The Reel Review
Mason, a mysterious recluse living a solitary life on one of Scotland’s remote Outer Hebrides islands, finds himself targeted by highly-trained assassins after rescuing a young orphaned girl Jessie, who was delivering his supplies. Jason Statham and Bodhi Rae Breathnach (Hamnet) star in this action/thriller.
Working from a predictable but effectively formulaic screenplay, this latest Statham action flick from director Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland 2: Migration, Kandahar, Greenland) has a heavier thriller element to it, as Statham’s Mason wastes the bad guys trying to kill him and Jessie. It turns out that a corrupt MI6 spymaster (a miscast Bill Nighy) has used AI facial recognition software linking up the nation’s live camera network to put a hit on Mason, who until an act of defiance had been his most prized assassin. An underused Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) is the spymaster trying to unravel the mystery.
Excellent cinematography and well-choreographed fight scenes give Statham action fans exactly what they would expect and helps offset some loose ends in the storytelling that borrow heavily from the Jason Bourne franchise, but it is a fantastic Breathnach (Hamnet) who, as the emotional center of the film, gives it believability, which in turn elevates Statham, who shows a surprising amount of emotion.
REEL FACTS
• The rundown lighthouse at the start of the film was actually built from scratch in County Wicklow, Ireland, the materials broken down, shipped from England and repurposed by the same art department for the 2025 film Hamnet.
• Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who plays the oldest daughter in Hamnet, beat out 500 other girls to win the role of Jessie in Shelter.
• Shelter was filmed in Scotland, Ireland, England and Spain.
Video & Photo
