Shelter (2026)

Oh, a new Stat is out? That must inevitably mean another year has elapsed.

This time, the bald avenger is in hiding as a lighthouse keeper (seriously, he's running out of cool jobs), where he comes to the rescue of a little girl and becomes her keeper (get it?). It's a minimalist paint-by-numbers plot with the usual generic action elements, and somehow MI6 always gets involved, but this time you actually care about the characters. Makes up for last year's POS.

Recommended for The Stath stans. Everyone else can take it or leave it.

2½ chess pieces out of 5

The Bank Job (2008)

No prizes for guessing what TBJ's about. The Stath heads up a British crime film that appears to have been made in the 70’s but also manages to feel completely modern. With so much taupe and camel tones on display the entire cast could've just stepped off the set of The Sweeney. It’s based on true events about a cover-up involving the British aristocracy and, obviously, a bank job. It's a quality film that slipped under many people's radar.

3½ artful dodgers out of 5