R | 1h 39m | Action, Drama, Thriller | 2026
In “The Beast,” on a state trip to an international summit in an unnamed foreign city—there’s suddenly a military coup! The POTUS (Samuel L. Jackson, in his fourth collaboration with gonzo action director Renny Harlin) manages to get away.
He himself drives the getaway car, which happens to be his custom-built, up-armored presidential vehicle. It’s a fortress on wheels, with bulletproof glass and an arsenal of weapons and defensive systems. It has a name: The Beast.
Here’s the answer to the main question you have: Does Sam Jackson say his favorite word? Yes. He says it a lot. Because otherwise it wouldn’t really count as a Samuel L. Jackson movie. Although Harlin has herewith made an entirely preposterous, tedious, and exhausting action thriller, Samuel L. Jackson gives it his level best.
Drive!
The story is immediately chaotic—it’s a shootout between assorted security forces and terrorists. All we know is that several world leaders have died; nobody knows just how far this attack extends. Most of the president’s security detail were killed; the president is behind the wheel.
Who else is in there? There are phone calls from the vague American command center, and one Secret Service agent Taft (Joel Kinnaman) is bleeding out in the backseat. He’s the victor of an extended in-car skirmish with a terrorist who whacked him with one of the limo’s champagne bottles. Taft rallied and threw the man out the door along with a pulled-pin grenade. Boom.
What the point? The prez has to drive the car and stay in the car, no matter what might be happening outside, because it’s a moving stronghold.
What else? The prez has to navigate busy streets of an anonymous city as enemy vehicles attempt to block The Beast and terrorists begin shooting civilians. By the time the car is just spinning around and plowing through digital flames, the nonstop gunfire, blood, and kabooms are so overwhelming that it’s impossible to say exactly what’s going on.
Then, it gets worse! The group organizing the attack intuit every move the president makes, have targeted the area where his wife is staying in a hotel. Plus, they are gradually taking over more and more of the United States’s military infrastructure.
Insert Sam Jackson’s Favorite Word
The terrorists are led by “The Professional” (Guy Burnet), who seems to have a connection to the president. (They share a look and and a sign language exchange.) Eventually, “The Beast” introduces the POTUS’s history as a Vietnam vet. He has flashbacks of fellow soldiers in the jungle, triggered by Taft in the backseat.
“The Beast” is really about explosions and blood, a powerful vehicle (pun intended) of … nothing special. While it gets some decent mileage (also pun intended) out of its limited set-up, at best, it’s a good example of the power of true movie star wattage and how it can hold one’s attention while the rest of the film is a yawn-fest. Expletive deleted! Jackson’s favorite word! That’s an hour and 39 minutes I can’t get back.
‘The Beast’
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Joel Kinnaman, Guy Burnet, Eoin Macken, Colin V. Morgan
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Release Date: Oct. 9, 2026
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
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