Renny Harlin’s The Beast, a presidential action thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman, opens in theatres on October 9 through Aura Entertainment. Written by Umair Aleem and rated R, the film runs for 1 hour and 39 minutes and also features Guy Burnet and Colin Morgan. Early reviews are sharply divided. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety found the film silly and tedious, while IGN, JoBlo and several genre-focused critics called it a fun, old-school throwback and one of Harlin’s better recent films.
The film follows President Oscar Palladin, played by Jackson, whose motorcade is hit by a coordinated terrorist attack in a foreign country. His convoy is wrecked, and his only surviving Secret Service agent, Taft, played by Kinnaman, is bleeding out in the back seat. The president takes the wheel of “the Beast,” his armoured presidential limousine, and tries to reach an extraction point while the attackers close in. The attack turns out to be part of a wider coup, and the car’s classified offensive capabilities become his best chance of survival.
The harshest reviews came from the two major trade outlets. The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck headlined his review “a Deadly Combo of Silly and Tedious.” Scheck noted that the film shows off its macho credentials from the start, with an onscreen crawl explaining the vehicle’s capabilities before dropping into a fight between Kinnaman and a hooded attacker in the back seat.
Variety’s Katie Walsh was just as unimpressed, calling the film “both a boor, and a bore” in a review that labels it a subpar actioner. She wrote that its opening minutes are among the goofiest of 2026 and that the visual effects look chintzy. She found Jackson’s performance schticky and argued that Harlin’s direction does little to lift Aleem’s cheesy script. She also noted that Palladin swings between extreme competence in combat and full-blown hallucinations and wartime flashbacks, which Harlin shoots in extreme wide-lens close-ups.
Other critics were far more generous. JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols gave the film 7 out of 10 and called it “Harlin’s best film since Deep Blue Sea.” Nichols was glad that the film skips the usual slow first act and goes straight into the chaos. He singled out the moment when the Beast’s weapons are finally unleashed as a highlight.
IGN’s Jim Vejvoda also scored it 7 out of 10, with the review saying that the film “may not break any new ground in the action-thriller genre” but brings back the fundamentals that made such movies enjoyable in the first place. Behind The Lens Online went further, suggesting that it could be the best film of Harlin’s career and praising a sound mix it called “nothing short of superb.”
Jackson is where reviewers disagree most. Nichols wrote that the actor is clearly having fun and is fully invested, appearing in nearly every shot. He noted that Jackson even handles some hand-to-hand fighting at 77. Behind The Lens Online highlighted his easy rhythm with Kinnaman and the human, imperfect take on the president. Walsh at Variety saw the same performance as shtick.
Kinnaman drew a more mixed response. Nichols thought he was underused, since Taft is shot early and spends most of the film bleeding out, while Behind The Lens Online said he gives the film an understated counterweight to Jackson.
The single-vehicle setup has been one of the film’s more praised ideas. Mandatory, summing up the early reviews, noted that critics called the concept a creative approach to a genre that rarely stays in one car and that the film has been received better than fans expected. The criticisms, meanwhile, centre on logic and character. Nichols pointed out that the villain is faceless, that the car’s weapons are only used when the heroes are cornered, and that the action blocking is sloppy. He also noted that the main bad guy vanishes from the hood of the car with no explanation.
Taken together, the reviews describe a film that is either a silly, exhausting misfire or a refreshingly old-fashioned action ride, depending on how much patience a viewer has for the genre’s excesses. Whether it ends up as a fun throwback or a forgettable programmer, the reviews agree that Jackson’s presence is the main draw.
The split also reveals what appears to be the central divide in the film’s reception. Critics who enjoy its straightforward action approach seem more willing to embrace its deliberately old-school qualities, while those who are less convinced by the material have focused on its logic, visual effects, characterisation and exaggerated tone. The same elements that give the film its throwback appeal for some reviewers become weaknesses for others.
At the centre of that divide is Jackson’s President Oscar Palladin and the unusual premise of placing a head of state inside an armoured presidential limousine and making the vehicle itself the primary setting for an action thriller. The concept gives The Beast a contained structure while also allowing the film to build its action around the classified capabilities of the presidential car.
For audiences approaching the film, the early critical response therefore offers no clear consensus. Instead, The Beast appears to be the kind of action thriller whose success depends heavily on whether viewers accept its heightened tone and are willing to embrace the conventions of an old-fashioned action ride. The critics who have responded positively see that approach as part of the film’s appeal, while the harsher reviews regard the same qualities as evidence of a film that never quite rises above its material.
With Jackson carrying much of the film and the story keeping its action centred around the presidential limousine, The Beast is ultimately being positioned as a compact, high-concept action thriller. Its divided critical response suggests that the film may appeal most strongly to viewers looking for direct, contained genre entertainment rather than reinvention.
Watch Trailer:
Film Details: The Beast
Director: Renny Harlin
Writer: Umair Aleem
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Joel Kinnaman, Guy Burnet, Colin Morgan
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Production Companies: Unified Pictures, Bright White Light, Film 44, Fifth Season
Distributor: Aura Entertainment
Release Date: October 9, 2026
