Jason Statham’s Shelter delivers lean, brutal action in Scottish-set thriller

Jason Statham delivers yet again in Shelter, a new action-thriller now in theaters in which he plays ex-special-operative Michael Mason living off the grid in the Scottish isles who rescues and must protect a young girl after a boat capsizes. The film, produced by Statham and directed by stuntman-turned-director Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen), co-stars Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Jessie and Bill Nighy as Mason’s former handler, according to Polygon’s review.

Shelter opens with a storm that kills Jessie’s father and prompts Mason to bring her to the mainland, where Big Brother-style surveillance and a manipulated MI5 begin hunting him — Nighy’s character wants Mason dead after Mason refused orders a decade earlier. Polygon praises Waugh’s sharp pacing, violent set pieces and the film’s Surrogate Dad pathos, noting the movie leans into Wrath of Man–style brutality while finding room for hyper-choreographed gun-fu that the review says tests the 58‑year‑old star’s limberness.

The reviewer argues Statham isn’t reinventing his tried-and-true formula — a serviceable, craftsman approach that may mute Shelter’s theatrical run but should make it strong “Play Next” fodder on streaming, as many of his recent films routinely top platform charts.

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