Shelter, 2026.
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh.
Starring Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Gordon Alexander, Harriet Walter, Bronson Webb, Derek Carroll, Tom Wu, Sofian Francis, Steven Blades, Billy Clements, Bally Gill, Anna Crilly, Tomi May, Adam Collins, Ryan Fletcher, and Bryan Vigier.
SYNOPSIS:
A recluse on a remote Scottish island rescues a girl from the sea, unleashing a perilous sequence of events that culminate in an attack on his home, compelling him to face his turbulent history.
The latest from director Ric Roman Waugh and star Jason Statham, Shelter, is a fusion of their philosophies toward the action genre and what they do best. As a filmmaker, Waugh (working here from a screenplay by Ward Parry) cares about grounding the violence and spectacle in humanity and emotional stakes, whereas Statham always excels in world-wearied, off-the-grid roles that typically come down to him enacting vengeance on behalf of someone or protecting someone defenseless. Essentially, this is a case of director and star elevating one another (which is not to say that Waugh swapping usual collaborator Gerard Butler with Statham is an upgrade per se, but rather a lateral move that fits more squarely into the wheelhouse of the latter).
Here, Jason Statham is Michael Mason, a former MI6 agent who oversees Manafort’s (Bill Nighy) secret, shadowy division of obedient assassins taking on presumably shady, dirty work. He has somewhat escaped that life, now living on a remote patch of land in the Scottish Isles with a dog he hasn’t even named, which goes to show that, although he is living a quiet, peaceful life, he hasn’t exactly replaced carnage with normalcy.
As Michael comes into guardianship of young Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach, undeniably impressive here and the beating heart of the story; between this and her solid work in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet, she deserves more work and to become a star in her own right), who loses her uncle in a storm while the two were taking on separate duties delivering supplies to surrounding areas. It’s a bit contrived, but also goes down easier since the filmmakers aren’t using tragedy as a springboard into action right away; Michael grows to care for the girl, whereas Jesse demonstrates emotional intelligence beyond her years and sees into the loneliness and pain he is living with. As such, chess becomes a source of connection, as does naming that dog.
However, a trip into town to purchase medical supplies for Jesse’s wounds sustained attempting to rescue her uncle means popping his head out in front of several cameras in the world, when Manafort is not only still looking for his top soldier who broke off loyalty for some reason, but will stop at nothing to leverage his position for revenge. He also has a replacement coldhearted assassin to carry out, presumably, all the same dirty work, including this cruel mission. It isn’t long before his team is putting a siege on the small island, with Michael now thrust into old habits to protect himself and Jesse. Elsewhere at MI6 headquarters, Naomi Ackie is somewhat underutilized, chasing digital breadcrumbs as her investigation gradually leads her to the truth about Manafort.
What matters most, though, is that the filmmakers choreograph a series of action sequences using mostly practical effects (a car chase across the grassy Scottish Isles is appropriately dirty and muddy, with a real sense of weight to the collisions and destruction) without ever losing focus on the story’s emotional core. One could do without a character blurting out the subtext, but Shelter is a story about Jesse trying to save Michael as much as he is trying to protect her, with her insisting that the few days of normalcy they had before soldiers started kicking down doors are not impossible. Jason Statham also shoots goons with nail guns and ends up in a neon-soaked dubstep club brawl, all with urgency among the exciting, well-crafted action. The real bullet, though, is to the heart, as one comes to care about these two and their dynamic.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
