Shelter: Just Another Excuse for More Statham-ing

When it comes to Jason Statham films, they have essentially become their own action subgenre. Just putting him in anything and letting him go at it is a formula that works more often than not. Nowadays, we have come to a point that these films are simply rehashes of themselves, something that happens over the course of any big action star’s career, and at this point in time, its his. That being said, for better or worse, Statham still keeps audiences coming back for more. Shelter is no different. Offering absolutely nothing that he hasn’t done already at point or another in his career, his effortless charisma goes a long way in holding these kinds of films together. Under the right circumstances, story aside (because they don’t seem to matter as much), Statham could make it work and he does so once again here. Watching Statham Statham-ing for 100+ minutes or so, it should hit the right spot for fans of his, otherwise, it won’t be converting anyone else. If anything, one the most prolific action directors as of late in Ric Roman Waugh helms a film that does not try to be more than it is. Derivative and featuring every cliché in the book, the dynamic of Statham and Bodhi Rae Breathnach give audiences something worth investing in through all the familiar ups and downs.

The story feels like a greatest hits of the action genre as Shelter finds Mason (Statham), a recluse living on a remote Scottish island with his fateful dog. Comfortable with his solitude, his life would be turned upside down upon the arrival of Jesse (Breathnach), a headstrong young girl whom he would save following a tragic boating accident. A counterbalance to Mason and his ways, she was a disruption that challenged him like no one has in a very long time. However, over time, the longer the two spent together, the bigger their bond grew. Mason, not caring about anyone or anything, cared about Jesse but ultimately, that care would lead to the downfall of the life he had created for himself. Meanwhile, pulling back the curtain, the circumstances behind his self-imposed exile became clear. The UK, ruled by a controversial AI surveillance system, left much of its people under the whim of the intelligence complex who can use the powerful tool for good or evil.

Captured in a vulnerable moment, Mason got back on the radar of the authorities, believing he had died in action. Now, he and Jesse became targets of the old and new MI6 regime, who wanted to either bring them in or eliminate them to dispose of any evidence of their past wrongdoings. All stemming from Mason’s past as a secret government operative, he was a liability, and Jesse was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Unleashing his signature special set of skills to protect her, and to stop those responsible for chasing them, the story evolved into a game of cat-and-mouse between Mason and a government that was not on the same page about what to with him. A subplot that adds next to little to the story, the film is at its best across its many action sequences where he dispatches one adversary after another in well choreographed fashion. Though not original by any means, to the film’s credit, it is not completely empty. Mason and Jesse are fun to watch together, bonding over their shared circumstances. The push-and-pull as his need to protect her, and her wanting to stay together, did cause some drama for their dynamic. While there was some tension to be had, the final outcome was never in doubt. As much as they tried, there was no stopping Mason, and what that means for a return of course remain to be seen.

The action does fine enough and the story is essentially meaningless but, in spite of everything else, Shelter is all about Jason Statham and for that, the film delivers. His effortless charisma makes for a subtle variation of the same character he has already played countless times before still compelling to watch. Far from the best film Statham has even been a part of, he is the best part of this one, and makes it watchable through his presence alone. On the other hand, as Jesse, Breathnach holds her own against Statham in only her second feature film role (the first being last year’s Hamnet). Over an arc that saw Jesse grow up very fast, playing the straight man against Statham’s Mason, that perspective proved to generate many scene-stealing moments.

Solid, yet unremarkable, Shelter delivers a decent Jason Statham action vehicle that won’t blow anyone away, but does just enough to entertain.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.