Matthew Vaughn Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best. This week, I'm profiling the work of Matthew Vaughn-whose latest project "Argylle" releases in theaters on Thursday night. 

7.Stardust (2007):

Vaughn's first major studio feature stands out among his filmography in the worst way imaginable. While it deserves props for swinging for the fences, Stardust is ultimately a gratingly cheesy, unwieldy mess of a movie whose jam-packed genre cornucopia (fairy tale, adventure, fantasy, romance, steampunk, comedy) never adds up to a coherent or satisfying whole.      

Grade: D+

6.The King's Man (2021):

Outside of the scenes with Rasputin (Rhys Ifans in full-blown character actor ham mode), Kingsman prequel The King's Man is a surprisingly serious, occasionally downright dour affair that doesn't fit the mold of the franchise. Despite its puzzling shift in tone, a very good lead performance from Ralph Fiennes and another string of terrific action sequences are enough to make it worth a watch.    

Grade: B

5.Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017):

The Golden Circle suffered from the unfair, yet inevitable affliction of heightened expectations brought on by being the sequel to a beloved surprise hit film. While it never quite matches the brilliance of its predecessor, this bigger, nuttier sequel does feature a super fun sadistic villain turn from Julianne Moore, a pre-superstardom Pedro Pascal showing off the charisma that has made him one of Hollywood's most in-demand actors today and a whole lot of satisfying, well-constructed over-the-top action setpieces.          

Grade: B+

4.X-Men: First Class (2011):

So much has happened in the world of superhero movies since the summer of 2011 that X-Men: First Class has managed to get kind of lost in the shuffle, which is unfortunate since it's a pretty great movie. Vaughn found a way to launch a new era of X-Men by focusing on the relationship between the young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnserr (Michael Fassbender). McAvoy and Fassbender gracefully overcome being in the shadow of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan respectively to deliver their own equally terrific takes on these classic characters and it was very rewarding to go back and see how the classic battle lines between mutants were drawn. Whatever unlucky soul is tasked with integrating a new set of X-Men into the MCU will have a tough time matching the gracefulness of First Class' origin story.        

Grade: B+

3.Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015):

A crass, cartoony and gory send-up of James Bond is a tremendous idea and there was nobody better to deliver it to the world than Vaughn. His familiarity with graphic novel adaptations and traditional blockbusters gives this film the perfect combination of huge scope and hyperstylized sleaziness, Taron Edgerton's casting as a brash British street punk turned suave secret agent is nothing short of perfect and the church fight is a true jaw-dropper that remains one of the finest pieces of action filmmaking that I've ever seen.     

Grade: A-

2.Layer Cake (2005):

Is Vaughn's debut feature basically just a riff on Guy Ritchie's Cockney gangster comedies-which he produced? No question. But when the dialogue is this sharp, the visuals/editing are this slick and the characters are this engaging, it really doesn't matter how much it owes or borrows from other great films that came before it.  

Grade: A 

1.Kick-Ass (2010): 

Gritty, colorful and completely off-the-rails, Kick-Ass is a masterful graphic novel adaptation that I'd argue is among the 3 best R-rated "superhero" movies ever made. Vaughn has publicly stated in recent months that he hopes to make a new Kick-Ass film after turning over the keys to Jeff Wadlow for 2013's Kick-Ass 2, but quite frankly, I'd only want to see that film if Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz-who are the primary reason all of this sadistic madness works-are involved in at least some capacity.      

Grade: A

Movie Review: Mean Girls (2024)

When history looks back at the 2024 version of Mean Girls, it will likely be best remembered for Paramount's decision to conceal the fact that it was a musical in nearly all of its marketing materials (except for the first teaser that played in front of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert movie, which makes the treatment of its musical status as an open secret even more bizarre). Remaking the 2004 teen comedy classic in any capacity is a tricky proposition for a variety of reasons (how poorly some of the jokes have aged, modern audiences' familiarity with/attachment to the original film, the differences in high school culture between now and then) and for what it's worth, the team behind Mean Girls' 24 does an admirable job of adding modern flourishes to the script and putting their own fingerprints on this iconic collection of characters without changing their spirit or the purpose they serve to the story. 

The problem with the balancing act between the familiar and the new that drives Mean Girls is that the former constantly trips up the latter. For every new idea that works whether it be using a song to explore a character or offer up a different take on an iconic scene (the reworkings of the Cady's first meeting with the Plastics in the cafeteria and the Halloween Party scene are particularly effective) or demonstrating the evolution of bullying through the lens of social media, there's the verbatim retelling of jokes that anyone who has seen the original movie are very familiar with or slight variations on them to make them suitable for modern audiences that prevent them from landing with the same punch that they did 2 decades ago. It's almost like watching a band mix things up by playing some killer originals before pivoting back to some passable covers because they feel the audience would rather hear something they're familiar with instead of something new. This desire to comfort the fans of the original with callbacks frequently dulls the vibrant new personality that regularly finds ways to cut through all of the familiarity present and it's kind of ironic that a film that counts the concepts of personal growth, self-acceptance/discovery and not giving into peer pressure among its major themes is so afraid to establish its own identity. Nostalgia can be a real crutch when artists allow it to get in the way of their own takes on ideas and Mean Girls '24 would've likely been much better than a decent modern remake if it had just let go of the past and fully embraced being the thing that the studio that released it was too ashamed to admit that it is: A fucking musical reimagining of Mean Girls. 

Grade: B-                                          

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

Divisional Round Record: 4-0

Overall Playoff Record: 6-4

Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs: 

Picking against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs just feels kind of wrong even in a season like this where they've struggled considerably more than any other at point during the Mahomes-era. Their defense is a tough, physical group-especially in the secondary, Andy Reid is still doing a terrific job with calling/scheming the offense and as he's proven once again over the past couple weeks, Mahomes has a gift for stepping up in big games that is unmatched by any of his active peers at the quarterback position. While a second straight win from them wouldn't shock me at all, I'm still riding with the Ravens. The Chiefs biggest weakness on defense is against the run, which plays right into the Ravens hands offensively as they have the most dynamic rushing attack in the league with Lamar Jackson and their revolving door of RB's with different skill sets/styles (Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Dalvin Cook), the physicality and coverage skills of the Ravens pass defense should cause some serious problems for the Chiefs erratic receiving corps and the absence of All-Pro guard Joe Thuney could have a huge ripple effect on the Chiefs offensive line's ability to create rushing lanes and provide Mahomes with enough time to work his magic-which is a not-so-ideal development for a matchup against a Ravens front 7 that has been dominant nearly every week this season.           

San Francisco 49ers over Detroit Lions:

Just about everybody that isn't a 49ers fan will be pulling for the Lions in this game as they have an opportunity to make their 1st Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. As great as that would be to witness, I don't like the Lions chances in this game at all. While the 49ers are extremely lucky to be here after being outplayed by the Packers for about 55 of the 60 minutes of their divisional round contest, they should be extremely hungry to get back on track after such a sloppy outing on both sides of the ball and I believe that they will in a big way against a Lions defense that is just brutally awful against the pass-even with Deebo Samuel potentially being limited by the shoulder injury he suffered against the Packers. Plus, as impressive as the Lions have been in each of the past two rounds, both games were at home and traveling into a hostile environment to play the clear best defense/most complete team they've played in these playoffs so far is not a good recipe for success for a team that's had some horrific showings on the road this season (at Chicago, at Baltimore and to a lesser extent, at Dallas).             

Mike Epps Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Mike Epps-whose latest project "The Underdoggs" debuts on Prime Video this Friday. 

Mike Epps' Filmography Ranked:

29.Acts of Violence (D+)

28.Friday After Next (D+)

27.Next Day Air (D+)

26.Dr. Doolittle 2 (C-)

25.Jumping the Broom (C-)

24.The Honeymooners (C)

23.Guess Who (C)

22.How High 2 (C)

21.Fifty Shades of Black (C)

20.The Last Black Man in San Francisco (C)

19.All About the Benjamins (C)

18.You People (C+)

17.Soul Men (C+)

16.The Hangover Part III (C+)

15.Malibu's Most Wanted (C+)

14.Resident Evil: Apocalypse (C+)

13.Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (B-)

12.Faster (B-)

11.Death Wish (B-)

10.Next Friday (B-)

9.Roll Bounce (B-)

8.Hancock (B)

7.Girls Trip (B)

6.Uncle Drew (B)

5.Resident Evil: Extinction (B)

4.Talk to Me (B)

3.How High (B+)

2.The Hangover (A)

1.Dolemite is My Name (A)

Top Dog: Dolemite is My Name (2019)

This biopic about the creation of the Dolemite character by comedian/dreamer Rudy Ray Moore and the making of the subsequent Blaxploitation classic of the same name is a pure delight. Eddie Murphy gives his funniest, most commanding performance in ages as a long-struggling performer who finally gets to live out his dream of stardom after years of failure, the supporting cast is loaded with scene-stealers (Wesley Snipes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan Michael-Key, Epps, Titus Burgess, Craig Robinson) that adds plenty of chaos, camaraderie and heart to Moore's Dolemite journey and director Craig Brewer ensures that the film is a vibrant love letter to independent cinema and all of the fearlessness, creativity and DIY-driven ingenuity that makes it possible.     

Bottom Feeder: Acts of Violence (2018)

Whether it's on the big screen or for a streaming service, Hollywood has churned out plenty of huge action genre misfires over the years. But in my eyes at least, at least 95% of those whiffs can't contend with the garbage that is coming out of the direct-to-VOD/video space. Enter Acts of Violence-which is actually considered to be one of the better films that Bruce Willis appeared in during the epic, actually quite tragic run of low budget flicks he put together before he was forced to retire from acting in 2022 for health reasons. This entire film is so poorly constructed from top to bottom that it feels like a group of college freshman somehow got a handful of recognizable actors (Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes, Sophia Bush, Patrick St. Espirt, Willis, Epps) to appear in their student film that was shot over 4 days in a midwest suburb. How movies like Acts of Violence remain profitable endeavors for their producers that distributors from all over the world rake out cash for-especially in an era where VOD rentals have seemingly declined quite a bit from the late 2000's/early 2010's- is completely beyond my comprehension.        

Most Underrated: Dolemite is My Name (2019)

Netflix's burial of Dolemite is My Name is one of the most egregious sins they've ever committed on their platform. If you're the market to watch a movie that's fun, warm and inspiring and/or a fan of Eddie Murphy, please considering seeking this one out.   

Most Overrated: Girls Trip (2016)

Girls Trip is a pretty funny movie that reminds me of the good old days when R-rated comedies used to be able to breakout and become blockbusters at the box office. I just also happen to think it's a very flawed movie that relies far too heavily on one character to provide the engine for the comedy (Tiffany Haddish's Dina) and makes the stunning miscalculation of not allowing proven genre ace Regina Hall to actively partake in any of the comedic bits.       

Movie That I Still Can't Believe Epps Appeared In: Acts of Violence (2018)

As illustrated by the list above, Epps' filmography is dominated by comedies. But like most veteran working actors, Epps occasionally zigs out of his comfort zone and takes on some projects that you wouldn't expect him to appear in. While his roles in a pair of Resident Evil movie, indie drama The Last Black Man in San Francisco and the upcoming superhero film Madame Web certainly fall under this umbrella, the only time Epps showing up in something truly bewildered me was Acts of Violence. Sure, Epps has appeared in the occasional action movie over the years, but a direct-to-VOD dud? That's far below his pay grade. Making his appearance in this film even more unexpected is the fact that he plays a vicious sex trafficking kingpin. Seriously, how crazy is that! While he didn't get exactly shine brightly in this villainous role, seeing him go so far out of his comfort zone was easily the most interesting thing about this cheap, deeply incompetent misfire.      

Oscar Nomination Predictions

Sometime shortly after 8:00 AM EST tomorrow morning, the 2023 film awards cycle will take another giant step towards its apex when the Oscar nominations are announced in Los Angeles by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid. Here are the names and films I expect to be competing for Hollywood's top prizes this year.

Best Picture:

American Fiction

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

Saltburn

The Zone of Interest 

Locks: Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Toss-Ups: American Fiction, Maestro, Past Lives, Saltburn, The Zone of Interest

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: All of Us Strangers, Anatomy of a Fall, The Color Purple, May December, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Director:

Greta Gerwig, Barbie

Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer 

Alexander Payne, The Holdovers

Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Locks: Yorgos Lanthimos, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese 

Toss-Ups: Greta Gerwig, Alexander Payne

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest), Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Celine Song (Past Lives), Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall) 

Best Actor:

Bradley Cooper, Maestro

Colman Domingo, Rustin

Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer 

Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Locks: Bradley Cooper, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy

Toss-Ups: Colman Domingo, Jeffrey Wright

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Zac Efron (The Iron Claw), Barry Keoghan (Saltburn), Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers), Teo Yoo (Past Lives)

Best Actress:

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Hueller, Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan, Maestro

Margot Robbie, Barbie

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Locks: Lily Gladstone, Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone

Toss-Ups: Sandra Hueller, Margot Robbie

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple), Annette Bening (Nyad), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Natalie Portman (May December), Anjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin) 

Best Supporting Actor:

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction

Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer 

Ryan Gosling, Barbie

Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers

Locks: Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling

Toss-Ups: Sterling K. Brown, Dominic Sessa

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), Jacob Elordi (Saltburn), Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers), Charles Melton (May December), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)

Best Supporting Actress:

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple 

Penelope Cruz, Ferrari 

Jodie Foster, Nyad

Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Locks: Emily Blunt, Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Toss-Ups: Danielle Brooks, Penelope Cruz, Jodie Foster

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: America Ferrera (Barbie), Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers), Sandra Hueller (The Zone of Interest), Julianne Moore (May December), Rosamund Pike (Saltburn)

Best Original Screenplay:

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Past Lives

May December

Saltburn

Locks: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Past Lives

Toss-Ups: May December, Saltburn

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Air, Asteroid City, The Boy and the Heron, The Iron Claw, Maestro

Best Adapted Screenplay:

American Fiction

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Locks: American Fiction, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Toss-Up: Killers of the Flower Moon

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: All of Us Strangers, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, The Color Purple, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Zone of Interest

Best Cinematography:

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Locks: Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Toss-Ups: Maestro, The Zone of Interest

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Barbie, The Color Purple, El Conde, Napoleon, Saltburn

Best Film Editing:

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Locks: Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer

Toss-Ups: Barbie, The Holdovers, Poor Things

Other Viable Contenders for a Nomination: Anatomy of a Fall, Ferrari, The Killer, Maestro, The Zone of Interest 

Best Animated Feature:

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Best Documentary Feature:

20 Days in Mariupol 

American Symphony 

Beyond Utopia

Four Daughters

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Best International Feature:

20 Days in Mariupol

Society of the Snow

The Taste of Things

The Teacher's Lounge

The Zone of Interest 

Best Costume Design:

Barbie

The Color Purple

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Poor Things

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Golda

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Society of the Snow 

Best Production Design:

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Best Score:

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

The Zone of Interest 

Best Original Song:

"The Fire Inside", Flamin' Hot

"I'm Just Ken", Barbie

"It Never Went Away", American Symphony 

"Road to Freedom", Rustin

"What Was I Made For?, Barbie 

Best Sound:

Ferrari

Maestro

Napoleon

Oppenheimer 

The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects:

The Creator

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3

Poor Things

Society of the Snow

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 

Best Animated Short:

Letter to a Pig

Ninety-Five Senses 

Once Upon a Studio

Pete

WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko

Best Documentary Short:

The ABCs of Book Banning

The Barber of Little Rock

Deciding Vote

The Last Repair Shop

Last Song from Kabul

Best Live Action Short:

The After

The Anne Frank Gift Shop

The Shepard 

Strange Way of Life

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

Wild Card Record: 2-4 (Correct: Chiefs, Bills Incorrect: Browns, Cowboys, Rams, Eagles)

Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans: 

Despite being the top seed in the AFC, the Ravens are entering this postseason with a lot to prove. Lamar Jackson has a spotty track record in the playoffs to say the least with a 1-3 career record, John Harbaugh hasn't been much better himself of late-going just 2-5 in the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 2012 and their top-ranked defense is mostly compromised of players who haven't played in a whole lot of high-leverage games during their professional careers. A hungry Texans team led by the scorching hot rookie QB C.J. Stroud that just flat-out demolished the Browns last weekend will provide an excellent test of their meddle. Ultimately, I'm pretty confident in the Ravens ability to pull this one out. Naive or not, I do believe this Ravens team has grown up and delivered tough, clutch performances in spots this year where they hadn't previously (Christmas Day in San Francisco against the 49ers being the best example)-which has sold me on their ability to perform on this stage, it would be stunning if the Ravens defense displayed the level of poor tackling and pass coverage that allowed the Texans to make so many huge plays against the Browns and like most young teams, the Texans haven't been as sharp on the road as they've been in their own building (4-5 versus their 7-3 makr in their own building).       

San Francisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers: 

The Packers complete and utter domination of the Cowboys on Wild Card Weekend was the biggest endorsement of Matt LaFluer, Jordan and the unsung ability of their young talent on both sides of the ball yet. That being said, the 49ers don't have the same struggles with execution and mental toughness that the Cowboys have this time of year and Kyle Shanahan has absolutely given the business to his old friend LaFleur in both of their previous playoff meetings-which makes another shocking road upset feel highly unlikely.    

Detroit Lions over Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Here's a sentence I never thought I'd write: I think the Detroit Lions are going to make the NFC Championship Game. While Tampa's excellent run/redzone D, Dan Campbell's erratic nature and the tragedy-fueled DNA of this team leaves plenty of room for things to go sideways, their defense's ability to make stops when it mattered in the redzone last week on a night where Matthew Stafford was absolutely dealing under center despite taking an absolute beating and Jared Goff's ability to step up and seal the deal when the Rams were threatening to pull off the upset showed that this team isn't too big for the moment and just might be able to go on the type of run that we haven't seen from them in over 30 years. Plus, The Bucs are a weaker team than the Rams in most facets of the game and it's more likely that their impressive offensive performance last week can be chalked up to just how bad the Eagles played than anything special that Baker Mayfield and OC Dave Canales did (although it does need to be noted that the Bucs probably would've scored 50+ points if the Bucs receivers didn't drop 5 or 6 passes that Mayfield couldn't have possibly thrown any better).      

Kansas City Chiefs over Buffalo Bills: 

The NFL got exactly what they wanted in yet another Chiefs/Bills matchup in the playoffs. What makes this particular showdown between these newly-minted rivals so exciting is that it's the first time that they've met in Upstate New York this time of the year. While the game being in Orchard Park and the Chiefs being the most vulnerable they've been during the Patrick Mahomes-era by far on account of the unreliable cast of pass-catchers the front office has surrounded him with gives the Bills a good chance to win this game, I still like Kansas City here. The combination of this being his 1st career road playoff game and the Kadarius Toney offsides debacle that cost them their meeting during the regular season should put Mahomes in a spot where he's extra motivated to ball out, the Bills really haven't looked all that sharp offensively for the majority of the past 4 weeks despite what the scoreboard has said when the game clock reached 0:00 and most importantly, the Bills are extremely banged-up on defense right now-which is not a great development when Andy Reid and Mahomes are coming into the town.        

Movie Review: The Beekeeper

Last year, Hollywood provided a certain brand of degenerate moviegoer with a gift that they hadn't received in quite some time: A proper January movie. This film boasted the succinct, perfectly-apt title of Plane and it told the story of a pilot (Gerard Butler) who crash lands on an island off the coast of the Philippines that's been overrun by a violent militia and is soon forced to team up with the convict he was transporting (Mike Colter) to defend the crew and passengers and find a way off the island by any means necessary. Seeing a modern theatrical release harken back to the glory days of workman-like action flicks being released at the top of the calendar year was an oddly heartwarming event that reinforced the belief that Hollywood was indeed back in business after COVID wreaked havoc on the start of the 2020's. Well, it turns out that Plane was ushering in a full-on revival of this old Hollywood practice and this year's entry The Beekeeper delivers even more of the glorious B-movie hijinks that just hit different in January.

As you can probably deduce from the title, The Beekeeper tells the story of a beekeeper named Adam Clay (Jason Statham) who spends his days tending to a large swarm of bees and producing honey on a desolate Western Massachusetts farm. He also happens to be a retired member of a clandestine organization of elite killers called The Beekeepers who operate independently from the United States government and step in whenever "the hive" (aka the people of the United States) needs to be protected from nefarious forces. Clay's quiet retirement suddenly comes to an end when the nice woman (Phylicia Rashad) he rents a barn from commits suicide after falling victim to a phishing scam that drained all of her bank accounts and decides to hunt down the people responsible. What starts off as a simple act of revenge turns into something much bigger than Clay bargained for and soon, the reinstated Beekeeper is tasked with taking down one of the biggest threats to the hive that he's ever faced.

The Beekeeper is one of those sadly all too rare examples of a movie being exactly what it was advertised to be. Anybody who wants to see a movie where Statham pretty much effortlessly dispatches legions of faceless goons, about a quarter of the dialogue consists of terrible bee puns and the plot seemingly gets dumber and more convoluted by the minute will be delighted by it. Everyone else should steer clear because there is nothing for them here. Comparisons to John Wick are inevitable given the "elite killer comes out of retirement to extract revenge on shitbags who caused the death of a loved one" plot, but I don't believe they really apply as this is a far sillier, sleazier affair that doesn't share the Wick films interest in character and noirish style. 

Regardless of what films it may or may not share DNA with, The Beekeeper gets the job done by delivering a lot of solid, crisply edited action sequences that are primarily driven by hand-to-hand fighting, getting self-aware, scenery-chewing performances from Statham, Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson-who manages to steal the movie as the douchey techbro antagonist and boasting the kind of polished production values that studios don't always give to mid-budget action movies these days (look no further than Statham's last movie Expend4bles-which was a strong sound mix away from being indecipherable from a straight-to-VOD project). It's probably the best solo Statham pure action flick to come out since Homefront as well as a rousing return to form from David Ayer after a poorly received string of films (Suicide Squad, Bright, The Tax Collector) cratered his stock in the industry. I wouldn't be mad at all if every few Januarys we saw Statham go on a ludicrous mission to break up some elaborate crime ring that was stealing money from the pockets of America's working class.              

Grade: B