Movie Review: The Beast

credit: The Beast

Action movies are a dime a dozen these days, and it doesn’t take a superstar to make one. The Beast kind of proves this since the basic thrust of the story is that an ex-military veteran who has trouble sleeping and suffers from PTSD is prompted to act when his daughter is kidnapped. The reason behind the kidnapping is rather basic since, despite the fact that human trafficking is a horrible thing to contemplate, it has been used more than a few times in action movies and sadly has become a kind of a basic reason to fight just about anyone. But parents might feel a little different when watching these movies since the idea of losing a child to such an insidious act is horrible enough, but trying to reason what a person would do in order to get their child back becomes an even bigger issue. That lends itself to the general idea of this movie, as the veteran in question, Leo, unleashes his inner beast to reach his daughter and plow through everyone in his path. 

credit: The Beast

One good thing to say about this movie is that the protagonist isn’t unstoppable. 

Leo does manage to push forward after learning of his daughter’s kidnapping, but he’s not the juggernaut that some might think he would be since he is a big guy that looks like he could do a fair bit of damage. All the same, he does take damage, and he does end up in the hospital at one point. As might be expected, he doesn’t work with the authorities since he doesn’t believe they’ll do enough good and won’t reach his daughter in time. That happens to be a rather common trope in kidnapping movies since the unfortunate truth is that even in real life, kidnapping cases are tough to solve since they require law enforcement to follow rules that antagonists don’t necessarily feel the need to use in their own endeavors. In the movies, it’s usually easier for a single person to go tearing off after a network or a group of bad guys than it is a police force, at least sometimes. 

This movie is more of a rainy day addition to one’s library or viewing experience. 

It’s fair to say that no one is going to be rushing to call this movie a blockbuster since it has a very generic plot and doesn’t exactly stand out as one of the best movies ever made. But with that being said, it does have a decent setup, dialogue that’s simple to follow but doesn’t go overboard or underwhelm the audience, and a conclusion that will make a lot of people feel better for having stuck through the entire thing. The Beast is the kind of movie that reminds people that a parent, a good parent, will go to the ends of the earth in order to find their children and will do just about anything when pushed to make certain they’re safe. Now, to be honest, a veteran might have a better chance of navigating this type of mission, especially if they have experience in how to gain intel and how to push where they need to in order to get people to do as they desire. 

credit: The Beast

Despite being a story about a kidnapping, this is a very human story. 

Leo is a troubled individual; that much is obvious throughout the story since his flashbacks, his PTSD, his inability to sleep, and his need to be heavily medicated make it obvious that he’s not someone that’s in his right mind at all times. But despite this, he’s a man that loves his family, even if he doesn’t always appear to be as accessible to them as he should be. The story is that he is attempting to let them grow and develop without him, as his presence might be a little too unsettling if he were to be a part of their family. His ex-wife even admits to hating him for a while because he couldn’t open up to any of them. But for all his faults, Leo is still a father, and he’s still seen attempting to connect with his children and keep his family safe. 

This is something to watch when you have nothing else to do. 

It feels rough to say that about any movie, but the upside is that this is a feature to recommend when it comes down to needing something to occupy your time and leave you with the feeling that something was accomplished. It’s kind of a brutal movie, to be fair, and it does bring out the worst in the protagonist, but the end result is something that can be justified as necessary evil toward those who feel that humanity is cheap and easily bought.