“Mutiny” is exactly what you would expect from a Jason Statham film. It is filled with action and violence. Most of the scenes are shot on a ship at sea, which gives a claustrophobic sense of impending doom.

The story begins with one car deliberately ramming another one. No explanation is given at the time.

We then cut to a building where Cole Reed (Jason Statham) is providing security for two men, father and son. The patriarch is Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram) and his offspring is Kameron (Chaneil Kular). They are completing the sale of the family shipping business.

When they reach their home in Bangkok, you can see that they are quite wealthy. Tibu explains to Cole that his son’s heart is not in the business.

That night there is a celebratory dinner. Tibu gives Cole a watch. He states that Cole has become part of their family. Meanwhile a suspicious character arrives and gives orders which he thinks will stop the sale of the shipping company.

Kameron goes home by a different vehicle. Jason and Tibu reach a roadblock. They are ambushed by automatic-weapon fire. Tibu is killed. Jason finds an ID on one killer that indicates that he works on the ship Artemis. The evil person, Jaran Daniles (Simon Kluth), has an APB put out for Cole as the killer.

In a hotel room, Angie Ellis (Annabelle Wallis) is in a hotel room in Bangkok when she gets a phone call. She has recently completed a long haul on a ship and wants to get home to Los Angeles where she has a set custody time for her daughter. The person on the phone says that they need a third mate on the Artemis. If she doesn’t take it, she will be let go. So she reluctantly agrees.

Disguising himself as a crew member, Cole gets on the Artemis. He goes down into the cargo ship’s hold. There he hears voices coming from a container. When he breaks the lock, he discovers humans being smuggled against their will.

Angie goes down to check on the hold. Cole hides while she sees the smuggling victims. She is appalled and lets the captain know that they have a problem.

What she doesn’t know is that the captain and crew are in on the conspiracy. The captain, Marko Madsen (Roland Moller), tells Angie in his cabin that he will contact the authorities. When he turns his back, she bolts out of his office.

She is able to get on the bridge long enough to send a distress call. A U.S. Navy ship gets the communication. The captain of this vessel (played by Adrian Lester) is surprised.

Madsen subdues Angie long enough to cancel the call. He contends that a crewmate didn’t know how to use the communications system and accidentally sent the call when he spotted a fishing vessel approaching. Since their location in the Andaman Sea makes a nearby fishing vessel unlikely, the captain of the Navy ship decides to investigate further.

Will Cole and Angie be able to hold off the entire crew and save the smuggling victims?

Let me say that I was pleased that this film was only 95 minutes long. This encourages a no-nonsense approach that minimizes distracting subplots. The whole premise is Cole seeking revenge as he dispenses justice on his employer’s killers. The movie is laser-focused in the action sequences as a result.

There is some significant stunt work on the exterior of the vessel as Cole has to get around through non-traditional avenues. I appreciated the quality and ingenuity that went into obtaining these shots.

The cinematography has to be commented on as well. The tight views on the ship are expertly filmed, especially during fight scenes on decks and stairways. The darker scenes below were well-lit. The aerial shots were not exceptional, but adequate.

Being on a ship, there were some interesting weapons used in maiming and killing. Of course there were firearms as well. But a harpoon can do wonders in just the right place on a person. Other implements I was not as familiar with by name but were very handy.

I loved the addition of the U.S. naval ship to the plot. This provided some relief from the unrelenting mayhem on the Artemis. Adrian Lester is outstanding in conveying perplexity and confusion while staying focused on his mission to do the right thing. The scenes where they are doing intelligence work were very cool.

Statham is more human than usual in this picture. His interaction with the family he protects as well as the sorrow he feels for the death of his father in the past were movingly portrayed. When he seeks justice, he seems more pragmatic than crazed. But he also can be menacing when needed.

I also appreciated Wallis’ performance as Angie. She is an effective fighter and morally focused. She is not the stereotypical helpless female or the female who has to learn to be tough. She is tough from the get-go. She also is very human in her feelings to get to her daughter and for her concern for the people smuggled in a container.

Moller is solid as both the captain and the leader of the criminal bunch on the ship. He could be a little over-the-top at times. Overall though he provided a good villain for the movie.

No one here is going to win an Oscar for their roles. But they are strong enough in their characters to make the action believable and thus render the film more effective in both its impact and in making it an enjoyable action feature.

The screenplay started a little slow. Nothing really happens of note until the ambush. I began to be antsy but the next acts proved worth waiting for.

The reasons for the murder of Tibu are clearly explained by the end. The whole denouement is handled adroitly and provides for a very satisfying resolution.

So if you like action on the high seas, this is the film for you. This is much too violent for young children, but teens should get a kick out of all the different ways to kill someone.

Four out of five stars

In MUTINY, after witnessing his billionaire boss’s murder and being framed for the crime, Cole Reed (Jason Statham) boards a cargo ship on a one-man crusade to avenge his boss’ death only to discover an international conspiracy.

Starring: Jason Statham, Annabelle Wallis, Roland Møller, and Adrian Lester

Directed By: Jean-François Richet

Written By: Lindsay Michel and J.P. Davis