The Beekeeper (M18)

Starring Jason Statham, Josh Hutchinson, Jeremy Irons

Directed by David Ayer

The Beekeeper: Jason Statham is about to redecorate this room with extreme prejudice.

January is usually reserved for awards-buzzy releases, and The Beekeeper, regrettably, isn’t one of them. But if you want to see The Stath unleash Hell on Earth, then you’re in for a treat. He plays Adam Clay, a seemingly ordinary beekeeper…. yeah, right. In a previous life, he was a busy defending democracy as a member of a secret (natürlich) squad known as — wait for it — The Beekeepers. When a friend falls victim to scammers, Clay responds the only way he knows how — by going all fire and brimstone on the syndicate, led by Hutchinson’s coke-snorting a-hole and scion of a powerful family. “I’m a beekeeper,” he intones. “I protect the hive. Sometimes I use fire to smoke out the hornets.” Trust me, Clay man really, really loves his job. The film may not have the elegance of John Wick but who cares? Amid endless bombardment of news of folks getting swindled, it’s impossible not to relish Clay’s acts of retribution. Shiok, damn shiok. (3/5 stars) in cinemas now

Photos: Daniel Smith/MGM