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Initial Thoughts

Jason Statham as Cole Reed in ‘Mutiny’. Photo Credit: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

Let’s face it: Jason Statham movies are pretty much critic-proof at this point. The veteran British action hero (who just turned 59 in July) delivers exactly what you expect of him every time out, sometimes with a little more style, sometimes with a little less flair, but his consistency in terms of output and his own brand is remarkable – even if many of the films are not.

With ensemble franchises like ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘The Expendables’ in limbo at the moment, Statham has been focusing on his own original starring vehicles for the last half decade, and ‘Mutiny’ falls squarely in the middle of the pack. Not as invigorating as ‘The Beekeeper,’ but not quite as generic as ‘A Working Man,’ it’s straight-down-the-line Statham with a few new wrinkles.

Story and Direction

Jason Statham as Cole Reed in ‘Mutiny’. Photo Credit: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

Following a cryptic car crash prologue of which the meaning becomes clear later on, ‘Mutiny’ opens on the intense, watchful eyes of classic Statham character Cole Reed. Loner, ex-Royal Marine, former London cop, and all-around tough guy, Reed has settled into a less dangerous job as the head of security for Thai shipping magnate Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram). Not only has he earned Tibu’s trust and friendship, but the tycoon considers him part of the family, with Cole even living in the same palatial compound as Tibu and his son Taran (Jason Wong).

So when Tibu is assassinated on the eve of selling his company in a brazen ambush involving cops, hitmen, and crew members from one of Tibu’s own vessels, a devastated Cole sets out to avenge his employer’s death even as he finds himself framed for his murder. Using the ID of a deceased assassin/crew member who he vaguely resembles (they’re both bald!), Cole sneaks onto one of Tibu’s ships, the Artemis, to find out what said crew member was into and why Tibu was targeted.

What he learns is that the Artemis is being used to smuggle human trafficking victims, and that the ship’s captain, Marko Madsen (Roland Møller), and his whole crew are in on it. With the help of a newly transferred third mate named Ellis (Annabelle Wallis), who was forced to take the gig just as she was headed back to California to see her daughter, Cole frees the prisoners. Then he and Ellis must battle Marko and his crew throughout the ship while trying to get themselves and their charges rescued, and find out who’s behind it all.

Jason Statham as Cole Reed in ‘Mutiny’. Photo Credit: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

That last bit is easy enough to figure out, as everyone here is either a ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy’ and acts accordingly pretty much from the get-go. Speaking of which, ‘Mutiny’ starts out fairly sluggishly, with director Jean-François Richet (the better than you’d ever expect ‘Plane’) setting a surprisingly low-energy pace for the first 40 minutes or so, including one sequence in which Cole searches the ship’s hold that goes on far too long.

Once all the cards are on the table, however, both the pace and the mayhem are full steam ahead. The use of a real boat helps tremendously as Cole and Ellis make their way through its narrow, labyrinthine guts, and the fight scenes – almost all done in tight shots – are intense and bloody, with Cole dispatching a lot of his enemies in particularly grisly ways (the grappling hook through the cheek comes to mind especially).

None of this is particularly remarkable, but once ‘Mutiny’ finds its sea legs, it performs as efficiently and smoothly as its always besieged, but never injured, leading man – no more, no less.

Cast and Performances

Jason Statham as Cole Reed and Annabelle Wallis as Angie Ellis in ‘Mutiny’. Photo Credit: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

The movie, of course, is about the Statham of it all, and he does exactly what’s expected of him here. The introductory scenes are interesting, in that his character is not quite as brooding or stone-faced as some of his previous ones – we even get two or three smiles out of the man during his initial warm interactions with the Tibu character. Once the action starts, however, it’s quintessential JS, and he handles the fighting, jumping, and running with his usual confidence and style.

The rest of the supporting cast is workmanlike and efficient – from the villains to the authority figures – but we do want to mention Annabelle Wallis, the rare woman in one of these films who has agency, a back story, and a motivation (even if it’s rather stock), and is not just there waiting around to be saved by the hero. She’s quite formidable on her own, Wallis is quite credible in the action scenes, and it’s nice to see a woman on equal footing with Statham in the narrative.

Final Thoughts

Jason Statham as Cole Reed in ‘Mutiny’. Photo Credit: Dan Smith/Lionsgate.

We have to wonder if the script went through some changes, since there’s no actual mutiny in the story – while the Wallis character goes into battle against the captain of the Artemis and his men, it’s not like she wrests control of the ship from him in some sort of planned coup.

Either way, the fact that the title doesn’t really line up with the events onscreen only drives home the fact that Jason Statham’s movies are all more or less interchangeable at this point – it really doesn’t matter what the mechanics of the story are, we’re all there just to watch the grim-faced, stubbly bald man kick as much butt as possible in the most violent manner available (we know he’s in on the joke, though; his production company is called Punch Palace). On that level, ‘Mutiny’ works just fine, and the good ship Statham keeps sailing on.

‘Mutiny’ receives a score of 70 out of 100.

‘Mutiny’ opens in theaters on August 21st.

What is the plot of ‘Mutiny’?

Cole Reed, a former Royal Marine commando and London police officer, now works as personal security for his friend and mentor, Thai shipping tycoon Tibu Campallo. When Tibu is murdered in front of him, Cole sets out on a mission of revenge — a mission that takes him into international waters, where he uncovers sinister secrets that go deeper than he ever expected.

Who is in the cast of ‘Mutiny’?

• Jason Statham as Cole Reed
• Annabelle Wallis as Angie Ellis
• Roland Møller as Captain Marko Madsen
• Adrian Lester as Captain Adam Spencer
• Jason Wong as Taran
• Ramon Tikaram as Tibu Campallo
• Lee Charles as Padraig

‘Mutiny’ opens in theaters on August 21st.

List of Jason Statham Movies

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