Jason Statham’s had a different occupation in last film, “The Beekeeper” (my review). This movie gave him a new job, but it’s pretty much the same flick, just more predictable and less exciting. An excerpt from that review applies here, “Statham plays his typical steely character bashing his way thru insurmountable attacks with barely a scratch. He dispatches his enemies quickly without much blood or gore. His fierce encounters start early on and keep piling up with regularity, minimizing the dialogue.” This time, the plot isn’t much of a variation: He’s a retired military expert who’s dispatched to help recover the kidnapped daughter of his employer, where his day job is construction. This was produced and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, which makes it even more disappointing, given the complete lack of any originality. This film also doesn’t take advantage of Statham’s easy comic ability, even though the few lousy wise cracks sound like Stallone’s voice. His writing partner was David Ayer, who also directed. He’s staged several fight sequences in the dark, rendering them almost impossible to follow. Statham fans may enjoy watching him do damage and this “works” on that level, although it’s not a great job. 
(1.5 / 5)
