Jason Statham has been one of Hollywood’s most reliable action stars for more than 20 years now.
The English actor, 56, shows no signs of slowing down. In the last year alone he’s starred in five additions to the genre – Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Fast X, Meg 2: The Trench, Expend4bles, and now The Beekeeper, which teams the action stalwart up with director David Ayer.
Statham plays Adam Clay, a beekeeper who works in the barn on Eloise Parker's (Phylicia Rashad) property. Parker becomes the victim of an elaborate phishing scam, which results in all of her money being stolen, as well as $2 million she protects for a charity. She later dies by suicide.
As Parker was the only person who ever cared for and showed warmth towards Clay, he immediately aims to get revenge against those responsible for stealing from her. It soon becomes clear that Clay isn’t merely a quiet and lonely beekeeper. Instead, he is a highly trained former operative for one of the most covert organisations in the US government.
Rather than simply pulverising the people who took advantage of Parker, Clay sets out to bring the entire multibillion dollar company, run by Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), down in as violent and bloody a manner as possible. It quickly transpires that the company includes some prominent politicians. But, thankfully, Clay has no problem dishing out punishment to them, too.
The first half of The Beekeeper is an exhilarating dose of action filmmaking. Ayer and writer Kurt Wimmer waste no time in setting up the refreshingly simple plot and its stakes, before showing just how ruthless, smart and deadly Clay is.
While Statham might have been playing the same character throughout his action career, there’s a good reason why his popularity has endured. He is willing and able to deal with every action sequence that’s thrown his way. He can believably be lethal, intelligent, smooth, vulnerable, handsome, stylish, funny and look like an everyman, all while oozing a charisma and presence that means you can’t take your eyes off him.
Another reason The Beekeeper is so enthralling for its opening 50 minutes is because Ayer and Wimmer do such a good job of establishing why you should hate its villains. Plus, who doesn’t hate phishing scams and cold calls? All of which is amplified because Hutcherson, who is clearly having a ball playing Danforth, makes the villain so downright detestable.
It’s deeply satisfying to see Statham giving the arrogant and abhorrent cretins who work for him the comeuppance they so richly deserve, even if he does go somewhat overboard with his retribution.
During the film’s highs, watching Statham in full swing is enough to forgive The Beekeeper’s awful dialogue. Not only does this include an overabundance of bee analogies and references to hives, but Statham gives one speech about the elderly that’s so on-the-nose, sincere and out of place, it’s impossible not to laugh at it.
As The Beekeeper reaches its halfway mark, a question arises: Can it keep audiences emotionally engaged in Statham’s pursuit of vengeance while also raising the stakes and delivering the requisite action that the genre demands?
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Unfortunately, it’s unable to maintain its momentum. While its fighting sequences do continue to deliver, The Beekeeper’s attempt to take its plot to another level detracts from the intimate revenge storyline that initially made it powerful.
At a certain point, Ayer seemingly embraces his inner Michael Bay and decides to go as over the top as possible with the film’s action sequences, especially in its preposterous and frankly rather stupid finale.
Despite its many obvious flaws, and its inability to keep viewers invested in its characters, The Beekeeper is still always fun to watch unfold.
More than that, it’s a highly entertaining alternative to the awards contenders currently populating cinemas in the build up to the Academy Awards, highlighting why imperfect dollops of cinematic escapism are just as important as serious and lofty films.
The Beekeeper is out in UAE cinemas on Thursday
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
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SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Results
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
ON%20TRACK
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How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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