'Shelter' Review: A Generic Retreat After Statham’s R-Rated Resurgence
- Jack Ransom
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Ransom - January 28, 2026
The third Statham January action flick we have had in a row. Shelter sees a recluse (Jason Statham) on a remote Scottish island rescue a girl (Bodi Rae Breathnach) from the sea, unleashing a perilous sequence of events that culminate in an attack on his home, compelling him to face his turbulent history.
After a string of mediocre to poor offerings in 2023 (Operation Fortune, Fast X, Meg 2: The Trench & Expend4bles) the Stath reignited his R-Rated fire when he kicked off 2024 with the riotous and ridiculous The Beekeeper which injected dark humour, a sting of self-awareness and the expected kick-assery, and thankfully is getting a sequel. He then followed it up last year with A Working Man, which whilst not as favourably received, I still got a kick out of, especially with its gratuitously violent finale.
I was hoping Shelter would make this three for three, but alas it was not to be, as this feels like a step back into generic mid-00’s disposability which instantly had me thinking of every other film that it copies and is derivative of. With The Bourne franchise, Taken, John Wick and Statham’s own Safe swiftly springing to mind. It’s a shame as the film opts for a slow burning first act, as a cold, heavy drinking, isolated Mason attempts to connect with and heal this child that he now has responsibility for (surrogate father/daughter narrative, bingo), before they are on the run after he is framed.
The T.H.E.A project/MI6 overarching narrative is far from interesting and boils down to repetitive scenes of lots of people shouting at rooms full of screens (so much so, I was genuinely expecting a “Jesus Christ, it’s Jason Bourne to appear) and really is only there for plot convenience and contrivance. At just over 105 minutes the length is also felt in the stop start repetition of the structure and the bog-standard screenplay doesn’t help.
Well at least the action is good right? Umm, sometimes yeah. It’s nothing particularly thrilling or standout but it mostly gets the job done. A couple of highlights are in the mid-section with a hectic bumpy car chase which turns the dial up a notch and a scrappy one-on-one house brawl showcasing the Stath’s unique martial arts style, and there’s also a bloodthirsty Home Alone trap sequence opener which the genre is very favourable of now. Aside from those it’s typical Statham stuff, where you never feel peril for his character as he is constantly the best at what he does. Also, the sequences set at night are too dark at points, coupled with the camerawork cutting makes them quite messy in execution.
Look, if you go into a Statham flick you know exactly what he’s going to bring to the table, it’s just a shame that Matthew Mason is a cardboard cut out of a character. Checklist ready… ex-marine, wants to be left alone, was the best at what he does and now is forced back into action out of moral duty. Yep, that’s a Statham role. Bodi Rae Breathnach (who also recently appeared in Hamnet) pours everything into her role here, but once again is held back by the very cliché script. Naomi Ackie is wasted casting as she is plonked behind a screen for most of the runtime and both Bill Nighy & Harriet Walter swoop in for their paycheques.
Shelter unfortunately leans more into some of Liam Neeson’s more generic recent action outings rather than Statham’s better works. It’s disposable, lacking stylistic flair and a unique hook and is only really carried by solid performances from the two leads and a couple of entertaining action beats. Can we have The Beekeeper 2 now please?
'Shelter' releases in cinemas January 30.
Want more film reviews? Dive into more reviews, rankings, and film conversations on our site. Explore Film Focus Online now!
