Jason Statham has starred in dozens of movies in which he plays essentially the same character, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s totally fine. Statham may have limited range, but he’s very good at what he does, and with the right filmmaking team and co-stars, he can deliver consistently entertaining movies. Even pushing 60 years old, Statham is still adept at playing a steely, determined man of action, and his perfectly serviceable new movie “Shelter” is yet another showcase for those abilities.
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It may sound like faint praise, but calling “Shelter” serviceable is mostly a compliment, and an indication that Statham fans will get exactly what they expect from his latest project. I count myself among those fans, at least when Statham has the proper collaborators, and I was largely satisfied with “Shelter,” even if it doesn’t offer anything new either for Statham or for the action genre.
It’s no surprise that Statham excels in the movie’s multiple action sequences, but he also handles the dramatic moments quite well, aided by talented young co-star Bodhi Rae Breathnach.
“Shelter” isn’t going to set box-office records, but it’s a better January action release than last week’s dreadful “Mercy,” and a passable time-filler. That’s really all that a Statham movie needs to accomplish in order to be considered a success.
‘Shelter’ sticks to the Statham formula
“Shelter” is such a standard-issue Statham movie that his Michael Mason is almost a carbon copy of his title character from 2024’s surprise hit “The Beekeeper.” Both of them are former operatives of top-secret elite government fighting units who’ve gone off the grid and re-emerge in order to protect someone vulnerable. The units they worked for even share the same initials (BK).
Here, Mason lives alone on an island in the Hebrides, hidden away in a non-working lighthouse with only his dog as his companion. Every week, he receives supplies from 13-year-old Jessie (Breathnach), who rows over from her uncle’s trawler and leaves a crate at Mason’s door without ever speaking to him. When a storm scuttles her boat and her uncle drowns, Mason rescues her and cares for her injured ankle at the lighthouse, refusing to take her to a hospital. Despite that precaution, he’s still caught on camera when he travels to the mainland for medical supplies, putting him back on the radar of the dangerous people he came to the island to escape.
Bill Nighy plays the sinister spymaster who leads those shadowy forces, with echoes of the Jason Bourne movies. There’s also a more sympathetic espionage commander played by Naomi Ackie, but both Nighy and Ackie get little more to do than pace around offices and issue commands over phones and video chats. They make the most of their limited roles, but “Shelter” is really about the burgeoning relationship between Mason and Jessie, as he’s forced to take her with him while fleeing from his attackers.
It would be easy for “Shelter” to dip into sappiness as the taciturn killer slowly opens up to the precocious kid, but director Ric Roman Waugh avoids that temptation until the very end, and Breathnach’s performance is flinty rather than cutesy. Statham is often best when he has the chance to be a bit snarky, and “Shelter” suffers from its relentless seriousness. The lulls between action scenes can drag, but the action itself is top-notch, especially an early siege sequence at the booby-trapped island that suggests the young girl Mason should really team up with is Becky.
Verdict: Statham fans can wait to stream ‘Shelter’
There’s nothing in “Shelter” that Statham hasn’t done before, and it’s not the kind of expansive action movie that demands to be seen on a big screen. Waugh, who’s known for his many collaborations with Gerard Butler (“Angel Has Fallen,” “Kandahar,” the “Greenland” movies), is a meat-and-potatoes action director, befitting his background as a stunt performer. The action in “Shelter” is efficient and exciting but never flashy, and should play well enough at home on a decent TV.
That’s not to say that action devotees with a free afternoon shouldn’t try to catch a “Shelter” matinee. But like many Statham vehicles, it’s ideally suited for random discovery on a streaming service, when the mood calls for something fast-paced and undemanding. Oftentimes taking a chance on a Statham movie like that will lead to disappointment, but “Shelter” follows through on all its promises. Like Statham himself, it’s satisfyingly straightforward and energetic.
“Shelter” opens January 30 in theaters
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