Jason Statham’s Top 10 Best Films

The first film Jason Statham starred in is still considered his best by many. In Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he plays street vendor Bacon, who, together with his friends, gets involved in a disastrous poker game. The story goes off the rails in a series of misunderstandings, violence and dry humor. With this film Statham, Vinnie Jones and director Guy Ritchie became world famous in one fell swoop. An ultimate start to an impressive action career.

The Transporter (2002) is the film that definitively put Jason Statham on the map as an action hero. As a former special forces officer, Frank Martin works as a courier who never asks questions and strictly adheres to his rules. When he discovers that his package turns out to be a woman, he breaks his own code. What follows is a series of tightly choreographed fight scenes and chases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jar2XkBboo In Snatch (2000), Statham returned to the London underworld under the direction of Guy Ritchie. He plays boxing promoter Turkish, who, together with his partner, gets caught up in a chaotic web of diamond thieves, gangsters and illegal boxing matches. T he introduction of Brad Pitt as the unintelligible gypsy Mickey creates a legendary dynamic. Snatch is sharp, fast and full of typical British humor.

The Italian Job (2003) is an American remake of the 1969 British classic. A team of thieves tries to steal gold bars worth millions in Venice. Jason Statham plays Handsome Rob, a charming driver known for his long chases with the police. The film combines clever plans, fast Mini Coopers and a relaxed cool that suits Statham perfectly.

The Expendables (2010) was a dream project for fans of classic action films. Sylvester Stallone brought together old icons and new action heroes in an explosive ensemble film. Jason Statham plays Lee Christmas, a knife specialist who regularly steals the show with his precision throws. With this role, Statham was definitively included in the pantheon of modern action heroes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rvYrVTnSWw Crank (2006) has one of the most bizarre premise in the action genre. Hitman Chev Chelios is poisoned with a drug that lowers his heart rate. To stay alive he must constantly generate adrenaline. This leads to an endless series of chaotic action scenes through Los Angeles. The film is tense, crude and extreme, with Statham who literally can never stand still. Crank is pure action in its most hysterical form.

In Death Race (2008), Statham finds himself in a dystopian future where prisons have become profitable businesses. Inmates are used in deadly car races that are broadcast worldwide. Statham plays Jensen Ames, an ex-racing driver who is wrongfully imprisoned and forced to take the place of legendary masked racer Frankenstein. The film is raw, noisy and unmistakably macho. It's all about speed, metal and brute force.

The Bank Job (2008) is based on a true bank robbery from 1971. A black militant has hidden compromising photos of a member of the British royal family in a safe. When an ex-model gets into trouble, she proposes a heist and enlists the help of shady car salesman Terry Leather (Statham). The successful crack turns out to be only the beginning of a much larger political game. Statham convinces here as a clever criminal in a classic British crime film.

Wrath of Man reunited Jason Statham with director Guy Ritchie, but this time without the light-hearted humor of their previous collaborations. Statham plays a silent security guard at a money transport company that is plagued by violent robberies. It soon turns out that he has a hidden agenda. The film is stark, grim and nihilistic, with Statham who barely speaks but is all the more deadly for it. Wrath of Man shows how effective he can be in a more serious, almost somber action film.

With The Beekeeper, Statham returned in 2024 to the pure revenge that made him famous. He plays a seemingly quiet man who keeps bees, until it turns out that he was part of a secret government organization. When someone close to him falls victim to digital scammers, violence erupts. The Beekeeper is uncomplicated, hard and shamelessly exaggerated. Exactly the kind of film in which Statham feels most comfortable: little psychology, lots of fists and an opponent who doesn't stand a chance.