This John Carpenter Meets Air Force One Thriller Is Samuel L. Jackson's Best R-Rated Action Movie Since 2014

Published Oct 18, 2026, 12:55 PM EDT Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW. Samuel L. Jackson's new action thriller is best described as John Carpenter's Air Force One. While the man himself hasn't directed in over 15 years, John Carpenter movies continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers. In 2026 alone, Adam Wingard's Onslaught is essentially John Carpenter's The Terminator, while Ryan Coogler's Sinners had a strong Carpenter vibe in its second half. On paper, the latest Samuel L. Jackson vehicle The Beast doesn't have much in common with Carpenter's work. It feels more like a Die Hard riff, if anything, which feels apt, as it comes from Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Cliffhanger helmer, Renny Harlin. The movie cast Jackson as the POTUS, who is forced to take cover in the titular armored limo when assassins target him. Despite the amount of explosions and gunfire it features, The Beast's Carpenter influence comes out in its siege concept. Jackson's President is chased by a faceless group of assassins, and spends much of the runtime trapped within the confines of his admittedly quite rad limo. While The Beast has drawn mixed reviews, it's a fun throwback to the high-concept blockbusters of yesteryear. The Beast Is Samuel L. Jackson's Best Action Movie In Years Namely, Harlin's relentless thriller feels like a play on films like Speed or Air Force One, with The Beast's poster even name-checking the latter Harrison Ford outing. While the Jackson film has been dinged for its focus on spectacle over plot, that's more of a feature than a bug. It throws viewers right into the middle of a confusing, chaotic mess and has both the protagonists - including Joel Kinnaman's wounded Secret Service agent - and audiences trying to figure things out during the few times the story pauses for breath. Even the mixed reviews had to concede that Jackson rocks in the lead role too. Samuel L. Jackson and Renny Harlin previously collaborated on The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea and Cleaner. In recent years, Jackson has leaned toward supporting parts, but The Beast puts him front and center. It's impossible to dislike the veteran star, and he invests this high-concept B-movie with humor, gravitas and even emotion. While he's often behind the wheel, the few times Jackson's President gets into one-on-one combat, Jackson proves that even in his late seventies he cuts a convincing figure as an action star. Samuel L. Jackson Hasn't Made A Good R-Rated Action Movie Since Kingsman Like much of Harlin's output, The Beast received lukewarm reviews, with the film currently sitting at 55%. Some of the critiques are fair, but it also feels like the type of film that in five years will be reassessed as a unique spin on a familiar genre. It also marks Jackson's first, fully entertaining R-rated actioner in about a decade. Jackson has always been a workaholic, and after his breakthrough with Pulp Fiction, he appeared in a wide variety of genres. Being an action fan himself, he often turned up in R-rated action thrillers that made him the lead, such as The Negotiator or Shaft. It feels like 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service - where Jackson played the tech bro villain - was the last good example of this. Look no further than every action flick he's appeared in since. The Hitman's Bodyguard feels like something best viewed on an airplane while half tipsy, but the less said about its dire sequel, the better. The 2019 legacy sequel Shaft was rightfully lambasted and forgotten, while Argylle or Afterburn are tough to sit through - plus, Jackson barely appears in either. The Beast, on the other hand, is a relentless ride that takes a fresh approach. For some, the constant action will be overwhelming or numbing, but one thing it can't be excused of, is laziness. Fans of Sam Jackson action vehicles or John Carpenter should give the film an honest chance, and more likely than not, they will have a blast with it. Source: Rotten Tomatoes Release Date October 9, 2026 Runtime 99 minutes Director Renny Harlin Writers Umair Aleem Producers Keith Kjarval Cast President of the United States