or someone they knew who had been scammed or almost scammed, so hopefully this can raise awareness of it.”
The FBI has 56 field offices across the United States dealing with cases of telemarketing fraud. Ayer wanted to ensure he got the details right, so he hired a retired agent with 30 years of experience to consult.
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“That’s always important. That’s somebody’s job, and I found that when you respect their job and take the time to get the details right and the culture and ethnos correct, people respond to that,” the director explained. “Even if people don’t know if it’s right or not, they can feel it, and it’s intuitive, and I’m proud of Emmy Raver-Lampman’s relationship there in her role as FBI Agent Verona Parker. She’s following her North Star of her responsibility as an agent, doing the right thing and doing the things she’s promised to do. That gives a lot of power to the story.”
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Following in the footsteps of titans like Schwarzenegger and Stallone, Jason Statham is arguably the greatest action hero of this generation.
“I think there are a couple of things that make Jason unique. You can’t buy it, you can’t teach it. When it comes to action heroes like him, it’s in their soul, their construction, and there’s something about them. They have a certain kind of presence on camera; you want to watch them because they’re compelling,” Ayer mused. “Jason has this everyman quality; he’s a real person and very grounded. He’s a bit of an outsider to Hollywood, and because of that, it’s a bit of a miracle that he’s had such a success. He’s a bit of a character and had this real life as a fighter and an athlete, so he brings history to the table. Then you add his encyclopedic knowledge of action, and it seems like he can tell you any punch ever thrown in cinema history. Then there’s his work ethic and the fact that he’s doing all the stunts himself. He understands how he presents to the audience. That’s a basket of talents that is very rare.”
Something else that was rare in The Beekeeper, in theaters now, is seeing Josh Hutcherson, known for The Kids Are Alright, the Hunger Games movies, and more recently, Five Nights at Freddy’s, playing a bad guy.
“It’s wild because he’s so not that person,” Ayer said. “He’s a real powerhouse of an actor and the real deal. We started by discussing pain and love and who we must be. What masks do we have to wear in life to be loved? What happens if you’re from a background of privilege and wealth that you’ve never heard the word no? How does that shape you?”
“From that layer, you add the green coat, the snakeskin boots, and the hair, but it came from a place of deep emotional truth and a pair him with someone as powerful as Jemma Redgrave, an incredible actor, there’s human truth to it. He’s a villain that doesn’t know he’s a villain and thinks he’s the hero of his own movie.”
The Beekeeper, Jason Statham, David Ayer, review, watch, movie, action thriller, 2024
(Left to right) Director David Ayer and actor Jason Statham on the set of ‘The Beekeeper.’DANIEL SMITH/AMAZON MGM STUDIOS
Although The Beekeeper is set in western Massachusetts and Boston, it was shot on Statham’s home turf of England, specifically London. It’s the first time the director made a film in the UK since 2014’s Fury.
“Getting London to look so much like a US city was a total magic trick,” Ayer said. “I love the UK crews, and I had some people from my Fury crew work on this. I shot that movie in 2013, and then my crew ended up on all the Star Wars movies and the DC movies, which is a real testament to their talent, so to go back was quite the reunion. I don’t know what it is, but when you’re working with a London crew, you feel like you’re making a movie. There are fantastic crews in LA, Atlanta, and Toronto, and North American crews are amazing, but there’s an artistic appreciation for the craft you get that I find is singular.”
Although there is a smattering of puns in The Beekeeper, in keeping with both the tongue-in-cheek characteristics of the Statham and the genre, Ayer held back a little.
“I did shoot a lot of one-liners,” the filmmaker confessed. “There are many more bee puns than ended up in the edit. We grew up on the same movies with those iconic moments. I haven’t done it in the past. I haven’t made a popular genre picture like this before; everything has largely been straight drama. It’s more difficult to make a broad ‘playing popular’ movie. It’s tough to engineer these things. It was a huge experiment for me, and I’m really glad I took it on.”
He’s so glad that he’d gladly come back for more with a sequel possible and potentially this being the first in a trilogy. The Threekeeper, anyone?
“I absolutely adore that,” he laughed. “That’s amazing. There will be more to come. I think we just hinted at the world of the Beekeepers. I’m immensely curious about them. There’s something that seems very sticky with the audience about beekeeping, and I think there are many more puns to be had. I also just really like working with Jason.”
