Despite the high professionalism in the design and execution of the battles in the movie “The Beekeeper,” the trust that British actor Jason Statham exudes – evident on his face – is the key motivator for viewers to believe that one man was able to defeat hundreds of armed elite American forces, burn down a large number of buildings, and bring down the US President himself.
What stands out in the film, directed by David Ayer, is the novel comparison of a country the size of the United States to a beehive, where in complete secrecy, one person is chosen to clean out the hive of any internal threat the country faces, even if that threat is the president himself.
Despite the immense number of casualties at the hands of one person and the action scenes that always assume that the adversaries of this person are mere puppets to receive blows, the film embarks on an extremely delicate human journey. Adam Clay (Jason Statham) expresses his gratitude to an old lady after she agrees to grant him a portion of her garden to use for caring for his own bee colonies.
“The Beekeeper” mysterious goes about his work, while the lady returns home and falls victim to electronic fraud through her computer, leading to her being robbed of her money, as well as the funds of the charity she manages, prompting her to commit suicide.
British actor Jason Statham as Adam Clay in the film “The Beekeeper” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
“The Beekeeper” sets out on a journey of revenge against the swindlers, as his daughter, FBI agent Verona Baker (Amy Raver-Lampman), tries to track down the criminals. However, the appearance of victims, fires, and the destruction of several buildings push her to chase after Clay, who seeks to avenge his mother’s death.
The events reveal that Clay is not just a beekeeper but a member of a secret organization that regards the United States as a beehive, obligating its members to protect that hive from corruption in all its forms, especially the kind that affects the weak and the vulnerable.
Clay had already retired, but he returns to work to confront a different kind of crook, a conglomerate of major information technology companies owned by the son of the US President and called Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), securing the former head of the American intelligence agency (Jeremy Irons).
The Rhythm of the Hive
The film initially reveals a quiet and beautiful neighborhood where Adam Clay decides to settle. It is the kind of residential area inhabited by retirees and the elderly, distinguished by a high level of security, tranquility, and the presence of gardens attached to houses.
David Ayer, through his camera work, offers a terrifying depth to the contemplative viewer in the scene. There is impending horror not foreseen by the music, but the visible depth behind the hero extends itself amidst a completely empty neighborhood except for trees and dim lights, foreshadowing what is to come.
The filmmaker utilized parallel montage for the honey extraction process Clay conducts with the fraud process carried out by the gang on the old lady. Despite the rhythm and intercutting between the two dramatic lines, the linkage in narrative construction through montage appeared unconvincing.
We witness a despicable and vile fraud operation, with a man producing honey to gift to his elderly, retired neighbors and the weak. The controversial parallel cuts between them do not suffice simply by happening within the same hive or their stark contradictions to justify the parallel cuts. This parallelism signals the director’s infatuation with the fast-paced, intertwined rhythm of an action film that started off smoothly, fearing misinterpretation by the audience as a social drama.
No Room for Logic
Clay manages to eliminate dozens of Presidential Guard fighters, mercenaries, and armed gang members in individual combat situations despite their presence together. He engages with one while the others watch until he finishes off his comrade, then it is the next one’s turn to be dealt with, shaping the film more as a video game instead of a cinematic feature requiring some logic in its events, sometimes reaching levels of absurdity.
These impossible and fake heroics may appear utterly fictional, but they are essential in commercial cinema that gives viewers false hope and a seemingly unrealistic ability to achieve the impossible while sitting in their seats in front of the screen.
David Ayer crossed the line between the illusion and the accepted falsehood between the viewer and the filmmaker in the film, presenting a pure illusion supported only by the trust that enveloped Statham’s face. This also applies to the stance of the first victim’s daughter Verona Parker, who works in the FBI throughout the film, maintaining a sharp and clear stance against Clay, serving the law and preferring to seek out and prosecute criminals, while “The Beekeeper” hunts them down and kills them. In the end, she lets him escape, signifying a relinquishment of the commitment to the law.
Justice or Law?
Jason Statham’s character Adam Clay joins a long line of cinematic and literary characters in Western and Arab cultures who choose to act for justice and bypass the law in doing so.
The question of justice versus law is one of the oldest in literature and cinema, especially in police works that have presented models of heroes aiming to achieve justice, yet encountering obstacles due to the law. They surpass it and sacrifice their social existence to establish justice.
Actress Amy Raver-Lampman as Agent Verona Baker in the film “The Beekeeper” (Social media)
The filmmakers of “The Beekeeper” went to elaborate lengths in “complicating” the drama, presenting the former head of the CIA as responsible for the institution that defrauds the weak and is targeted for revenge by Clay. Additionally, Clay clashes with the secret organization he is supposed to belong to and kills his successor in it.
The titular hero The Beekeeper in the film defies the declared and secret laws, hindering his pursuit of justice. Instead of trying the lady who assumed the presidency and her criminal son and followers, he kills them all except for the lady who confessed to the truth and decided to pay the price.
David Ayer transcended all cinematic and political conventions in the film, exaggerating to suggest a narrative that does not absolve anyone or exempt anyone from condemnation.
