If you’ve seen Jason Statham punch one guy on a boat, you’ve seen him punch ’em all.
That’s the issue with “Mutiny,” the latest stamp-it-out action thriller from the Jason Statham factory, in which Statham is caught on a shipping freighter, punching out bad guys, and sometimes shooting or stabbing them when necessary.
It’s the second Statham thriller of the year, following January’s “Shelter,” in which Statham played a slightly heavier-bearded individual than usual.
Here he’s back to his signature stubble, and back to finding his way into trouble. He plays Cole Reed, a great name for a Statham character (Chev Chelios is the ultimate Statham character name, but Cole Reed fits the no-frills nature of “Mutiny”), a former cop turned bodyguard for a billionaire shipping tycoon.
When that billionaire shipping tycoon is killed, Cole goes looking for answers, which brings him aboard one of his massive cargo ships. When he finds a group of stowaways in one of the containers, he begins collecting evidence against the crew members so that they’ll face swift justice in a court of law. Just kidding, he starts killing dudes left and right.
You don’t go into a Statham thriller looking for deep intellectualism or explorations of mature themes, but “Mutiny” is decidedly one note in its approach. It’s basically “Die Hard” on a shipping vessel — there are even nods to “Die Hard’s” air vent and broken glass sequences — but without the wit or high-level execution of the 1988 action classic.
Instead, director Jean-François Richet (2023’s “Plane,” starring Statham’s spiritual brother Gerard Butler) gives viewers a sense of base level blood lust and the meanest use of a fisherman’s hook since “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Do with that, and “Mutiny,” what you will.
agraham@detroitnews.com
‘Mutiny’
GRADE: C-
Rated R: for strong/bloody violence, and language
Running time: 95 minutes
In theaters
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: It’s ‘Mutiny’ as Jason Statham exacts revenge in dull cargo ship tale
Reporting by Adam Graham, Detroit News Film Critic / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Graham, Detroit News Film Critic | USA TODAY Network
