I appreciate the many action flicks with Jason Statham in the lead, especially because he possesses an attitude of no empathy and unleashes all kinds of chaos. With his new film Shelter though, it was by far one of the dryest of thrillers. My mind was bored. I felt like I was watching paint dry in increments. It is not horrible, but the pacing is off. Shelter carries the fundamentals of an espionage flick with secrets, however, putting together the parts to execute a cohesive film keeps failing. There is a form of confusion that runs through Shelter. Where is the meaning behind all of the danger? There is little detail about why and how the events unfold.

The film’s main character is Michael Mason, played by Jason Statham. He lives in a lighthouse with peace and solitude. This all changes when a girl falls into his life and becomes his responsibility. Her name is Jessie, played by Bodhi Rae Breathnach. She ends up with Michael because he saves her from drowning. He tries to maintain a low-profile in her presence, because his history is one where there are many people after him.  This is where the pacing is in shambles.

Shelter maintains a strong suit of suspense. Especially in the dynamics of the performances from Statham and Breathnach. It was steady in moments, but overall, the film jumps to conclusions quickly. To elaborate, they go from a lighthouse setting to those who are part of operations of a spy organization hunt them—the solitude of Statham’s performance does not fit. The film opens with a man pursuing vengeance and works to make itself feel like some form of a James Bond movie. In the end though, it is just Statham playing his usual self.

Shelter jumps from authorities being tackled over to traps beingset in place, and continues on a rollercoaster of disaster action. Again, not horrible, but the pacing of trying to be mesmerizing or spectacular is not there whatsoever. The shambles of poor writing are above and beyond with Shelter. I was not sold. With that, my rating falls at two out of four stars.