Jason Statham continues to make the exact same movie.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are a fan of the longtime action star, but at some point it would be nice if Statham at least did something moderately different.

That’s not to say he should be trying to win Oscars, but just spitting out the exact same action film every year is kind of silly at this point. That is the case with his latest film “A Working Man,” which is basically “The Beekeeper” with different characters (both were directed by David Ayer).

Like “Beekeeper,” this is never boring and gets more ridiculous as it goes, but it is so by the numbers that it lacks that guilty pleasure vibe that permeated through the previous film.

In “A Working Man” Statham plays a construction worker named Levon Cade who at one time was a deadly special ops guy – a past he has tried to bury. When the daughter of his boss is kidnapped, Cade is asked to find the girl.

His search leads him face to face with the Russian mobster, which in anything resembling real life would end badly. But this is Staham, so of course the blood bath is gonna be all the bodies that are stacked as he gets closer to finding the girl.

There is some mild fun in seeing one man basically destroy an entire mob. Statham has always been at his best in high octane, high death count sequences, so at least “A Working Man” plays to his strengths.

The problem here is the screenplay, co-written by Sylvester Stallone, that takes itself way too seriously. In addition to the human trafficking element, there are subplots involving Cade’s PTSD and his struggles to maintain a relationship with his young daughter, who is being cared for by the father of Cade’s deceased wife (He blames Cade for her death).

It’s admirable that the film tries to say some things about some pretty heavy subject matters, but it really doesn’t fit in a film with cartoon-like bad guys and a ton of bloodshed.

One subplot they do get right is David Harbour as a former military buddy who was blinded in combat. There is a playfulness with this character and his relationship to Cade that fits in “A Working Man” way more than some of the other plot strings.

It all adds up to a film we’ve seen many times before, especially from Statham. If you are a fan of the actor’s work then you will probably enjoy “A Working Man.” If you are not and just looking for some mindless escapism, there are better options out there.

If You Go
“A Working Man”
Starring: Jason Statham, Michael Pena
Directed by: David Ayer
Rating: R for strong violence, language throughout and drug content
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)
Grade: C-