For his third release of 2026 (following “The Strangers: Chapter 3” and “Deep Water”), director Renny Harlin keeps things chaotic and professionally manageable in “The Beast.” It’s an action film set almost entirely inside a moving car, following the President of the United States as he endures a hellish 90 minute ride to an extraction point while a global conflict breaks out around him. Harlin reunites with actor Samuel L. Jackson, and the pair did well in previous endeavors such as “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and “Deep Blue Sea.” “The Beast” isn’t as lavishly budgeted or tightly scripted as past films, but there are bursts of screen energy in the offering, especially when it deals with heat-of-the-moment attacks and panicked driving. Screenwriter Umair Aleem hopes to add a deep groove of psychological torment to the picture, but Harlin remains at his best when organizing mayhem. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
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