Shelter review: Who else you gonna call when a girl’s in trouble?
‘Shelter’ opens an angry can of worms when a recluse jeopardizes his hard-earned anonymity to save a girl’s life.
Some people thrive in solitude. They keep human contact to a minimum and may feel more comfortable with non-human companions. (This generally means animals, though inanimate objects can be adequate confidantes too.) Most people find it difficult to understand their choice as we are inherently social creatures. But there are exceptions to every rule. Sometimes there are reasons to avoid crowds, whether they be medical or self-preservation. In Shelter, an isolated man gets some unexpected company that turns his life upside-down.
Mason (Jason Statham) lives on a remote island with his faithful K-9 companion. Once a week, a boat brings supplies, which a girl named Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) leaves at his doorstep while he avoids her. When an accident leaves her injured and alone, Mason is compelled to upend his routine and bring her into his life. Unfortunately, necessity requires him to leave his seclusion to help her, exposing himself to elements he’s painstakingly been avoiding. In the meantime, the head of MI-6 (Bill Nighy) is under fire for a protecting surveillance system that’s monitoring citizens, which he’s secretly using to inform his black ops missions.
Recent casting trends show that if you have a girl that needs help or rescuing, Statham is your man. Beyond the franchise films he’s made in the last few years (Fast & the Furious and The Expendables), he’s primarily played reluctant heroes. In these movies, a girl or vulnerable woman is in trouble and he resolves to make her safe again — by any means necessary. The men he portrays also tend to be reclusive, hiding or running from a secret past life. He’s just a guy trying to live a peaceful life, but something always draws him back in.
Yet, this isn’t the most action-packed picture on Statham’s résumé. Outside of some surprising traps and a couple of sudden deaths, the skirmishes are standard fair. Nonetheless, the fight scenes are expectedly hard-hitting and fast-paced. It’s never displeasing to watch Statham dispatch a group of armed killers with nothing but his bare hands and a knife. And even though one of the clashes ends in overkill, it’s a cool effect and delivers satisfaction to audiences.
There’s initially a lot of secrecy around Mason’s identity. He won’t even tell Jesse his name after saving her. It prolongs the mystery by misidentifying him, creating a new enigma. Unsurprisingly, the narrative includes the standard warning to distrust government surveillance, secret operations and treacherous leaders. Unfortunately, Mason is facing a hydra, so even if he succeeds in cutting off its head, another will take its place.
However, the film has some pacing issues. Mason faces the same attacker too many times over the course of 107 minutes. At least they fight in a lot of different locations to keep the setting fresh and Jesse occasionally steps in to return the favour by saving Mason. Sadly, the narrative also breaks one of cinema’s cardinal rules. Fortunately, the circumstances lessen the impact.
In the end, Statham’s fans won’t be disappointed, but this is one of his less exciting outings.
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Starring: Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach and Bill Nighy
