Jason Statham reached a creative peak, without changing much of the formula, with 2024’s The Beekeeper, and he’s been struggling to reach that level ever since. He doesn’t come close to hitting it now with Mutiny, which is basically the Statham version of Die Hard except on a boat. Well, I guess that would make it Statham’s own personal Under Siege. The simple fact is that Statham doesn’t really change much, but his director’s do, and that’s what matters most when gauging his best movies. Working with French director Jean-Francois Richet, Statham delivers the solid action his fans expect, but in a film that moves at the pace of a ship with a dropped anchor.
Statham plays Cole Reed, a kick-ass private security specialist who has been at his billionaire boss’s side for years ever since saving his life. Cole sees him as more than a boss, but as a friend, which is why it’s personally devastating when the man is murdered in a sudden attack. Framed for the killing, Cole boards a departing cargo ship to track down the real killer and to get some revenge.
Mutiny is basic meat-and-potatoes stuff from Statham, as the simple plotline suggests. It really is just Jason Statham punching people on a boat, with little intrigue and few twists and turns. There’s nothing wrong with that, because Statham is one of the most entertaining brawlers on the big screen. On a crowded cargo ship, he’s got loads of weapons to choose from that he doesn’t typically get to employ, like massive harpoons and hooks. The threat of going overboard and being lost forever is never really there because Statham is one of those actors who doesn’t take a ton of punishment; he’s always the guy dishing it out.
Mixing things up, and stealing some of Statham’s thunder, is co-star Annabelle Wallis as corporate crewman Angie Ellis. It’s rare that Statham stars in a film where women are anything other than victims or mercenaries, making Wallis a refreshing change of pace. We’re forced to consider her perspective because the threat is a lot more real for her, the lone woman trapped on a ship with dozens of violent men. A single mom who has been away from her kid for an extended period, Wallis’ Angie is the rare chance to see the female perspective in a Statham flick.
Richet and Statham make for an odd director/actor pair, though, and Mutiny struggles to get a strong wind behind it. The filmmaker, who has done solid work before with Mesrine and Blood Father, but misfired badly with Plane, keeps a restrained pace and delivers grounded, well-executed fight scenes. The first film from Statham’s new production company, Punch Palace Productions, Mutiny is all about giving him someplace new to beat up the bad guys. It’d be great to see Statham take a few more risks, and perhaps he will in the future, but it’s not on deck for now.
Mutiny opens in theaters on August 21st.
