Movie Review: ‘Shelter’

Tweet
Review by James Lindorf

Director Ric Roman Waugh and Jason Statham first crossed paths 25 years ago on the set of “The One,” where Waugh worked as part of the stunt team. The two men love to create a particular kind of film, and, shockingly, it took them this long to come back together. Waugh is not nearly the household name Statham is, but he has had success with critics thanks to 2020’s “Greenland” and fans for 2019’s “Angel has Fallen.” One way to increase your recognition is to put out a lot of films, and Waugh is off to a fast start this year. He already directed “Greenland 2: Migration,” released earlier this month, and is already back with “Shelter.” Based on a script by relative newcomer Ward Parry, “Shelter” opens in theaters everywhere January 29th.

Whether by choice or by lack of options, Jason Statham is very consistent in his role choices. While it has been 14 years since he last had to protect a child in one of his films, “Shelter” marks his third trip to this particular well. This time around, Statham plays Michael Mason, the former leader of a MI-6 black ops team known as Black Kites. After a particularly trying mission, Mason went off the grid, living in isolation in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. The island’s only other inhabitant is his faithful dog, and its only visitor is Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Hamnet), an approximately 13-year-old girl who helps her uncle deliver supplies. When a freak storm leaves an injured Jesse in Mason’s care, it sets a showdown with his former handlers in motion. “Shelter” features a great supporting cast, including Naomi Ackie, Tom Wu, Daniel Mays, Bryan Vigier, and Bill Nighy. The unstoppable force meets the immovable object when they will stop at nothing to silence him, and he will stop at nothing to protect her.

The physicality Statham still brings to these films as he nears his 59th birthday is nothing short of impressive. His fights are not always the fanciest or the most brutal, but they occupy a sweet spot in the middle where you know the average person couldn’t pull this off, but it isn’t filled with kicks and jumps designed only to look cool. He is also no stranger to playing the gruff military veteran who finds someone to protect or bag guys deserving of his attention. This time around, Mason is rougher than most. He has spent 10 years living alone on that island, and he has the people skills of someone who has spent that long in solitary confinement. There is nothing left to a personality that would have made him a leader other than the expectation that what he says goes. Thankfully, while his performance is devoid of charm, we are gifted a shining light brighter than Mason’s lighthouse in Bodhi Rae Breathnach. She is still a young actress, so not every scene has pitch-perfect polish, but when Statham isn’t throwing punches, she pulls all of the focus.

Because this is standard Waugh and Statham fare, you have to discuss the action. Unfortunately, it can be hard to quantify. The choreography and execution are pretty good, and so is most of the cinematography. Where it falls flat is the character motivation and special effects. Manafort (Nighy) is the Michael Jordan of espionage, taking even the slightest infraction and responding with the nuclear option. On top of that, his right-hand man, lamely named Workman (Vigier), borders on Terminator-level determination with none of the processing power. That can be ignored if you don’t think about it too hard, but what is at times impossible to ignore is the effects they are using to “enhance” the action. The driving effects are this close to rear projection, and while the gun and knife fights look good, things involving a blunt instrument that are harder to conceal are nearly laughable at times.

“Shelter” is a fine movie. If you want a mix of The Bourne Identity franchise mixed with Stathams own 2012 movie “Safe” and can ignore one of the worst climaxes in acrion movie hostory. It is better at entertaining than conjuring emotions but they rarely go for that so it isn’t a significant loss. As far as Statham’s tough guy movies go, “Shelter” falls between his most recent works. Ahead of “A Working Man” and just behind “Beekeeper,” which has a better villain and a better Statham performance. “Shelter” earns a final score of 3 out of 5 for being highly watchable but lacking enough polish to shine as bright as a whole as Breathnach does on her own

Rating: R (Violence and Some Language)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): January 30th, 2026
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Producer: Jason Statham, John Friedberg, Brendon Boyea, Greg Silverman, Jon Berg
Screenwriter: Ward Parry
Distributor: Black Bear
Production Co: Black Bear, Punch Palace Pictures, CineMachine, Stampede Ventures