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Jason Statham started out as a competitive diver for many years, which then moved his career into modeling and music videos. After that, his resume filled up with a variety of acting credits as a thief, tough guy, and traitors that made him a household name for action movies. Statham has had quite a few supporting roles in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Expendables 2, and The Italian Job which get the honor to be mentioned, but unfortunately do not make the list.
Statham has established himself as an action star like some of the greats before him, like Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is able to star in big blockbusters franchises as well as low-budget films, and even comedies that show off his lighter side. It also helps that he has established an ongoing working relationship with Guy Ritchie, which has helped him land roles as the British tough guy in roles like The Transporter and Ghosts of Mars. Here are the best Jason Statham movies, ranked.
10 The Meg
Shark underneath the water in The Meg
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Meg has Statham versus a shark, which is a combination audiences didn’t know they wanted. He plays Jonas Taylor, who is a disgraced Naval Captain that lost his submarine crew to a mysterious creature. So, when the shark of legends, the megaladon, starts terrorizing an underwater research facility, Jonas is asked to save the inhabitants. Statham brings some cheeky charm to an otherwise B-list summer blockbuster movie, and proves that he can be in an action film that’s not based on crime or espionage. Fans of The Meg can look forward to a sequel film being released: The Meg 2: The Trench.
9 Hobbs & Shaw
hobbs-and-shaw
Universal Pictures
Statham first entered the Fast & Furious franchise at the end of the sixth movie in the end-credit scene as Deckard Shaw. Since then, he has gone on to do two more films as well as the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. Shaw teams up with Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to take down the techno-terrorist Brixton, who is played by Idris Elba. New York Times says the spin-off on these to characters was a good move since they have great on-screen chemistry. It also gave fans of the franchise a kind of old school buddy cop movie.
8 Wrath of Man
Jason Statham in Wrath of Man
United Artists
Prime Video
H is a security guard for an armored cash transportation company, who has very little information known about him in the crime thriller, Wrath of Man. As an attempted robbery goes down on one of the trucks, H shows off his skills as a marksman and makes everyone on the crew wonder what he’s doing working there. The movie has some exciting scenes, especially the shootout at the end showing Statham’s level of intensity as he plays out H’s moment of truth.
7 Furious 7
Jason Statham and The Rock fight in Furious 7
Universal Pictures
Fast & Furious 6 gave an end-credit scene showing the death of a beloved character and the introduction to Statham’s character Shaw. Furious 7 follows Shaw, who wants to get revenge on Toretto’s crew after they put his little brother in the hospital. The movie is Shaw’s revenge plot and how Dom and Brian are going to stop him before he hurts anyone else in their family. Fans of Statham have seen him play the villain before, but putting the element of doing this because of what happened to his brother lends a new depth to his character.
6 The Mechanic
Mechanic: Resurrection Trailer Has Statham on a Mission to Kill
Millennium Films
The elite assassin genre is one of the Statham’s fans favorites that he’s in. The Mechanic is a thriller remake of the 1972 film centered around a hired gun who makes his hits look like accidents. This is a perfect film for Statham’s talents, and when paired with the hotheaded trainee Ben Foster, he radiates the cool that the character needs.The plot twists in the movie were rather predictable, but with the loaded cast and exciting fight scenes, it was a fun ride.
5 Snatch
Brad Pitt in the boxing ring in Snatch
Sony Pictures Releasing
Guy Ritchie uses a strong ensemble cast of British actors and Brad Pitt, who was one of Hollywood’s biggest star during this movie’s release. Snatch is about Britain’s criminal landscape and features a large cast with overlapping stories. A fighter in a fixed underground boxing match is taken captive after being incapacitated in a fight. A crime lord blames the lost of his investment on two low ranking crooks played by Statham and Stephen Graham. Statham holds this film together through this giant cast and gives the audience a way into the underground world of fighting and various plot-lines.
4 Spy
jason-statham-spy
20th Century Studios
A Melissa McCarthy comedy would not be a film audiences would see Statham in, but this action movie star definitely has the comedic chops as he steals every scene he is in. The movie Spy has Statham play a macho superspy, which is a character he ends up playing in most action films. Collider claims Statham is a comedic genius as he says the most extreme and wild things in the film with an intense straight-face that fans of his are wondering why he has not done more comedy films. The running joke of the film was his character wanting to use a Face/Off procedure to get a new face.
3 Crank
Jason Statham Crank
Lionsgate Films
Statham’s signature role comes from playing assassin Chev Chelios in the high-octane movie Crank. The plot of the movie is a wild ride to begin with and gets even more chaotic as the film goes on. After Chelios has been poisoned by a synthesized drug, he must keep his heart rate up in order to keep the poison at bay. The movie is an adrenaline-fueled ride as Chelios gets revenge on the gangsters who did this to him while also keeping his heart rate up by any means. Statham exudes charisma in this film as he’s not only intense but hilarious with each new exploit becoming more crazy.
2 Safe
Jason Statham in Safe
Lionsgate
In Jason Statham films, audiences don’t see him interact with kids too much. However, the plot of Safe depends on the bond between him and a young girl named Mei. Luke Wright is on the verge of suicide until he sees a young girl being terrorized, and he attempts to save her from the Triad, Russian Mafia, and dirty New York City cops. Entertainment Weekly describes Statham’s performance as one of his most tender ones, in-between him getting beat up.
1 The Transporter 2
Transporter 2
EuropaCorp
The first film was a fun ride, but The Transporter 2 really finds its footing as Statham really embodies the role. He drives around in the film that would make his Fast & Furious cast-mates jealous with his amazing precision, and not to mention all the different types of European trash he takes out with all his beatings. His puns could use some work, and yet they somehow seem awesome at the same time. Some fans of Statham may say Crank was his best role, but they underestimate the power of The Transporter.
