Jason Statham possesses a captivating charm, impressive physique, and audience appeal that makes him suitable for not just action films, but entire action series. While not all his ventures have been successful, such as “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” or the original “The Italian Job” (which surprisingly never had a sequel), his star power often ensures their success more than not. Below is a list of every franchise that Jason Statham has contributed to, either as the main character, a supporting actor, or a character who eventually became the lead. Some of these series are still ongoing, others have concluded, and some seem to be in a state of pause.
By rephrasing, I aimed to maintain the original meaning while making it more engaging and easy to understand for a broader audience.
As a keen follower and fan, I’m thrilled to share that with potential additions on the horizon, this list could grow even more exciting! You see, “The Beekeeper” is getting a follow-up, and it appears that “A Working Man” was carefully crafted to lay the groundwork for further adventures. However, it’s important to note that for a franchise to qualify, Statham should be featured in more than one installment. Unfortunately, while “Death Race” has seen direct-to-video sequels sans Statham, it doesn’t meet this criteria.
6) The Mechanic
The film “The Mechanic,” starring Statham, is often overlooked but was a significant early role for him. Unfortunately, the sequel, titled “Mechanic: Resurrection,” didn’t do much to boost the franchise’s reputation as it failed to gain recognition. However, despite being forgettable overall and offering only one impressive action sequence (the scene involving a skyscraper pool), the movie performed well internationally, earning triple its initial $40-million budget.
Both movies aren’t particularly entertaining, but they differ in their reasons. The first movie leans more towards a contemplative narrative with some action scenes interspersed throughout – it primarily focuses on a mentor-mentee relationship. On the other hand, the second film lacks substantial thought-provoking content and presents such a stark tonal shift from its predecessor that The Mechanic franchise feels almost unrecognizable in it.
This version maintains the original’s meaning while making it more accessible for readers by using simple language and clarifying any ambiguous points.
Stream The Mechanic on Kanopy and Mechanic: Resurrection on HBO Max.
5) Crank
The Crank film series showcases why Jason Statham might be unrivaled as the top action movie star ever. These films are excessively intense and rarely adhere to political correctness. The main character, Chev Chelios, doesn’t make these movies any more appealing for those who haven’t already embraced their unique, high-octane style. Despite his unlikable nature, we find ourselves rooting for Chelios. We don’t want him to perish, even though he commits reprehensible acts and has likely engaged in far worse deeds in the past.
Is it accurate to say that the Crank films aren’t considered high-brow art? That’s correct. The film Crank: High Voltage intensifies the questionable aspects of the initial movie to such an extent that even audiences who typically don’t find movies offensive might be taken aback. However, these films serve as a testament to Jason Statham’s ability to single-handedly carry a franchise, following his impressive performances in The Transporter and Transporter 2.
Stream Crank and Crank: High Voltage with a MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel subscription.
4) The Expendables
According to the rankings, The Expendables outperformed both The Mechanic and Crank primarily due to the strong performance of its initial two films. However, it fell behind the other three titles mainly due to the less impressive showing of its last two movies.
In 2010, “The Expendables” was quite a significant event for action movie enthusiasts. This was the sole installment of the series that managed to gross over $100 million at the U.S. box office, a feat that was scarcely achievable for a straightforward action film back then (and remains challenging today). While superhero films could achieve such numbers, it wasn’t necessarily a guaranteed success for an old-school style action movie with plenty of gunfire.
Currently, the idea of assembling Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in a single film brings about an “is that all?” response. However, when it was initially proposed, it was truly exhilarating.
Despite everything, “The Expendables 2” demonstrated the franchise operating at its zenith. There were still some goofy lines, but they fit the tone just right. It also welcomed Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme to the action (alongside Schwarzenegger and Willis joining the fray). While each actor delivers top-notch performances, it’s Van Damme who steals the show with his captivating and genuinely imposing portrayal of the amusingly named villain Vilain.
In simpler terms, if the success of “The Expendables 2” can be compared to an inflated balloon, then “The Expendables 3” would be like a pin that deflates it dramatically. While “The Expendables 2” saw a slight dip in domestic earnings but recovered internationally, “The Expendables 3” saw a significant decline overall.
To put it simply, the third movie in the series earned less than half of what “The Expendables 2” made domestically. This is ironic because they seemed to prioritize a PG-13 rating to attract more viewers. However, this strategy backfired as they may have alienated fans from the first two movies and those unfamiliar with the ’80s action stars featured in it. The decision to tone down “The Expendables 3” remains one of the more puzzling choices made by studios.
When The Expendables 4 was released, it seemed to have missed its mark. Audiences who had been fans of the series were already disillusioned by the mildness of the previous installment, and steered clear of it as they would a contagious disease. Sadly, its poor reviews didn’t do much to entice them back. Indeed, those reviews accurately described The Expendables 4 as a film easily forgotten, while Expendables 4 was nothing short of chaos. It was unfortunate that this movie saw Jason Statham stepping up from second-billed to first-billed (a shift originally held by Sylvester Stallone), a move that symbolizes the acceptance among the biggest action stars of the ’80s and ’90s, who now view Statham as their successor in the genre.
Watch “The Expendables”, “The Expendables 2”, and “The Expendables 3” on Peacock, and catch “Expendables 4” on Starz.
3) The Meg
The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench make up a pair of exciting, late-summer films that could have struggled, much like Expendables 3, due to their PG-13 ratings. Remarkably, they hold together reasonably well throughout their narratives.
In a somewhat unusual twist, a bloodless shark film might seem out of place, but considering it as a giant monster (kaiju) movie fits the narrative well. The choice for a PG-13 rating becomes more understandable compared to The Expendables. Traditionally, monster movies haven’t been consistent money-makers at the box office since 1997’s Anaconda and similar films. Even then, they were more hit or miss. Given that this is a shark movie with a budget exceeding $178 million, it logically couldn’t have an R rating.
The Trench” didn’t quite match its predecessor’s earnings with a total of $397.8 million, it still generated enough revenue to pave the way for a third installment in the series.
Although there’s not much indication of a third movie yet, which is regrettable as even though the second sequel got poorer reviews compared to the original, it still offers plenty of thrilling monster movie action. Its storyline may be less organized than The Meg, but it’s far from a bad film. Just like in the first film, it once again showcases Statham’s unique ability to make us believe his character can battle a Megalodon and emerge victorious, leaving the Megalodon to retreat with its injuries.
Stream The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench on HBO Max.
2) Fast & Furious
Jason Statham’s character Deckard Shaw significantly altered the course of the Fast & Furious series multiple times in various ways. Until the sixth installment, there wasn’t an overarching main antagonist within the franchise. Even then, his existence wasn’t revealed until the film’s closing moments. However, during those final moments, when Statham is unveiled as this powerful villain, we find it plausible that he could pose a formidable threat to a family of high-octane car enthusiasts.
Following his first major appearance in “Furious 7,” Statham’s character significantly influenced the franchise by essentially joining the family as a permanent member. Despite portraying a straightforward villain, audiences grew fond of Deckard, making it feel incomplete for the series if Statham were to join and then depart like previous villains. Over time, the character has evolved into something of an anti-hero, which fits perfectly with the storyline.
Watch “Fast & Furious 6” on truTV, “Furious 7” on fuboTV, “F9” for free (with ads) on Prime Video, “Fast X” on Starz, and rent “The Fate of the Furious” and “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” on Amazon’s video streaming platform.
1) The Transporter
In simpler terms, “The Transporter” wasn’t just one of Jason Statham’s top action movies; it was his breakthrough role that marked a significant milestone in his acting career. Before the 2002 film, Statham had primarily appeared in supporting roles. This included his appearances in Guy Ritchie’s films “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, John Carpenter’s “Ghosts of Mars”, and “The One”. With “The Transporter”, the film industry put him to the test as a leading man, and he more than delivered.
The movie “The Transporter” showcases two facets of Statham’s talent: his exceptional combat skills and his acting abilities. Firstly, the film features impressive fight sequences that are not only expertly choreographed but also convincingly executed, making it believable that he could emerge victorious in a battle against five opponents. Secondly, his scenes with Shu Qi’s character, Lai Kwai, demonstrate his versatility as an actor, a trait that not all of his action-star contemporaries from the past possess. Although “Transporter 2” and “Transporter 3” may not be as strong, they still highlight these significant strengths. It is also rumored that his brief appearance in “Collateral,” released between the first two films, represents a continuation of his character Frank Martin.
Stream The Transporter and Transporter 2 on Hulu and rent Transporter 3 on Amazon Video.
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2025-08-19 23:18