IR Film Review: SHELTER [Black Bear]
Jason Statham seems to know a little bit about playing specific heroes. In an era where there are few to take that mantle, he, like in a similar way, Gerard Butler have found a sustainable formula while still picking specific and efficient enough scripts to make sense. The crossover with his new movie "Shelter" from "Greenland" director Ric Roman Waugh is an efficient, entertaining, mid-range picture that knows what it is while still delivering a character that can function time and again. Unlike "The Beekeeper" which was a little more far-fetched, the character he plays here in Michael Mason is revealed just enough that it makes sense as to his plight and his skills. His repercussion of action is fueled by protection. In this instance it is an abandoned girl Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) whom he tries to keep safe after an accident leaves her at his doorstep (which happens to be on a lighthouse on an island in the middle of the Scottish Isles).
The pitch may have seemed a little meandering but the way it works does build up stakes and the way Statham's character reacts to specific situations are not as completely far fetched as one would think. The action still feels brutal and yet earned while giving enough ammunition for those coming to see only that part of the movie. The less believable play is with Bill Nighy and Naomie Ackie on the other side of the coin with MI6 and an all encompassing AI tracker called T.H.E.A. This is not quite the Entity from Mission: Impossible but it creates enough of a plot progression to make it work. It also shows how ahead of the game Mason is in that he can live a simple life and yet is so aware of what he is fighting against. The cat and mouse elements click into play halfway though especially with an assassin hot on their trail in between the local police presence that begins to be stirred up. This does lead to a nice yet not over-the-top set piece in London towards the end of the film. Mason never does take his eye off the goal and what he was searching for in the first place: anonymity yet that doesn't seem to be his ultimate destiny. That said, "Shelter" delivers on what it is without overdoing but also understanding what it is. B+
By Tim Wassberg
