The Beast review
By Joel Humphries · Watched 10.07.26
★★★ 3 / 5
Spoiler-free review
James Bond meets Knight Rider is the whole proposition here, and The Beast commits to it with gleeful excess: the presidential limo is a rolling fever dream of gizmos, and Samuel L. Jackson wears the mantle of imperiled commander-in-chief like a smirk you can hear. Joel Kinnaman anchors the mayhem, but the star is the car and the unapologetic silliness of using it as a fortress. Don’t interrogate the logic—you’ll only sprain something. If you’re game for polished nonsense and Jackson swagger in a presidential supercar, this delivers a fun night out.
Full review — contains spoilers
Samuel L. Jackson is the president of the United States, somebody is trying to overthrow the government, and the presidential limousine protecting him turns out to be a ridiculously overpowered tank on wheels. That's the movie.
Jackson and his Secret Service protector, played by Joel Kinnaman, have to survive an attack in an armored car equipped with practically every gadget and piece of gimmickry you could imagine. It feels like somebody took a nineties idea of the ultimate presidential vehicle and decided there was no reason to show restraint. James Bond meets Knight Rider, turned all the way up.
The car is cool. Samuel L. Jackson is fun. People are trying to kill him, and he has an absurd vehicle with which to resist their efforts. I don't think this needs a more complicated sales pitch.
What it does need is an understanding between us about why I'm recommending it. If you sit there trying to make sense of everything that happens, you're going to have a bad time. The harder you think about it, the more your brain is going to break, and then you'll be asking why Joel sent you to see this nonsense.
I'm sending you because I enjoyed the nonsense. The premise is silly, the vehicle is entertaining, and Jackson is somebody I'm happy to watch in this kind of movie. I had a good time in the theater. If you want something that makes sense, this isn't the recommendation for you. If you want to be entertained by Samuel L. Jackson in a presidential supercar, go watch The Beast. Just remember what I told you.