How long will Jason Statham fight his way through endless amount of henchmen to do the right thing? 30 years? 40? 50? But this is not the right question. The right one is how different can he become in a familiar zone in order to keep entertaining with the same action thriller genre. With Ric Roman Waugh's Shelter, that question is finally answered. Cut off most of the dialogues, cut off the punch lines, cut off any exposition, and you get the most focused and gritty version of the actor you have seen in years. Shelter follows a former special forces assassin (Jason Statham) who has to usher a child to safety from the forces that wants him killed. While a one line condensation of Shelter's story might be an oversimplification, the basic job of being entertaining is achieved.
But in Ward Kelly's story, Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie, a young girl who is caught in the eye of the storm breathes the much refreshing heart and soul into a 'typical Statham action film'. Jessie's life has been full of losses. But that doesn't deter the child to shake off the stubborn hope and belief in humans and the good in them. Breathnach carries the emotional weight of the film with such ease, spirit, and conviction that never falters, even for a single frame. The conviction is enough for the audience to believe that Jessie's emotional bargaining with Mason, to not leave her alone after losing the last family member she had died. While Statham has had many such "stock" characters in his films before, Breathnach certainly stands out for the heart in her performance.
While Statham has been the wise-cracking assassin in films like The Expendables franchise and Hobbs and Shaw, in Shelter, he has to convey the audience through a lot of silence moments, where all his character does is brood. But Statham's performance conveys every beat of what his character feels, reigned in by a lot of subtlety. Mason isn't just another assassin from action thrillers. Instead, he is as human as they come and Statham portrays that humanity with finesse.
Beyond Statham and Breathnach, the cast of Shelter also consists of established British actors like Naomie Ackie and Bill Nighy, among others. But unlike the characters that the film's stars portray Ackie and Nighy's characters are restrained to two dimensions. While you get some time to learn about one minor character, tech expert Arthur Booth (Daniel Mays) unexpectedly. Though the film spends some time exploring Arthur's backstory, when you realise the reasoning behind Booth's addition to the larger story, the payoff for his backstory isn't tied off.
The technical contributions to the film while efficient, at the risk of being too much efficient, certainly elevates the thrill. Music composer David Buckley oscillates between silence and music, at the right moments for the right emotions. While Statham definitely leans into his character's silent nature, it is Buckley, who sonfies the environment into an immersive one. Meanwhile cinematographer Martin Ahlgren is able to surprise with interesting choices of angles. While a lot of wider shots are used to continuously establish the importance of Mason's environment, a quick point of view shot from a rifle adds to the edgy nature of the action. Editor Matthew Newman is also to be credited for the surprise shifts in perspectives. Coupled with some surprises is Newman's efficient work on removing most of the unnecessary portions, which aligns with the larger feel of the film.
While the film tries to experiment with what a popcorn blockbuster can be, it still recourses into a very predictable path. At every point in time you know the decision that Statham is going to take and there the dies the unexpected nature of the plot. But nevertheless Shelter still entertains and even with its predictable nature it doesn't become boring.
