We’re in what I like to call the Charles Bronson-path for Jason Statham and his career. I’m sure he and his agent know exactly the type of roles that his fans are looking for, and they usually deliver. With Shelter, they take the “daddy’s home” formula of knowing that everything is going to be alright and Statham is going to kick some ass, and change it up slightly. Statham plays Michael Mason, a former spec-ops soldier who has lived a life away from civilization for the last decade. He lives on a lonely island with a lighthouse and has his supplies delivered via boat. The delivery boat has a little girl, Jessie, (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and her uncle, and one day the boat capsizes, taking the life of her uncle, and leaving the girl with Mason.

At first, she’s terrified of Mason, but soon bonds with him and his dog, whom she affectionately names Jack. Mason has to venture to the mainland to get medicine for Jessie, and his decade of anonymity is upended because of a highly controversial program that MI6 runs called THEA. It misregisters Mason’s face as a terrorist and a strike team is sent to eliminate him.

As it goes on, the mystery of who Mason is, and why MI6 is after him unravels and it becomes Mason’s quest to get Jessie out of this situation alive and safe. The film also stars Bill Nighy as the head of MI6, who wants Mason dead, and Naomi Ackie as his second in command, who works to bring Mason in alive. Daniel Mays, Tom Wu, and Bryan Vigier round out the cast, with Vigier playing a rival agent. Workman, sent to kill Mason, who ends up as the defacto muscle for Nighy’s MI6 splinter group.

Where Shelter separates itself from other action films is the relationship/bond that builds between Mason and Jessie. Mason is a hermit, a loner, someone who doesn’t even name his dog, at the beginning of the film. By the end of it, he’s fighting with all he’s got to keep this girl safe and give her a better life than before. They even make note of it with some of the dialogue. One of the most powerful scenes in the film is when Mason tells Jessie about how she’s saved him. Bodhi Rae Breathnach gives a performance that’s far beyond her years, showing off some serious talent alongside the stalwart Statham.

Director Ric Roman Waugh does some pretty inventive things with camera work during the action scenes as well. There’s several set pieces that will remind you of other action movies like John Wick, but the final confrontation between Mason and Workman (Vigier) has a drone shot that’s absolutely to die for. It’s like a video game come to life when you’re fighting the final boss, it swings around as they close in on one another.

The other scenes are solid, but the one real lowlight for me was a car chase that’s near the early-to-middle point of the film. The editing and shot selection here make it extremely herky-jerky, and it’s not as smooth as the rest of the action scenes in the movie. Naomi Ackie’s character is also kind of there just to be there, she doesn’t get a whole lot to do in the grand scheme of things. As well as Mason’s helpful friend played by Daniel Mays. At a certain point, he’s sidelined and not mentioned ever again.

Shelter might not be perfect, but it has a little bit of everything you’d want out of an action movie. Jason Statham even gives a bit of heart in between whipping bad guy ass throughout the film. It’s an intriguing mystery that develops, and through some snazzy camerawork, solid action, and Jason Statham chewing up scenery, this is an excellent start to 2026 for action movie fans.

Shelter releases in theaters on January 30th, 2026.

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