The Beekeeper: David Ayer says Jason Statham schooled him with his action knowledge

Jason Statham knows a thing or two about action movies, having starred in more than a few of them throughout his career, and he even schooled The Beekeeper director David Ayer when it comes to the genre.

“He schooled me,” David Ayer told /Film. “I mean, let’s be real: He’s an action icon, and he’s probably forgotten more about action than I know. He really raised my game. He really helped me get under the hood of, what is action? How does it work? And he has this encyclopedic knowledge of, like, literally every punch ever thrown on film. So when you present him with choreography, [he’ll say], ‘No, I did that in this movie, I saw that in this, I saw that in that.’ And then his sense of self and how he presents on camera is impeccable, and you have to support that and then build around that. I, honestly, after working with him, feel much more confident about directing action.“

In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as ‘Beekeepers.’ In addition to Jason Statham, the film also stars Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, with Phylicia Rashad, and Jeremy Irons.

Our own Tyler Nichols found a lot to enjoy with The Beekeeper, saying that although “it’s not perfect and you really have to shut your brain off in terms of logic,” it’s still a “fun time at the movies.” He also praised Ayer’s work on the movie. “Usually, his action films have a darker tone and realism to them. However, The Beekeeper is more in line with the action films of the 80s and 90s, where the priority is entertainment,” Nichols wrote. “There are a lot of corny lines but they’re all done to enhance the experience. Ayer is clearly wanting the audience to have fun with Clay’s revenge mission. For as violent as the film is, there’s a level of care put into the how’s and why’s of what’s going on.” You can check out the rest of Nichols’ review right here.

The Beekeeper is now playing in theaters.