The latest Jason Statham joint, “Mutiny,” isn’t playing coy with its references. The film, directed by Jean-François Richet, written by Lindsay Michel and J.P. Davis, is “'Die Hard' on a container ship,” and a new poster pays direct homage to the 1988 Bruce Willis action classic.

“Mutiny” is retro in its execution too; it’s simply a clean, classic, high-concept action film with a dependable star, in which the suspense builds steadily and methodically, punctuated with bursts of beautifully choreographed violence. The screenplay alternates between info dumps and basic lines of dialogue delivered stonily by an international cabal of anonymous stuntmen. There are a lot of Dutch angles, and Statham’s “gun-fu” has never been better. It’s the kind of movie that would be absolutely glorious to happen upon playing on TNT on a Saturday afternoon, or scrolling through the film selections on a plane.

But don’t you like it a little bit more when your Jason Statham movies break bad? The action star has been honing his tough, stoic hero bit for going on 25 years. Sometimes he lets his British cheekiness show, but for the most part, he’s the taciturn center in the eye of the storm, with his sleek, aerodynamic bald head and lethally efficient combat style.

Sometimes whatever’s happening around him is fairly straightforward, heavy-duty action stuff (“Wrath of Man,” “The Transporter,” “The Italian Job”) and sometimes, it’s absolutely insane, mind-boggling and kooky, Statham’s persona a contrast against the chaos (“The Beekeeper,” “The Meg,” “A Working Man,” plus the “Expendables” and “Fast and Furious” franchises). It creates a fun friction for Statham as an actor, side-eyeing wild villains and their henchmen, punching a shark in the face, etc. It’s just more fun to watch him keep a straight face in these outrageous situations, and “Mutiny” keeps things grounded, even on the open ocean.

Richet also directed the Gerard Butler vehicle “Plane,” and so he’s gone from the skies to the seas with “Mutiny,” an uncomplicated action-thriller about a bodyguard with daddy issues seeking vengeance. We get a lightning quick setup: Cole Reed (Statham) is a former British cop who lost his father and has found a new family with his billionaire security clients, who run a global shipping company. Upon the announcement of a corporate sale, patriarch Tibu (Ramon Tikaram) is assassinated in an ambush, and Cole infiltrates his company’s ship Artemis in order to find out who’s behind the murder, uncovering a human trafficking operation in the process. Annabelle Wallis plays Ellis, the ship’s unlikely and too-pretty third mate, who gives Statham an assist with the random international baddies who make up the crew. Also, there are pirates.

Everything you expect to happen in this down-the-middle plot happens here; every few scenes there’s a character background exposition or some decently fun fights. But in a year when “The Furious,” “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and even “Motor City” have delivered some eye-popping and gnarly stunts, the basic execution of “Mutiny” isn’t enough to raise the blood. There is one delightful sequence where a fire ax, giant fishhook and speargun come into play on a gangway. But we want more — Statham can handle it.

What “Mutiny” is missing most is an over-the-top villain. The mastermind behind it all is too cool and refined, and while Roland Møller is intriguing as corrupt Captain Marko Madsen, he’s not given anything to work with, story-wise. Once we’re on the ship, chaos erupts and then it’s all sneaking around different parts of the boat. Adrian Lester brings some much-needed subtle humor as a deadpan U.S. naval officer who reads between the lines of Ellis’ distress calls, but honestly, it’s all a little bit boring.

Richet executes the whole thing with an almost sterile cleanliness. Sweeping drone shots of luxurious mansions illustrate the smooth-running life of ease that Cole has established for his high-profile clients; but things get shaken up a bit aboard the Artemis, with handheld jiggles signaling the rougher (metaphorical) seas ahead. It’s fine, if predictable, stylistically.

When it comes to Statham’s oeuvre, pick your poison: do you like him plainly heroic, or handling chaos? As a connoisseur, I’m choosing “bonkers” every time, and unfortunately, the sturdy “Mutiny” doesn’t deliver nearly enough on that front.

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'MUTINY'

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for strong/bloody violence, and language)

Running time: 1:35

How to watch: In theaters Aug. 21

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