Review - Shelter

Length: 1hr 47 minutes

Director: Ric Roman Waugh

Starring: Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach

Genre: Action, Thriller, Techno Thriller

Where to Watch: In theaters now

He is Transporter. He is The Beekeeper. He is The Working Man. Now he is seeking Shelter.  Jason Statham has had a strong portfolio of action movies going as far back as the early 00s. From the Expendables trilogy to the Fast franchise, Jason has been known for his tough, grizzly look and witty lines. Now, Jason is back in a new action thriller that is more grounded than his last couple of films in Shelter. 

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, who wrote and directed Angel Has Fallen, Shelter is a surprisingly strong action thriller with good action sequences and a more than serviceable narrative, making it a good watch. Just don't expect it to be as outlandish as some of his precious roles.

Man of Mystery

A mysterious man lives alone on an island, receiving scant supplies every so often. Suddenly, tragedy strikes, and this man is now in the custody of an orphaned girl. Injured, the man heads to land in search of medicinal supplies. This quick visit catches the attention of nefarious forces using advanced intelligence-gathering techniques. His life upended, the mysterious man takes the girl and sets off on a perilous mission to safety and redemption. 

Shelter is a more grounded take on action thrillers with a small blend of techno-thriller worked into it. The mix of the two creates a believable but entertaining experience that does its job but tempers itself, compared to Jason’s previous works. 

Man of Many Faces

Jason Statham recently starred in two films. The Beekeeper had Jason as an elite assassin who torches and trashes an internet scam agency in remarkably hilarious and entertaining fashion. In 2025’s The Working Man, Jason is a former special forces operator who takes on a Russian criminal organization while also rescuing a kidnapped woman.

Shelter is a departure from this previous work. Shelter is a bit darker and steadfast, though it bears some similarity to The Working Man. Former assassin living in secret? Check. Someone needs rescuing or protecting? Check. An organization out to get our hero? Check. But where Working Man had more flair and outrageousness, Shelter is smaller scale and intimate. The movie wants to put the narrative first and then bring audiences to each action sequence. 

Words to Live By

That narrative is a simple one of redemption in life, and it works. It isn't anything too special or intellectual. It just works. This is carried by Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie. Bodhi does a fine job being the emotional centerpiece of the movie, and her story does a good job of keeping your attention. 

Jason, as our mysterious former assassin, does all the Jason Statham things. He’s grizzly. He's gruff. He's rugged. He says the words, some one-liners, and wits. Though his acting is a departure, being he's a quiet, reserved former assassin in Shelter, as opposed to his previous, more colorful roles. 

Clandestine Ops

The techno part of the technothriller works well and reminds me of a more believable movie like Enemy of the State, where technology works to invade and violate in an attempt to establish security. It isn't sophisticated, but it does work in clever ways. 

As for the action pieces, they are done solidly well. Jason returns to punch, block, and martial arts his way out of various moments. Gunfights, car chases, fight scenes, they are all here. One highlight features a nightclub scene with a couple of unique moments in fighting and gunfighting. It's clever and done well. There's a certain punchiness to the fighting and sharpness to the gunfights. 

A Little Too Serious

I've mentioned before that Shelter is more grounded than other Jason Statham works, and while it does work, Shelter is a little too grounded. I would have liked one or two action pieces to round out the overall adventure, especially as the action hit hard. The best movie I can compare Shelter to is The Foreigner with Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan, another action thriller where story and pacing were more the focus above the action, but when the action hit, it was good. 

Another detriment is that Shelter borrows a little too much from the John Wick movies. John Wick unmistakably set the standard when it came to revenge and payback movies, but Shelter takes a couple of ideas and slightly loses its own identity in the process. 

Gimme Shelter

Shelter is a solid action thriller that sticks to what it knows and follows through on the expected tropes. While it doesn't reinvent action thrillers, it does what it does well to create an interesting and entertaining action movie. On a cold January Saturday night, sometimes the warmest thing is seeing the good guy kick the bad guy in the face. 

SHELTER IS RECOMMENDED