Mutiny

As Jason Statham’s typical brand of vigilante justice moves from land to sea, Mutiny is sunk by a pedestrian screenplay.

Devotees don’t necessarily watch Statham’s prolific action-star vehicles for subtlety or surprise, but this latest example — expanding on a familiar template for French director Jean-Francois Richet (Plane) — seems particularly by-the-numbers.

Statham plays a variation on characters he’s inhabited for decades as Cole, an ex-London police officer who now works as a loyal bodyguard for a Bangkok logistics tycoon (Ramon Tikaram).

Gradually, we learn vague details about Cole’s checkered past, as he carries an inner rage beneath his steely-eyed demeanor. “I made some mistakes and pissed off the wrong people,” he explains to his boss during a friendly chess game.

Tragedy strikes after the pair is ambushed by criminals in a back alley, and Cole winds up framed for murder by corrupt investigators.

He attempts to flee by sneaking aboard a cargo ship on which his main adversary also is seeking refuge. The discovery of some unexpected freight in a shipping container adds complexity to his mission while escalating the personal stakes.

While on board, Cole finds an unexpected partner in Angie (Annabelle Wallis), a single mother who innocently and reluctantly becomes the third mate aboard the boat, clashing with the suspicious captain (Roland Moller). She smartly sends a distress signal to a Navy captain (Adrian Lester), but will help arrive in time?

Meanwhile, it doesn’t require elite detective skills to decipher the conspiratorial clues, as the resilient Cole and Angie must navigate a maze of shifting loyalties and cloudy motives with danger lurking around every corner of the vessel.

The stylish visuals make the most of the film’s claustrophobic confines and occasionally exotic backdrops. The action sequences are efficiently choreographed.

Hinting at inspirations from superior cat-and-mouse thrillers from a generation ago, the film lacks substance with its formulaic plot involving Cole’s simultaneous quest to clear his own name and exact revenge.

Despite sparking to life with some taut and intense confrontations, the escalating body count doesn’t translate into consistent suspense.

Taking itself much too seriously, Mutiny is a testosterone-fueled collection of bullets and bravado that fails to make waves.

Rated R, 95 minutes.