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- Jason Statham Transported Himself Towards the A-List
- Jason Statham Is a Heavy Hitter
- Statham Joined a Well-Established IP
As a long-time fan of action films, I must say that Jason Statham has truly come into his own as a versatile and captivating actor. His career trajectory is nothing short of remarkable, from smaller, critically acclaimed films like “The Mechanic,” to joining established franchises like “Fast and Furious” and becoming the leading man in high-grossing blockbusters such as “The Meg.
action movie stars like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis have all taken on leading roles in action series. However, these series don’t just pop up; they require initial success. For example, “Die Hard” might not have had four sequels if the original didn’t resonate with audiences. Similarly, “First Blood,” “The Terminator,” and others wouldn’t have spawned multiple installments without initial success. Interestingly, another action star who has spearheaded numerous series is none other than Jason Statham. Unlike those stars, Statham was often given the responsibility of carrying several projects that were intentionally designed to be long-running intellectual properties (IPs). This trend began quite early in his career.
Following collaboration with Guy Ritchie on “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, Statham landed supporting roles in various productions like “Ghosts of Mars” and “The One”. However, it was the groundbreaking moment: “The Transporter”. This marked his debut as a leading actor, and remarkably, this first lead role paved the way for his own film franchise.
Jason Statham Transported Himself Towards the A-List
In the character of Frank Martin portrayed by Statham, we find a typical action movie persona. He’s not shy about throwing punches, triumphing in fights against numerous adversaries at once, and then resuming his usual activities. Much like iconic action heroes, he excels exceptionally in one specific area – driving, in this instance. Statham manages to make the audience believe that Frank Martin could indeed overpower a crowd of opponents, but more than that, his charm makes us root for him as Frank Martin.
In the film Crank, Statham takes on a challenging role as an unappealing character named Chev Chelios. Despite this, viewers find themselves cheering for his survival due to the fast-paced rhythm of the movie and Statham’s determined performance. Even though it seems that audiences wouldn’t mind if Chelios’ heart were to explode, Statham’s screen presence manages to make him a character worth rooting for.
Jason Statham Is a Heavy Hitter
Following that movie, Statham found himself teaming up with some legendary action stars of yesteryears. This collaboration was significantly solidified with the release of “The Expendables,” a film that left no doubt in anyone’s mind that Statham was the modern-day equivalent of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis. Interestingly, in the star-studded cast, he was initially second-billed, with Stallone, who directed the film, taking the top spot. However, when “The Expendables 4” hit (and quickly left) the cinemas, that billing order was swapped.
To set the record straight, while the Expendables movie with Statham at the helm didn’t meet expectations, I believe that was more of an exception than the norm. It’s only fair to acknowledge that it wouldn’t be just to blame him for the film’s shortcomings. The financial success of the franchise reached its zenith in 2012 with The Expendables 2. Moreover, The Expendables 3, released nine years before the fourth installment (which is far too long a gap between action movies), unfortunately lost many fans by adopting the perplexing strategy of being rated PG-13.
A year following the debut of Expendables, came The Mechanic, a seemingly intellectual movie where Statham took on a mentor role. This film not only confirmed his solid position in action films but also demonstrated his growing acting versatility, despite him still dishing out more butt-kicking than not. However, while it did spawn a (not well-received) sequel, The Mechanic didn’t become a box office hit.
Statham Joined a Well-Established IP
The Fast and Furious series has consistently been a box office success, and Statham made his appearance in the sixth installment in a brief role, linking it to the following film. Two years after that, he became the franchise’s main antagonist in its highest-grossing movie, Furious 7. However, an interesting aspect about Statham is that he can shift from being the best villain in the series to one of its principal heroes within just two films. This is precisely what transpired with The Fate of the Furious, as his character began to be portrayed more as an anti-hero than a traditional villain.
Indeed, his main part in the eighth movie predominantly involved him squaring off against Dwayne Johnson, who is currently one of the top action stars, much like Statham. Consequently, it made sense for them to get their own “Fast” film titled “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”. Notably, this spin-off turned out to be one of the franchise’s most entertaining episodes. However, despite Statham being a prominent figure on the poster of this blockbuster, he didn’t carry it singlehandedly.
Despite being a high-budget film, “The Meg” was undeniably Statham’s own, and it certainly didn’t disappoint financially, earning $530 million globally against its production cost of $130 million. This success not only marked it as a hit, but also underscored the increasing brilliance of Statham’s acting prowess. After all, while the megalodon was certainly an attractive element, it was Statham’s compelling performance as deep sea diver Jonas Taylor that truly captivated audiences.
Although Meg 2: The Trench didn’t quite match its financial successor’s heights, it’s likely that a third installment will still materialize. Similarly, it wouldn’t be shocking if there was a sequel to the highly profitable 2024 film, The Beekeeper, which grossed an astonishing $152.7 million on a budget of only $40 million. As for upcoming projects, Jason Statham has two potential franchise-starters lined up: Levon’s Trade and Mutiny. Given his past performance, these films’ investors have good reasons to be optimistic. By the way, you can catch Statham’s latest action blockbuster, The Beekeeper, on Amazon Prime Video.
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2024-10-06 04:01