Hollywood’s Last Real Action Star Proves Why Americans Still Love No-Nonsense Heroes

Liberty Check

• Jason Statham delivers another unapologetic action film that doesn’t bow to Hollywood’s woke agenda
• British actor plays former cop fighting human traffickers on the high seas — a real-world evil the media often ignores
• Film proves audiences still crave straight-shooting heroes over politically correct messaging

When you see one Jason Statham movie, you’ve seen them all. And in today’s climate of politically correct Hollywood lectures, that’s actually refreshing.

That’s the case with “Mutiny,” his latest shoot-em-up flick where he, once again, stars as a one-man army taking on genuine evil without apology. Swap his job, swap the backstory, swap the location, swap the villain and keep everything else.

It’s a winning formula for him and for anyone who appreciates mindless entertainment that doesn’t preach.

Here, Statham is Cole Reed, a former British police officer who now serves as the head of security for Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram), the owner of a large cargo shipping company in Bangkok and a surrogate father figure to Cole. On the cusp of selling his company, Tibu is assassinated, and Cole is framed for the murder.

Cole’s search to find who’s responsible leads him aboard one of those cargo ships, where he uncovers a human smuggling operation that’s embarking on the high seas to do a tradeoff led by the villainous captain Markos Madsen (Danish actor Roland Møller).

Seek vengeance. Save lives. Kick butt.

Sounds like a plan.

The film tackles human trafficking — a crisis that’s exploded under open-border policies but rarely gets serious attention from Hollywood’s elite. While coastal elites lecture Americans about compassion, this film actually shows the brutal reality of human smuggling operations.

Statham, 59, seems ageless because he appears to do most of his own stunts. And just like every Statham movie, there are well-choreographed fight scenes and brutal deaths of his various foes that often result in chuckles from viewers.

On a ship with a menacing European captain and his 20-plus henchmen, the only help on Cole’s side is Angie Ellis (Annabelle Wallis), the third mate who was just as shocked as him to be on the same boat as a bunch of helpless migrants.

The British action star has built a career on playing men who don’t ask permission, don’t apologize for protecting the innocent, and don’t need a committee to decide what’s right. In an era where masculinity is constantly under attack, Statham’s characters represent something Hollywood used to celebrate: decisive action in the face of evil.

To that end, Statham succeeds. But at this point, he can do these kinds of movies in his sleep.

He’s only challenged as an actor when he’s forced to step out of his own element, like in the 2015 underrated Melissa McCarthy comedy “Spy,” where Statham essentially plays a hilarious version of one of his characters.

“Mutiny” was directed by French filmmaker Jean-François Richet, who previously directed the 2023 Gerard Butler action flick “Plane,” which, if you haven’t seen, also falls in the same category of absurd but amusing.

At the end of the day, “Mutiny” doesn’t pretend to be anything than it actually is: a mindless, entertaining action movie that lets audiences escape without being lectured about climate change, gender pronouns, or systemic oppression. If you’re bored and looking to kill time, this flick at least doesn’t wear out its welcome.

Nothing worth jumping for joy nor jumping overboard with this one.

“Mutiny” is rated R for strong/bloody violence and language. Running time: 1 hour, 95 minutes. In theaters now.

Americans deserve better entertainment options, but at least some filmmakers still remember what audiences actually want.