Continuing with the Jason Statham retired assassin world tour, Shelter finds him alone again on a tiny island off the coast of Scotland. The island features a non-working lighthouse, a chess set he plays by himself and a dog with no name. He receives sustenance on the isolated isle via shipments delivered by a small fishing boat operated by an ex-military buddy and his young niece.
Through circumstance, he has to travel to the mainland for supplies and is ensnared by a secret government plan to use everyone’s phones and CCTVs to identify criminals, and this leads to the unwinding of his solitude. This breach also envelopes the life of Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), the niece of his army buddy. Together, they are forced off the island and to go on the run.
The subtext of a wide spread and illegal government spying effort adds a bit of substance to the plot, but the action mostly revolves around what drives most Statham projects: action and lots of hand-to-hand combat. Even with his advancing age, he is almost sixty after all, he still presents a convincing pugilist on screen. His inner core of morality is also intact.
Shelter succeeds in delivering what most of the British actor’s work excels at, a high percentage of action powered by a decent moral code. This makes him kicking the crap out of anyone that gets in his way, good, somewhat clean fun. The depth of the story is enhanced by an evil government ethos, and this makes for a clear definition of what is right and wrong.
Rob Hudson
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