Jason Statham has a very particular set of skills that he will use to entertain you if you want. That is to say, he plays the same character, playing different characters in his movies. Whatever their current work and their role in people’s lives, Statham’s characters are always ᴀssᴀssins or rogue agents who are trying out a different lifestyle before they’re forced out of retirement when someone they care about is in danger. To that end, some of Jason Statham’s best action movie characters are from films that have a profession in the тιтle itself.

In fact, Jason Statham’s latest movie is called A Working Man, the most generic form of a profession-based тιтle possible. The fact that it has this тιтle, despite being based on the Levon’s Trade novel, would suggest that he may be in on the joke about his movie тιтles. He is a more versatile actor than most of his popular roles would suggest, and Jason Statham’s movies are often better than expected because you know he’s playing the same character, but his charming screen presence makes it worth your while to watch him do so repeatedly.

10

A Working Man (2025)

Directed by David Ayer

Written by Sylvester Stallone, starring Jason Statham, and directed by David Ayer – A Working Man has everything it needs to be a box-office smash, and it has reached milestones as well. However, it is a disappointing addition to the ever-growing list of forgettable action movies in Statham’s filmography. Unlike Ayer and Statham’s previous movie, A Working Man lacks seriousness altogether, and this hurts even the action scenes.

The fight sequences are the selling points of Statham’s films, but the complete lack of sincerity in filmmaking not only reduces the stakes, but also makes the action seem dumb and over-the-top. Moreover, character development is absent, and the threadbare backstory doesn’t help make the character compelling in the first place. Statham’s impressive physique and his ability to smash through anything might have an appeal, but with no real writing and poor direction to accompany it, A Working Man fails to live up to its potential.

9

Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)

Directed by Dennis Gansel

Not every Jason Statham movie should become a franchise, and Mechanic: Resurrection is the perfect example that demonstrates why. It is a funny running gag about the actor’s filmography that his characters all seem to be adept at espionage, misdirection, ᴀssᴀssination, and hand-to-hand combat, but rarely at the actual profession they seemingly have in the first parts of his movies. However, the idea doesn’t have enough fuel to work multiple times.

2014’s John Wick is a movie from the last decade that was amazing despite low expectations because the idea of an ex-ᴀssᴀssin coming out of retirement to avenge his dog’s death seemed outlandish. It worked, however, because the action scenes were grounded, intense, and sH๏τ with sincerity. Statham in Mechanic: Resurrection shows none of the restraint Keanu Reeves shows in John Wick, thus turning the movie into a tired exercise in trying to justify why we should care about his character and his dilemma even if all he does is over-the-top action.

8

Transporter 3 (2008)

Directed by Olivier Megaton

Jason Statham’s The Transporter has significant franchise potential, and it’s no surprise that it turned into an entire trilogy. However, the lack of a fresh perspective makes the film somewhat tedious, even though it goes back to the grounded approach of the first film. The action sequences, albeit worth cheering for, aren’t well spaced out, and Transporter 3 sometimes feels boring due to the gap between engaging scenes.

The most frustrating part of watching Transporter 3 is the constant cuts in the editing that make it hard to get into the film. Rapid editing works well in chaotic fight scenes, but if no sH๏τ in an entire feature film is held for longer than 5 seconds, it gets annoying. However, the romantic subplot in the film is relatively compelling, and if one is looking for mindless entertainment, Transporter 3 isn’t the worst choice.

7

Transporter 2 (2005)

Directed by Louis Letterier

Louis Letterier helmed the sequel to his directorial debut feature that put him on the map as a director to look out for. Unfortunately, he doesn’t retain one of the most compelling aspects of the first Transporter movie – the relatively toned-down approach to action choreography – delivering an entertaining watch that feels very removed from its predecessor. While it’s a showcase of Statham’s talents as an action star, the lack of restraint creates such unbelievable moments that it’s hard to feel compelled by the film.

Yet, to some, the best Transporter movie is Transporter 2. Because the director doesn’t hold back, there is a relentless barrage of extravagant action sequences sensationalized to highlight Statham’s screen presence. However, it’s both distracting and overwhelming, and leaves one wishing for a little bit more realism in the writing. Transporter 2 has more potential than it lives up to, because it squanders possible emotional hooks to create a bonanza of explosions, punches, and stunts.

6

The Mechanic (2011)

Directed by Simon West

No one knows why he picked the alias of being a mechanic. It’s not properly explained, it’s still in the тιтle, but it’s entirely beside the point. Because when a cold-blooded Jason Statham uses his special skills to eliminate targets in a an endless adventure of mercenary action, that’s a winning formula for a movie. All The Mechanic needs is a little more attention to character-writing, because beyond all the thrills, there’s not much of a real person that Statham plays in the film. However, The Mechanic is a Jason Statham movie that found Netflix success.

It is particularly disappointing that the film fails to emotionally hook viewers because the premise is based on vengeance. While Statham’s heroics are the selling point of the film, it would have benefited from having Statham play the side character. Since he’s practically a mentor to a man who wants to avenge his father’s death, not only would the other character be a more compelling protagonist, Statham would be cool as the secondary mentor character who still showcases his skills in every scene.

5

The Beekeeper (2024)

Directed by David Ayer

One of the biggest surprise hits of 2024 was David Ayer’s The Beekeeper. It has the same old Jason Statham premise – a man is living quietly as a beekeeper and making honey for the woman who rents him a place to live, but is then forced to reveal his skillset as a killer when the woman is scammed. The pace of the film ramps up unexpectedly and never slows down until the satisfying conclusion.

The Beekeeper is a great example of the formula being executed well. The bond between Statham’s character and the woman is established properly, his shady past is explained, his action scenes, while extensive, aren’t extravagant, and he is still a one-man army. While the action may be restrained, Statham’s character is still larger-than-life, and if one looks beyond the rush of watching an emotionally-charged Jason Statham action thriller, it’s easy to see that there’s still not much substance in The Beekeeper.

4

The Transporter (2002)

Directed by Corey Yuen Kwai and Louis Leterrier

Jason Statham stars in and as The Transporter, one of the best showcases of his appeal as an action star. An endless riot of twists, heavy blows, and stunts, The Transporter follows Statham’s protagonist as he slowly uncovers a dangerous plot that puts his courier in danger. The balance between hard-hitting fight scenes and plot development through detective work is impressive as the film slows down whenever necessary, only to immediately up the ante again.

What stands out in The Transporter, in comparison to Statham’s other action movies of the same kind, is the use of tension as a cinematic narrative device. The elaborate plot takes time to unfold, and even though it’s punctuated by Statham being Statham, just beating up other people while somehow taking severe beatings himself, it’s a compelling watch from start to finish. Unfortunately, the story itself is quite predictable and can even get incoherent at times, but the high-octane thrill somewhat makes up for those flaws.

3

Spy (2015)

Directed by Paul Feig

Jason Statham plays a different kind of action hero in Paul Feig’s Spy, an action-comedy that smartly parodies some of the popular tropes in the genre. Feig’s unique writing involves creating characters that have specific quirks which make them suitable for the plot, but also leave space fo vulnerabilities that they have to overcome. Melissa McCarthy plays the protagonist and delivers one of the most hilarious action-comedy performances in recent history.

However, the showstealer is Jason Statham in his relatively smaller role as a spy, as the тιтle suggests. He apparently cannot be killed by 179 different kinds of poison because he once ingested them all to test his resilience. While it’s hard to tell at times if he’s being serious or comedic, that works perfectly for the film’s tone. However, he can’t back up all his talk and constantly struggles to pull of the unbelievable antics he claims are easy for him. This parody of his most iconic roles leaves you rolling on the floor with laughter.

2

The Bank Job (2008)

Directed by Roger Donaldson

Jason Statham had already developed a habit of saying his movie’s name in the movie with the Transporter trilogy when he appeared in The Bank Job. The latter takes this gag to an unprecedented level, with a line that incorporates the тιтle so forcefully, it feels like intentional parody instead of on-the-nose tomfoolery. In fact, The Bank Job might just be Statham’s best movie with the job in its тιтle, because it’s both self-aware and holds back on the action. It is certainly one of the most rewatchable Jason Statham movies ever made.

Almost like a drama more than a thriller, The Bank Job is a low-stakes heist movie that relies on the characters’ interpersonal drama. The grounded narrative is partly due to the fact that some of the events in the film are based on the true story of the Baker Street robbery. However, it is still a Jason Statham movie, and the third act is chock-full of shenanigans that somehow make sense instead of feeling like a disjoint transition in tone.

1

The Italian Job (2003)

Directed by Gary Gray

Despite sharing its тιтle, again named after the job Jason Statham has in the movie, with the 1969 film of the same name, Gary Gray’s The Italian Job is an homage to the original film, and has a new set of characters and a new plot. It follows a group of thieves, played by an ensemble cast, who plan to rob a double-crossing former ᴀssociate of theirs. A fantastic heist film, it is one of Jason Statham’s best action movies.

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Seth Green, and Donald Sutherland, The Italian Job does an impressive job of distributing screen time and importance among all the characters. The action, while spectacular, feels relatively grounded in reality and is well-spaced out to keep viewers anticipating the next scene. The only downsides are the forced romantic subplot that distracts from the otherwise compelling shenanigans and Edward Norton’s soul patch.