I was not the biggest fan of The Beekeeper, but I was excited that Jason Statham was back doing the kinds of films he is best at.
Mutiny might not rank as one of his best efforts, but it is kind of great. It is the kind of solid, unpretentious action programmer we do not get any more.
Directed by Jean-Francois Richet (Assault on Precinct 13, Bloodfather, Plane), Mutiny was initially intended as the follow-up to 2023's Plane, as either a spinoff for Mike Colter, or a sequel starring Butler. For whatever reason, those versions did not come to pass, and the project was re-conceived around Statham.
All to the good.
The movie's set up is a little sweaty - it starts out as a man-on-the-run thriller, with Statham's Cole stowing away onboard the ship, before he stumbles on its cargo.
Once the pieces are in place, the film turns into a pleasingly violent riff on Die Hard, with our heroes clambering through the ship's maze of corridors and containers.
What sticks out about the film is how lo-fi it is. The ship is not exceptional - it boasts no secret rooms, or enhanced security systems. The filmmakers spend the runtime aboard the ship emphasising how much of an obstacle it is on its own terms.
That focus on the central environment gives Mutiny a welcome sense of verisimilitude. Having Statham have to contend with a tactile environment, where danger can lurk around every corner, also gives the character a greater sense of vulnerability.
It also helps that his adversary, mercenary ship captain Captain Marko Madsen (Roland Møller), is not some placeholder. His final showdown with Statham is more of a dramatic back and forth (he knifes Statham and throws him off the boat). In another example of how the film makes use of the environment, with most of their fight taking place on a loose gangway swinging around off the side of the ship.
The captain's grisly demise is the capper on a delightful series of gruesome ends - there is an inventiveness to the violence that feels out of a slasher movie (if you have ever pondered the lethality of a padlock, this movie has you covered).
Mutiny is at its best at sea. When the film heads back to land for the final wrap-up, it loses some of its special magic.
Still, this is a minor issue. Check it out.
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