'Snatch' to 'The Meg': 7 Best Jason Statham Movies

Jason Statham has become one of Hollywood’s most reliable action stars. His unlikely origins as a fashion model, (he also practiced martial arts and was on the British national diving team) saw him develop an ongoing working relationship with director Guy Ritchie and led to him booking a string of parts as a British hardman in films such as The Italian Job and Ghosts of Mars before he would ascend to the A-List with lead roles in both The Transporter and The Expendables trilogies. Statham has established himself as an action star in the mold of his predecessors like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as he is able to star in both blockbuster franchises, lower-budget thrillers and show a lighter side in comedies. Statham is set to star in the upcoming action-comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre, which will mark his fifth collaboration with Guy Ritchie. Jason Statham is a busy man, so let’s look back at some of his finest moments in these films.

The Meg 2018

It’s Stath vs. Shark. Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, a disgraced Naval Captain who lost a submarine crew to a mysterious creature in the depths of the sea. But when a giant prehistoric shark, known as a megalodon, awakens, Taylor is tasked with saving the inhabitants of an underwater research facility from the jaws of the beast. Statham brings some tongue-in-cheek charm to this suitably silly summer blockbuster. With this creature feature that has its roots firmly in the B movies of the past, Statham proves to be reliable in another form of action film away from the usual crime or espionage-based fare he is known for. Couldn’t get enough of Statham in this movie? Good, because he’s set to return in The Meg 2.

The Meg (2018) Biography, Plot, Development, Filming, Box office.

Wrath of Man (2021)

In this gritty crime thriller, Statham stars as H, a cold and mysterious figure who recently began working as a security guard for an armored cash transportation company. But when an attempted robbery of one of the trucks takes place, H reveals his impressive skills as a marksman, causing the rest of his crew to wonder who he really is and what he is doing working there. The film has some very exciting moments, particularly the shootout at the final act, while Statham is at his brooding best here, playing H with a level of quiet intensity that simmers beneath the surface until the truth, and his past, are revealed.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019)

After entering the Fast & Furious universe as the antagonizing Deckard Shaw in the sixth installment, this spin-off from the Fast franchise put Statham front and center opposite Dwayne Johnson, who reprised his role as the no-nonsense lawman Luke Hobbs. The plot finds the crook and cop forced to team up as they take on a techno-terrorist named Brixton Lore, who has been physically enhanced with cybernetic implants. The self-proclaimed bad guy is played by Idris Elba, who brings a feeling of menacing grit that he imbues in many of the villainous characters he plays. It was a wise move centering a spin-off on these two, as their combined charisma is enough to make audiences forget all about Dom Torreto (Vin Diesel) and his family. Statham and Johnson’s chemistry harkens back to old school buddy cop movies, as they endlessly bicker their way to saving the day.

Spy (2015)

Jason Statham may not be the first face you’d expect to see in a Melissa McCarthy comedy, but the action man deftly shows off his comedic abilities as he steals every scene he is in. Playing an overly macho superspy, Statham lampoons the sort of character he is usually known for playing, uttering the most absurd things with an extreme level of straight-faced intensity. Some of Statham’s highlights include his character’s desire to use a Face/Off machine to get a new face, and a running joke of outlandish claims like being able to attach his severed arm with his other arm or taking up piano at a late age.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Statham made his big-screen debut in this British crime-comedy that made international stars of both him and Guy Ritchie, with what was also his feature directorial debut. The film follows four friends who find themselves in debt to a crime lord and are forced into robbing some local, small-time criminals. Every member of the ensemble cast comfortably fits their role, but Statham shines the brightest as Bacon, the quick-witted and smart-mouthed member of the friend group. Statham immediately announced himself as a unique screen presence and emerged as a talent worth keeping an eye on.

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Jason Statham

Crank & Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)

Statham found his signature role with the assassin Chev Chelios, in the high-octane Crank films from directing duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. After being poisoned by a synthesized drug, Chelios learns that he must keep his heart rate up in order to keep the effects of the poison at bay. What follows is an adrenaline-fueled ride, as he gets revenge on the gangsters who did this to him and keeps his blood pumping by any means necessary. The explosive finale for Crank sees Chelios get killed, but as the tagline for its sequel, Crank 2:High Voltage,states – he got better. Chelios wakes up to find his organs are being harvested and he is now equipped with a mechanical heart, meaning he must electrically charge himself to stay alive as he searches for the men who took his real heart. Statham shows all his best qualities as a performer while playing Chev Chelios, as he exudes high-energy charisma, as well as being both intense and hilarious as Chelios’ exploits become increasingly outlandish.

Snatch (2000)

This darkly comic crime caper shows that Statham’s eye-catching performance in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was no fluke. Guy Ritchie’s fan-favorite sophomore film once again utilizes a strong ensemble of British actors – and also features one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in Brad Pitt as a barely understandable Irish traveler boxer. Snatch is set in Britain’s gritty criminal landscape and features a large cast of characters whose stories overlap and coincide with one another. The story is kicked into motion when a fighter in a fixed underground boxing match is incapacitated and a crime lord

known as Brick Top (Alan Taylor), who now faces the chance to lose his investment, blames a pair of low ranking crooks (played by Statham and Stephen Graham). He demands they make amends or be fed to his pigs. Though it has a sprawling cast that features the likes of Pitt, Benecio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones,and Dennis Farina, it is Statham at the center as the calm and collected Turkish who holds the film together, giving the audience an entryway into this crooked underworld and providing a narrated voiceover that ties the film’s various plotlines together.