'Shelter' Review: It's No 'Beekeeper,' but Jason Statham's Latest Still Delivers

Jason Statham holds a special place in the hearts of most action movie junkies. You can try to argue that a lot of his movies aren't any good, but who cares? His martial arts skills and gruff British accent work wonders. Alongside Gerard Butler and Liam Neeson, he also shares the title of the King of January action movies. Movies like The Beekeeper, Den of Thieves, and Cold Pursuit aren't high art by any means, but they sure are refreshing after all the prestige movies and Christmas blockbusters that came out at the end of the previous year.

Shelter teams Statham up with fellow staple of junky fun action flicks, Ric Roman Waugh, and when I say junky, I mean it as a compliment (well, aside from Waugh's other film that released this month). Waugh and Statham know their audience and usually know exactly what they want from their movies: badass action scenes, lots of guns, a few cool quips, and a mysterious backstory for the hero. Shelter gives you exactly that.

What Is 'Shelter' About?

Shelter begins with Statham's Michael Mason, living a quiet and secluded life in a lighthouse on the coast of Scotland. He spends most of his days taking care of his adorable dog that he never gave a name to, playing chess with himself, and drawing pictures of his pooch. That's pretty much it. His fellow Royal Guard buddy often has his niece, Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), deliver goods to him. On one fateful day, a terrible storm kills the man and injures Jessie, leaving her under the care of Mason.

Jessie immediately doesn't trust Mason, sitting in corners, hiding a knife under her pillow, and silently observing every move he makes. She's also highly concerned about how he even knows about her family, since she doesn't know him. Mason is reluctant to care for Jessie, living in fear that his past as a government assassin will catch up to him. Which, of course, this being a Statham movie, it does. Mason's old employer, former MI6 Spymaster Steven Manafort (Bill Nighy), uses a shady surveillance system known as T.H.E.A. to hunt him down, causing him and the young girl to go on the run, all while the new MI6 chief (Naomi Ackie) watches in shock and fear from her control room.

The premise itself is fairly simple, occasionally borrowing heavily from The Bourne Identity and John Wick, but the simplicity is what makes it work. What else would you expect from a movie like this?

'Shelter' Is Another Good Excuse To Have Jason Statham Kick Ass

Image via Black Bear Pictures

As generic as the story is in Shelter, the action scenes do more than enough to satisfy the itch. The film opens with a genuinely impressive setpiece showing Statham diving into the ocean during a storm in an attempt to save Jessie and her doomed uncle. It's not punch-kick Statham, it's him going back to his roots as a professional diver, and despite the fact that he's getting older, he pulls it off quite well. The rest of the movie's action is largely more of the kinds of fistfights and gunplay you'd expect from Statham. There are some great kills, including when the MI6 grunts first enter his home, as he gets creative with the way he takes a man out. The big showdown between Mason and an assassin played by Bryan Vigier also proves to be a riot, especially with how it concludes.

Nighy chews up the screen with his hammy villainous performance, even if he could have used more screentime. He's your typical evil government stooge with little depth to him, but Nighy is fully aware of the kind of movie he's in and is comfortable letting loose. Even as he spouts out corny expositional dialogue, he makes those scenes more entertaining. Breathnach, who was recently seen playing the eldest Shakespeare daughter in the Oscar-nominated Hamnet, is the biggest surprise to come out of the film. The young girl in danger is a long-worn action movie trope, one that Statham has used in his other movies, but Breathnach's chemistry and bond with Statham is more heartfelt than you'd expect walking in. She's given a personality that's more than just the crying young girl in fear for her life.

Ackie, who has shown to be a consistently reliable performer in recent years, is given the short end of the stick in her role. If you remember Joan Allen's role in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, you'll know exactly the kind of character she is. Ackie isn't bad; it is just that she doesn't have a Tony Gilroy-like writer to give her good dialogue. Instead, her character is largely forgettable and one-note.

'Shelter' Isn't the Next 'Beekeeper'

Image via Black Bear

Statham always has at least one or two new movies that are released in a year. The Beekeeper was the kind of memorably bonkers vehicle that set an expectation for all his future movies. Similar to The Beekeeper, Shelter takes itself very seriously; unlike the 2024 hit, it doesn't have nearly the same amount of personality. There are few quips or big twists; it is largely your run-of-the-mill Statham movie. It's on the same level as The Mechanic, which isn't a bad place to be.

Obviously, we don't want all Statham movies to feel the same, even A Working Man had a personality that drew you into the film. Shelter doesn't have much of that. Where it lacks in boldness, it makes up for it in the emotional core, where you do find yourself actually caring for Mason and Jessie. You are not just waiting to see what kind of crazy thing they get up to next; you want them to survive.

It is honestly surprising that Waugh and Statham had never worked together until now, as Shelter proves that they are a very good match. Shelter will give Statham devotees exactly what they're looking for. It isn't particularly memorable, nor will it launch a franchise, but did it ever need to? No, it didn't. It's another perfect excuse to shove popcorn in your face as you cheer watching Statham beat some people up. What's wrong with that?

Shelter comes to theaters on January 30.

Release Date January 30, 2026

Runtime 107 minutes

Director Ric Roman Waugh

Writers Ward Parry

Producers Greg Silverman, Jason Statham, Jon Berg, John Friedberg, Brendon Boyea

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  Bodhi Rae Breathnach

  Jesse

Pros & Cons

• The action is great, particularly the opening rescue setpiece.
• Jason Statham is reliably badass as always, while Bill Nighy is delightfully hammy.
• Bodhi Rae Breathnach's chemistry with Statham gives the story a surprising amount of heart.

• The movie borrows almost too heavily from The Bourne Franchise and John Wick.
• Naomi Ackie's subplot adds nothing of substance to the overall story.