Since beginning his acting career in 1993, Jason Statham has been known for portraying difficult characters in action-thriller movies. This English-born actor has mastered such roles and he has continued to deliver one movie after another. As villain or hero, he’s the go-to guy in all action movies.
Born in Derbyshire, England, Statham was trained in several combat sports during his teenage years and early adulthood, including kung fu and kickboxing. These skills have arguably come in very handy in most of his action movie roles, as he is able to pull off his own stunts. He achieved international stardom for his starring role in The Transporter film trilogy. This Hollywood star also went on to add other notable movie credits to her name. Below is a countdown of some of his memorable movie roles, from worst to best.
15 Of Jason Statham’s Most Beautiful Movies Ranked From Worst To Best
15. Ghosts of Mars (2001)
One of Jason Statham’s earliest credits is the action horror film Ghosts of March (2001). He played the supporting role of Sergeant Jericho Butler who, alongside his colleagues, attempts to rescue a group of ghost-possessed miners. At the box office, the film earned only half its production cost and was poorly rated by critics. For obvious reasons, Ghosts of March (2001) remains Jason Statham’s first and last full-length horror film.
14. Revolver (2005)
The 2005 British crime film Revolver is certainly not the best among Jason Stathamfilms. The actor portrayed the film’s main character, Jake Green, a confident gambler seeking revenge armed with a one-size-fits-all formula that guarantees its user victory in every game.
The film received very harsh reviews from critics and also received a very low rating on the website of the film review group ‘Rotten Tomatoes’. The film was mainly criticized for having a plot that was too convoluted and also did not hold up well at the global box office.
13. In the Name of the King (2007)
Another non-fantasy Jason Statham film is the 2007 action fantasy film In the Name of the King. The talented actor was the star of the filmThe film is played by a man called Camden Konreid/Farmer who is on a mission to save his kidnapped wife and avenge the death of his son. The film was a box office bomb, accounting for less than a quarter of its production budget. It also received very low ratings from critics and was nominated for 5 Razzie Awards.
12. Safe (2012)
The 2012 action-thriller Safe may not be the worst of Jason Statham’s movies, but it certainly isn’t the best. He played the lead role of Luke Wright, an ex-cop and retired cage fighter who stumbles upon a gifted child in danger and takes it upon himself to protect her. Statham received critical praise for her own performance, but the film’s plot was widely criticized. The film also had a disappointing box office run.
11. Death Race (2008)
This 2008 sci-fi action film is a remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000. Jason Statham played the lead role of JensenAmes, a falsely accused and convicted prisoner is forced to take part in a fatal car race in which inmates brutalize and kill each other for the chance to regain his freedom if he wins the race. The film received mixed reviews and a fairly successful box office release.
10. Home Front (2013)
This 2013 film is yet another brilliant action thriller from the stables of this talented Hollywood star, Jason Statham. In the film, he played the lead role of an American veteran and ex-drug cop, who was moved with his family to a small town, but soon found himself entangled with a drug lord. The film received mixed reviews coupled with fairly average box office earnings.
9. The Bank Job (2008)
The title of this movie sounds like a typical Jason Statham movie. A thriller, Statham portrayed the title character of Terry Leather, a struggling car salesman with criminal tendencies who agrees to stage a bank robbery that could change his fortune for life. The film received rave reviews from critics and it was also a commercial success. The Bank Job (2008) opened at number 4 at the US box office and its gross production cost tripled.
8. Crank (2006)
Notable Jason Statham credits include the 2006 action film Crank. He portrayed the lead role of Chev Chelios, a British hitman who gets poisoned in Los Angeles and has to keep his heart rate/adrenaline level constantly high to stay alive. He achieves this by taking different drugs and fighting while continuing to hunt down the man who poisoned him. The film received above-average ratings from review review website, Rotten Tomatoes. It was also very successful at the box office and this resulted in a sequel Crank: High Voltage (2009) in which Statham reprized his starring role.
7. Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)
The 2016 action thriller film Mechanic: Resurrection is a sequel to the 2011 film The Mechanic. Starring opposite fellow Hollywood A-lister Jessica Alba in both films, Jason Statham played the lead role of Arthur Bishop, a skilled assassin who fakes his own death to escape his previous life. Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) received largely negative reviews from critics. However, its box office results surpassed those of the first film.
6. Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
The 2011 romantic animated film Gnomeo and Juliet is the odd one out among all of Jason Statham’s films since it’s a major departure from his usual action/thriller/crime movies. In the film which is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s classic play Romeo and Juliet, the actor portrayed the character Tybalt, Juliet’s first cousin and Romeo’s rival.
James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan and Dolly Parton are also part of the cast. Gnomeo and Juliet (2011) was very successful in terms of critical acclaim and box office earnings. The film received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 69th Golden Globe Awards among other accolades.
5. Carrier 1, 2, 3
One of Jason Statham’s most memorable roles was in the 2002 action film The Transporter, in which he portrayed lead character FrankMartin, a mercenary transporter. His performance in the film announced him to an international audience and also allowed him to seal his status as a leader in Hollywood. The film was fairly successful at the box office and received average ratings from critics. It spawned two much more successful sequels Transporter 2 (2005) and Transporter 3 (2008) with Statham retaining his starring role.
4. Consumables 1, 2, 3
Jason Statham was on the cast of the highly successful action film series The Expendables starring Sylvester Stallone and Jet Li. The film series also featured Steve Austin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes, among others.
The first installment, The Expendables, was released in 2010 and although it received mixed reviews from critics, it was a smash hit at the box office, opening at No. 1 at the US box office. It’s a sequel The Expendables 2 (2012) and The Expendables 3 (2014) were also commercially successful, but not like the first one.
In all three installments of The Expendables, Jason Statham maintained his role as Lee Christmas, a blade specialist who works with an elite mercenary group to fight international crime.
3. Spy (2015)
This 2015 action-comedy film has to be one of Jason Statham’s best films in terms of critical acclaim and commercial success. He played the male lead in the movie Rick Ford with Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne and Jude Law. Spy (2015) grossed nearly four times its production budget at the box office and was also nominated twice at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.
2. The Mega (2018)
One of Statham’s biggest career roles has to be in the sci-fi action movie The Mega. Statham portrayed the film’s main character Jonas Taylor, a salvage diver on a mission to rescue a group of scientists from a damaged nuclear submarine on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. The film was a Sino-American co-production and it grossed more than double its original budget at the global box office. Despite its commercial success, the film received mixed reviews from critics and even earned a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.
1. Fate of the Furious (2017)
Fate of the Furious (aka. Fast & Furious 8 ) is the eighth installment in the acclaimed The Fast and the Furious movie franchise. In the film, Statham reprized his role as Deckard Shaw, a rogue Special Forces assassin who breaks out of prison and later helps defeat a notorious cyber-terrorist. The role had been smaller in two previous installments Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015).
The film has an all-star cast that also includes Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Charlize Theron. The Fate of the Furious (2017) was a box office monster and netted more than 4 times its $250 million production budget. It had one of the highest-grossing opening weekends in movie history and was also one of the highest-grossing films of 2017.