Buzzed by ‘The Beekeeper’? This ’70s Revenge Thriller Is For You

2024 has certainly proven to be an underwhelming year at the box office, with many highly anticipated franchise films like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Fall Guy falling well below expectations. However, the year has proven to be rather uplifting for original films, including David Ayer’s brutal action thriller The Beekeeper. Unlike many action films in recent memory, there’s not a hint of self-awareness in The Beekeeper; it’s a straight up revenge thriller that isn’t afraid to get genuinely nasty. Jason Statham’s performance, Ayer’s creative worldbuilding, and the fist-pumping action sequences were enough to make The Beekeeper one of the year’s surprise hits. However, The Beekeeper serves as a throwback to the neo-noir action thrillers of the 1970s.

The 1970s were a critical decade within the development of “New Hollywood,” in which studios began to take chances on more artistically ambitious projects from auteur filmmakers. Due to the freedoms that were allotted by the revised rating system, action films were allowed to be far more ruthless and sinister in their tone. Given the political instability of the Watergate scandals and lasting tensions traced to the Vietnam War, many Hollywood filmmakers fueled their anxieties into shocking revenge fantasy films. The Beekeeper is certainly a throwback to this older generation of filmmaking, particularly Rolling Thunder, one of the most quintessential revenge films of all-time.

Rolling Thunder (1977)

A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. When thugs invade his home to steal the silver coins he received for his service, they mangle his hand and leave him and his family for dead. Rane survives and becomes obsessed with getting revenge. Aided by his loyal friend Johnny Vohden, Rane, now wielding a hook for a hand, sets out on his mission of vengeance.

Release Date

November 2, 1977

Director

John Flynn

Runtime

100 Minutes

Writers

Paul Schrader , Heywood Gould

Studio(s)

American International Pictures

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What Is ‘Rolling Thunder’ About?

While Rolling Thunder was directed by John Flynn, its screenplay was co-written by Paul Schrader, the acclaimed screenwriter behind such Martin Scorsese classics as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ. As with many of his Scorsese collaborations, Schrader’s work on Rolling Thunder helps paint a morbid version of reality that audiences were able to relate to. Rolling Thunder focuses on a former U.S. Air Force Major whose family is murdered by a ruthless gang of criminals. Upon returning from active duty, Charles Rane (William Devane) is presented with several honors, including a Cadillac and several silver dollars. Unfortunately, these accolades attract the attention of a gang of robbers that ransack his home. While Rane manages to survive, albeit with a severed arm, his wife and children are ruthlessly killed.

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One of the reasons that The Beekeeper was so successful is that it implicates the audience within the revenge fantasy aspect. After seeing the friendly school teacher Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) being scammed out of her livelihood by malicious hackers in a phishing scam, audiences were willing to invest in seeing Adam Clay (Statham) commit horrendous acts of violence in order to bring those responsible to justice. Similarly, Rolling Thunder creates a scenario in which the audience is invested in Rane’s mission of revenge. The initial honors he receives indicate that he is of good character, and served his country well. While getting to spend a happy life with his family should have been his reward, that opportunity was stolen away from him due to actions that were out of his control. Flynn does a good job at giving just enough screen time to Rane’s family so that their deaths land with the most significant emotional impact.

‘Rolling Thunder’ Has Significant Anti-Authoritarian Themes

The Beekeeper is a fairly straightforward action thriller, but it does slip in some surprising bits of political commentary. After tracking down the scammer, Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), Clay realizes that his actions have been covered up by his mother, the United States President (Jemma Redgrave). Similarly, Rolling Thunder examines the mistreatment of veterans who return from service and are not given the proper protections by their government. There’s a cruel irony to Rane’s character arc; after spending years fighting in the name of his country, he returns home to find that the United States government is not offering him the same protections. It’s also a sharp critique of capitalism, as the dispute over his monetary assets is what initially kicks off the criminals’ invasion.

Both The Beekeeper and Rolling Thunder are lean and mean; neither film is over two hours long, leaving very little room for expository dialogue that would simply dull the pacing. However, both The Beekeeper and Rolling Thunder are able to incorporate a surprising amount of worldbuilding. In The Beekeeper, Clay’s activities are tracked by a larger network of assassins, as other “Beekeepers” are employed by rival factions. In Rolling Thunder, Rane teams up with Master Sergeant Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones), another veteran who shares his desire for revenge. While neither film leaves any obvious hints about a potential sequel, they at least set up a broader context for their narratives.

‘Rolling Thunder’ Is the Ideal Revenge Thriller

The Beekeeper was a major success because of how distinct it was compared to other genre films. Instead of the quippy self-awareness of Argylle or the complex mythology of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Beekeeper told a grounded story without any overt attempts at humor. Rolling Thunder was groundbreaking because of how seriously Flynn and Schrader took the material. The film doesn’t announce itself as an “action thriller” until well into the first act, making the shocking moments of violence more disturbing. It’s evident that throughout the adventure, Rane is still in grief over the loss of his family. The strong performance from Devane only made the film’s climax more exhilarating.

Like The Beekeeper, Rolling Thunder wasn’t afraid to get genuinely gruesome with some brutally violent shootouts, brawls, and fights. Devane is essentially stripped of his resources and forced to fight at his most primal; it reaches a level of intensity that most action films rarely aspire to. Those that found The Beekeeper to be a refreshing change of pace owe it to themselves to check out the 1977 classic that started it all.

Rolling Thunder is streaming on Prime Video in the United States.

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