Throughout his career, Jason Statham has played the tough guy part mostly. And in all the roles he played, every performance was more iconic and praiseworthy than the earlier ones.
Here are __ best roles he played during his journey to stardom after being discovered by Guy Ritchie. Though he is most popularly known as the action hero, Statham has the skills and talents of mesmerizing his audience in other ways as well. Let’s find out the roles he played that helped to make him the superstar he is today.
Turkish in Snatch (2000)
Shortly after Snatch hit the theaters, it became dorm room posters and gained a huge fan following for Statham. Playing a British man with the name Turkish was undoubtedly funny. Guy Ritchie knew that Jason would fit the role of Turkish perfectly, and this movie marked another great collaboration between them.
As the story revolves around a priceless diamond, Jason plays his role as a small-time boxing manager and still somehow manages to stand out. Working with actors like Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro didn’t throw a shade on him as he got his own breakout role.
Frank Martin in The Transporter Series (2002- 08)
The credit of introducing Jason Statham as the main lead hero goes to The Transporter. Playing the role didn’t require a whole lot of acting range, but it sets Jason’s image of archetypal action hero. Jason did most of his own stunts and displayed his skills as a badass.
Frank Martin lives by three rules as a driver- don’t change the deal, no names, and never open the package. All these rules served him well until extenuating circumstances forced him to take a less neutral approach to his duties as the transporter. A gold-hearted man with adamantine ideals became his trademark.
Handsome Rob In The Italian Job (2003)
Within a few years of working in the industry, Jason Statham landed the role of Handsome Rob. Playing the role of a handsome man who robs wasn’t a stretch after The Transporter. It’s like he is made for such action-thriller roles to amaze the audience.
The movie was a remake of the classic Michael Caine heist film retelling the story of a motley crew of thieves trying to steal gold back from a former associate. Even though the film was slightly less iconic than the original, it’s still a fun thrill ride with Statham, Charlize Theron, and Mark Wahlberg. Moreover, Statham was able to show off his driving skills in the movie.
Chev Chelios in Crank (2006 and 2009)
If you’ve seen this film, you know that the storyline doesn’t make much sense. It is one of the most pleasingly absurd action movies of Jason Statham. The story revolves around Chev, a hitman who got injected with a synthetic poison that can kill him. The only catch is that he needs to keep his adrenaline pumping. So, the plot is so thrilling that it keeps the audience’s heart rate high as well.
While seeking the people who are responsible for doing this inhumane deed, he forced the doctors to use a defibrillator on him, killing the people trying to kill him, and having intercourse with his girl in public. What an interesting way to stay alive, right!!
Terry Leather in The Bank Job (2007)
Watching Jason kicking butts and taking asses is always fun in movies. But with the role of Terry, he stepped outside his comfort zone and took a break from the typical action films. The movie was based on a real story of low-key heist film. Sadly the movie was underrated and underseen, still it is a gem in the genre.
Statham proved that he is capable of leading the ensemble and staying at the center while keeping the audience in the dark. And he is not even the main character in the movie. Just listening to his dialogues in the movie would seem like he is a motivational speaker in another universe.
Rick Ford in Spy (2015)
Before this movie came out, the fans didn’t have any idea that Jason Statham can play a comic role with such ease. Not only he changed his image with this film, but also got nominated for the Best Actor Comic Role.
The entire cast worked hard for this project, and their work paid off as the movie was hilarious and received 7 stars on IMDB. The audience fell off their feet when they saw Melissa in action, and somehow, Jason being the funniest person in the movie was more surprising. It was certainly the biggest threat to watch Statham showing off his comic timing as a dim-witted secret agent who is not that badass as he thinks.
Deckard Shaw in the Fast & Furious Franchise (2013-2019)
From the moment the audience saw Deckard Shaw sitting next to his brother lecturing him in Fast & Furious 6, we knew that he is too big of a star that the franchise will let him go that easily. His fans got super excited after his cameo and waited eagerly for the Fast & Furious 7.
With the eighth movie in the series, Deckard Shaw switched sides and joined forces with Dom and Hobbs. All the craziness going in the film, Statham’s performance stood out and gave us memorable action sequences with Dwayne Johnson. And the final result came out as giving both of them a spin-off- Hobbs & Shaw.
From his starting role as Bacon in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to reprising the role of Shaw in his last movie, Jason Statham has never disappointed the fans with his action sequences. His mere presence in a movie makes the viewers jump from their seats because they know that something excruciating action is coming right up!