It seems director David Ayer may have an affection for unapologetically silly, over-the-top, 80’s action throwbacks. That’s precisely what we get with his new feature “The Beekeeper”, a movie that never once attempts to hide what it is or what it’s going for. I doubt that any amount of glaring self-awareness will change things for those who enter the theater with their noses in the air or their minds made up. But for everyone else, there’s some fun to be had here.

That isn’t to say “The Beekeeper” is some new action classic or that it’s free of flaws. The story is a combination of the conventional and outlandish. And the dialogue only gets hokier as the story progresses (“I lost my virginity in that barn” is just one glowing example). Yet the movie gets by in large part thanks to its lead, Jason Statham. He remains one of the more magnetic action movie stars working today. Statham possesses a steely charisma and an ability to wink at the audience without ever breaking character. All of that on top of his amazing physicality.

Here Statham plays Adam Clay, a quiet and content man who tends honey bee hives for a kindly widow named Eloise (Phylicia Rashad). We learn that Eloise took Adam in and lets him rent a space in her barn. To repay her generosity, Adam helped Eloise maintain her farm following the death of her husband.

One day Eloise gets a warning on her computer that she has a virus. Not knowing what to do, she calls the phone number on her screen. It turns out to be a phishing scam posing as an anti-virus software company. Eloise is connected to a clown named Garnett (David Witts) who tricks her into using her passwords to open up her bank accounts. Through data mining, his team instantly empties her life savings. They even drain the funds out of a children’s charity she operates. Devastated, Eloise takes her own life.

Her death sets off Adam who turns out to have a pretty interesting background. He’s actually retired from a clandestine program known as Beekeepers. The secret off-the-grid organization sends out its Beekeeper whenever a situation gets too big for law enforcement or the government. Armed with his ‘particular set of skills’, Adam sets out to find and dole out payback on the scammers who took advantage of Eloise. The trail leads him to a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar call center which he promptly destroys.

Adam’s actions get the attention of a rich and privileged twenty-something named Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson) who owns the call center and many others like it. Pampered and protected by his powerful mother (Jemma Redgrave), the snot-nosed Derek doesn’t like Adam interfering with his $9 million a month operation. So he sends Garnett and some heavily armed goons to deal with the problem. But Adam disposes of them and then sets out to cut the head off of the snake.

While all of that is going on there’s another side of the story involving Eloise’s semi-estranged daughter Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman), an FBI agent investigating Adam’s warpath. These cliché riddled scenes aren’t at all compelling and often resemble some cheap, stripped-down television crime drama. Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer tries to make Verona and her FBI colleagues resemble a functioning Bureau. But they come across as inept and always ten steps behind.

Some interesting faces pop up along the way, most notably Jeremy Irons (I’m not sure how they got him onboard). He plays a former CIA Director employed by Derek’s mother to cover her son’s tracks. Among his resources is Minnie Driver playing an agent still active in the CIA. Both do good with what they’re given. Hutcherson is less convincing. He nails the obnoxious bratty stuff. But no amount of privilege can make him a believable business mogul.

That leaves Statham who puts the movie on his back and carries it through. The action scenes are electric and lean into the actor’s strengths. They get a little hard to decipher in the final 15 minutes, but Statham is effortlessly entertaining and a natural on-screen tough guy. He can’t fully cover all of the film’s issues. But for the most part Statham helps the movie deliver exactly what it promises. And for his many fans, that’s all they’re looking for. “The Beekeeper” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS