I remember the first time I saw Jason Statham, well, kind of. I have a general idea of my first impression of him. In the late 2000s—I was probably around 7 or 8 years old—I would always go to the living room on a Saturday to hang with my Dad and watch whatever he was watching. Either an action movie, mythbusters, or something racing related. One day I came in and lo and behold Transporter 2 was on. Naturally I sat and watched. I was utterly transfixed, it was the combination of everything that I had loved up to that point in time. Cars, explosions, and dudes fighting. Transporter had it all. Of course I gravitated to our handsome, bald hero Frank Martin played by Jason Statham. It won’t be until later in my life though will I come to realize how important a role he will play in my cinematic journey.
I love the Fast & Furious franchise. Say what you want about them but it’s probably the most important series of films in my life. Those movies connected me and my father in a really beautiful way, and eventually I got to share my passion with my friends. So in 2013 when it was revealed at the end of Fast & Furious 6 that Jason Statham actually killed Han and was entering the franchise as the next big bad, my whole childhood up to that point—I was 13 years old by this time—flashed before my eyes and I remembered exactly who that bald bastard was. How could the heroic Frank Martin from my childhood be the evil and murderous Deckard Shaw?
I waited in horror for the next few years for Furious 7. Which one of the characters that I’ve grown to love was Deckard Shaw going to hurt next? The film came out and I remember during the opening sequence which shows Deckard talking to his brother in the hospital only to reveal that he completely destroyed like 50 guys to get to him. I remember thinking “wait this guy is kind of badass?” As you can imagine this was a super conflicting emotion to deal with for 15 year old me. In the next installment in the franchise Deckard Shaw makes a turn for good and teams up with the family. Finally the Jason Statham I knew from years past has returned to someone I recognized. The scene where he is on the plane and he is protecting Dom and Elena’s baby is what totally won me over. An incredible sequence that showcases Statham’s incredible physical ability but also his comedic timing and general suaveness. I was all in on Statham after this moment.
A few more years pass and I finally get all of my friends into the Fast & Furious franchise. They all love it of course but my friend Doug—my absolute best friend in the world that I’ve known since middle school—honed in on Jason Statham just like I had. Naturally then, during the pandemic we embarked on a journey of his entire filmography. There are still a couple we haven’t seen but up to this point we have seen around 25 Jason Statham films. He is our guy.
Many know that Jason Statham got his start with British filmmaker Guy Ritchie on the duo of films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch where he plays the characters Bacon and Turkish respectively. His characters always have the most hilarious and incredible names you’ve ever heard. He did a few more films before his breakout as Frank Martin in The Transporter such as Sargeant Jericho Butler in John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars for one example. It’s just one year later when The Transporter hit theaters and was a success. This catapulted him into a bona fide action star. After this he went on an insane run starring in a ridiculous amount of films for the next several years. Two plus films a year from 2004-2016 with barring 2009. Many of the years being three and sometimes even four films in one year. To say he was on a heater is an understatement. He starred in many one off action films but also started some new franchises like Crank, The Mechanic, and The Expendables.
During this period is where he cemented himself as the average seeming dude that could absolutely kick your ass at any moment. This is what makes him so relatable as a star. He is such an easy vessel to project on as a man and see yourself in these crazy situations. Even though most would never be able to do what he is doing in these films, during those two hours, whether you’re watching Frank Martin, Chev Chelios, Jensen Ames, Arthur Bishop, or whoever, you feel as if you can beat the hell out of 10 dudes in a room with just your bare hands.
Now he is a regular in the Fast & Furious franchise. So beloved, in fact, that he co-stars against The Rock in Hobbs and Shaw. A spinoff movie that I and many others have great affection for. He also stars in the new shark movie franchise, The Meg. Both of those movies are hilariously awesome and he has fully stepped into his role as “normal looking white dude that is capable of unbelievable things,” and of course he still works regularly with the great Guy Ritchie. Wrath Of Man is one of my recent favs.
This brings us to The Beekeeper. The culmination of his entire career in one film. He plays Adam Clay, incredible name, a normal guy who just likes his bees and keeps to himself. That is until a woman he admires commits suicide because of an online phishing scam that steals millions of dollars from a charity she runs. This sends him on a mission for revenge, to take down the people behind this atrocity, not just the ones directly involved, but the entire hive. This film, directed by David Ayer who directed Fury(2014) which is a film I really enjoy, is so smart and knowing about who Jason Statham is and his persona as a movie star. The film plays with the ridiculous nature of the characters he has played and juices it up to a level of such ridiculous absurdity that you can’t help but to have an incredible time. Not only is the film having an outrageously fun time in the script, but none of it would work if it wasn’t for the incredible and inventive fight choreography throughout the film. Statham is just on another level in this one. Fully embracing this persona he has created over his long career. You can tell he is having so much fun.
Now he is collaborating with Ayer again. Their new film is titled “A Working Man.” If this doesn’t get you excited then I have no idea why you have read this far. The log line for this film is “Levon Cade left his profession behind to work construction and be a good dad to his daughter. But when a local girl vanishes, he’s asked to return to the skills that made him a mythic figure in the shadowy world of counter-terrorism.” With the tag “Human traffickers beware.” Ayer and Statham have very quickly become one of my favorite director/actor duos currently working today. This movie sounds like an absolute blast and I’m sure they will be tapping into the sentiment of The Beekeeper in this one too. Some other films Statham has coming up are, The Beekeeper 2, Mutiny, Fast X: Part 2, and Untitled Jason Statham Thriller in which he plays a character named ‘Mason’ directed by Ric Roman Waugh, who you may know from his work on Kandahar and Greenland with the great Gerard Butler, or from Shot Caller.
Needless to say Jason Statham isn’t going anywhere and will continue to bless our screens with his incredible action work for years to come. I am incredibly excited for A Working Man and all the other films he has coming up. I will be there opening weekend for every single one. He is just the best at what he does.
NickStimer.com 
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