Mutiny

Bluesky

This time on a boat. It's a formula that worked for a variety of other action stars and franchises, from Steven Seagal to Speed. This time it's Jason Statham, one kick and punch and improvised weapon at a time. "This time" as if his career isn't a litany of this sort of thing, though as action superstars go it's perhaps less Planet Hollywood than something slightly lower rent. Not Wimpy, to be clear, but grounded in its ambitions and workmanlike in its achievements. Nautically there'd be competition for the blue riband, for restaurants it's the cordon bleu, and for Mutiny, well, maybe a blue plate special.

The boat belongs to a shipping firm, KMG, owned by 'Tibu', a quality turn from veteran performer Ramon Tikaram. Statham's Cole Reed is his personal bodyguard, chief of security, possessed of a CV that's initially implied with not unwieldy expository dialogue and some well-placed photographs and then explicitly stated in a later briefing. The old scriptwriting adage of 'show, don't tell' is pretty reliably under- and short- cut by having someone deliver a dossier to their commander. It's not entirely clear why Adrian Lester (playing a US Navy officer to good effect) needs to be told something, as apparently he's keenly eyed enough to identify individual models of Heckler & Koch submachineguns from satellite footage.

I would complain that it could have been done with any of a family of drones, but must acknowledge that using that or the helicopter one assumes the fictional USS Hazard Perry has some capacity for would give away the advantage of surprise. Though given that a key element of proceedings is someone hearing something they shouldn't I can't rule out that someone on board might have heard the camera zooming in, even from the edge of space. I was amused by some visual nods to other films, a portentous dolly zoom had echoes of Jaws and I think audiences could have been trusted to draw paralells with Die Hard even without a metal-framed zippo being used as a light source in a ventilation shaft.

To go with our captains of industry and navy we've at least one more. Roland Moller is Marko, captain of the merchant vessel Artemis. Rounding out the crews are various men of action and last-minute third-mate Annabelle Wallis. 'Miss Ellis' isn't the only named female character in the film, and indeed there is a brief exchange of words between her and another named female character that's not about a man. It does feel a bit like ticking a box though, as it's as ritually mechanical as checking ammunition remaining in a magazine and the unfolding of the story.

Director Jean-Francois Richet may now be collecting a set, after Gerard Butler in Plane he's got Jason Statham on a boat. Writer JP Davis also worked on Plane, and this may be a feature debut for co-writer Lindsay Michel. The score by Marcus Trumpp is well used, and there's some excellent sound-design. It's a source of some frustration that a sequence where Wallis and Statham interact while wearing noise-cancelling headsets is so well observed when elsewhere what can be heard and not-heard seems more a function of script-writing efficiency than either accuracy or artistry. That might be a bit churlish in a venture where items pressed into violent service include old standbys like fire-axes and cargo hooks. Those who since The Transporter have had a fondness for Statham wreaking havoc in an Audi will be pleased. Fans of Jackie Chan will be impressed with some of the improvised weaponry unlocked as things go on.

Having referenced at least two places noted for their burgers that might be the most apt comparison. It's not fine dining, it's quick, convenient, meaty. At a bit over ninety-minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome though an homage to Heat is about as spicy as it gets. Adequate is fainter praise than it deserves, as it more than delivers what it promises. From the off, when what might be a foghorn becomes a propulsive score that ably supports the tension developed in a Jason Statham action film, this time on a boat. There's good craft here, acting and action alike. My technical complaints are more of geometry than gastronomy. It's got a good balance of ingredients, the chopping and changing as our protagonist goes from frying pan to fire keep things pressing on. It's not fancy, and certainly not original, but it's still satisfying. After all, what burger doesn't benefit from a bit of cheese?

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