Shelter – REVIEW

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Fans of electronic music will recognize ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ by DJ Fatboy Slim. It’s been playfully adapted to ‘Beat, Leap, Grave, Re-beat’ as a nod to British action star Jason Statham and his new movie, ‘Shelter‘.

He’s a solitary man named Mason, haunted by a mysterious past. He lives in an old, abandoned British lighthouse, his only companion a loyal dog. Mason’s only connection to the outside world is Jessie, a teenage girl delivering supplies. Jessie herself carries the weight of a difficult past and now lives with her uncle, who braves rough seas to bring the deliveries to the island.

Bill Nighy, the former head of British Secret Services, has just been informed by the Prime Minister, Harriet Walter, that he’s being replaced by Naomi Ackie. The controversy stems from a surveillance system he implemented – it can access footage from CCTV and dashcams using facial recognition. When the system briefly detects Mason, a wanted man, Ackie dispatches her elite team, ‘The Black Kites,’ to hunt him down. Chaos ensues! Despite overwhelming force, Mason skillfully evades capture. The situation escalates when Nighy sends his top agent – a dangerous and highly skilled adversary matching Mason’s abilities – into the pursuit. Mason flees to a lighthouse, taking Jessie with him; she recently lost her uncle, her only remaining family, in a boating accident while delivering supplies to the lighthouse, and the chase is on.

Okay, so it’s a pretty solid action movie, even if the plot gets a little shaky at times. I mean, the premise – a retired spy accessing surveillance systems from home and a massive death toll going unnoticed – stretches believability. But Jason Statham is, as always, a brilliantly efficient one-man army, and there are some genuinely thrilling action sequences. It’s directed by Ric Roman Waugh, who I really rate – ‘Shot Caller’ and ‘Greenland’ were fantastic. This is up there with them, though I will say the action is filmed in quite a dark, murky style. I guess it’s meant to reflect the British weather, but it makes it hard to actually see what’s happening! What I really loved was the supporting cast – Bill Nighy, Jim Walter, and Daniel Mays aren’t names you usually associate with action films, and they’re all great. Especially Nighy, who was rightly Oscar-nominated for ‘Living’ – he brings a fantastic weight and presence to any role, or a lovely bit of humor when needed.

Jessie Breathnach is a rising star, having impressed in her first major film, ‘Hamnet,’ and recently finished filming ‘WereWolf’ with director Robert Eggers, suggesting a very promising career. Meanwhile, Jason Statham continues to be incredibly prolific, consistently delivering popular, intense action films each year. ‘Shelter’ is an exciting movie that blends the styles of ‘John Wick’ and ‘Leon,’ which is a strong foundation for success.

Here’s the Shelter trailer……

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2026-01-28 20:24