Jason Statham, aka Mr. January, is back with another action thriller, Shelter.
If there was ever any question… The King of January is Jason Statham. He’s back to reclaim (as if he ever needed to reclaim it) his crown and kingdom with his newest film, Shelter. The action thriller directed by Ric Roman Waugh is another in the series of the SCU (that’s the Statham Cinematic Universe for those not in the know), where an endless supply of rogue government adjacent entities mess with the wrong lone wolf ex-special ops badass, and said lone wolf ex-special ops badass takes everything down.
With names like Levon Cade (A Working Man), Adam Clay (The Beekeeper), and now Michael Mason, Jason Stathman plays characters in movies that dads would never see in theaters but used to watch on TNT or TBS ad nauseam (usually standing two feet away from the TV mid-chore). Mason is the kind of character that certain dudes will look at his life on the tiny island off the coast of Scotland with his dog and go “hell yeah”. This is the kind of role that Statham excels at, brooding man of violence with a soft, gravelly voice that makes declarative statements like “this is where we part ways” like they were Shakespeare.
What separates Shelter’s Mason from the characters in The Beekeeper or A Working Man is that Statham’s gone full father figure. Not just protecting a young girl (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) but also learn to care about her. Other films had Statham exacting revenge on those who would do harm to innocent citizens of the world. Shelter is more about Mason’s attempts to shelter (get it!!!) his young charge from the violence of the series of government assassins out to terminate him with extreme prejudice. These foes are the kind that run in the middle of the night and wear suits in the event they have to take their target out in the middle of a club (lucky for them Mason happens to do that very thing).
Shelter is the kind of movie where many people use screens and type furiously while using phrases like ‘off the reservation’ and ‘activate him,’ and deep state government-sponsored programs are called ‘Black Kite’ (always starting with the word Black), and people are described as ‘precision instruments’. Yes, there is a deathly serious aspect to everything, but the casting of the likes of Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, and Daniel Mays brings the film to an elevated action thriller. Yes, the numbers all play out as they should, but it’s done with an adroit cast and some truly great, grounded, hard-hitting stunt work.
Shelter may not win Jason Statham any new fans, but it certainly will satisfy the countless ones that have made his other January releases hits. Who knows, maybe seeing Shelter 2 come in January of 2027.
Jason Statham, aka Mr. January, is back with another action thriller, Shelter.
If there was ever any question… The King of January is Jason Statham. He’s back to reclaim (as if he ever needed to reclaim it) his crown and kingdom with his newest film, Shelter. The action thriller directed by Ric Roman Waugh is another in the series of the SCU (that’s the Statham Cinematic Universe for those not in the know), where an endless supply of rogue government adjacent entities mess with the wrong lone wolf ex-special ops badass, and said lone wolf ex-special ops badass takes everything down.
With names like Levon Cade (A Working Man), Adam Clay (The Beekeeper), and now Michael Mason, Jason Stathman plays characters in movies that dads would never see in theaters but used to watch on TNT or TBS ad nauseam (usually standing two feet away from the TV mid-chore). Mason is the kind of character that certain dudes will look at his life on the tiny island off the coast of Scotland with his dog and go “hell yeah”. This is the kind of role that Statham excels at, brooding man of violence with a soft, gravelly voice that makes declarative statements like “this is where we part ways” like they were Shakespeare.
What separates Shelter’s Mason from the characters in The Beekeeper or A Working Man is that Statham’s gone full father figure. Not just protecting a young girl (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) but also learn to care about her. Other films had Statham exacting revenge on those who would do harm to innocent citizens of the world. Shelter is more about Mason’s attempts to shelter (get it!!!) his young charge from the violence of the series of government assassins out to terminate him with extreme prejudice. These foes are the kind that run in the middle of the night and wear suits in the event they have to take their target out in the middle of a club (lucky for them Mason happens to do that very thing).
Shelter is the kind of movie where many people use screens and type furiously while using phrases like ‘off the reservation’ and ‘activate him,’ and deep state government-sponsored programs are called ‘Black Kite’ (always starting with the word Black), and people are described as ‘precision instruments’. Yes, there is a deathly serious aspect to everything, but the casting of the likes of Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, and Daniel Mays brings the film to an elevated action thriller. Yes, the numbers all play out as they should, but it’s done with an adroit cast and some truly great, grounded, hard-hitting stunt work.
Shelter may not win Jason Statham any new fans, but it certainly will satisfy the countless ones that have made his other January releases hits. Who knows, maybe seeing Shelter 2 come in January of 2027.
Shelter is in only theaters on January 30th
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