Jason Statham has built a career as one of the most dependable action stars of the modern era, bringing a unique mix of physicality and charisma to every role. Over the past decade, he’s continued to evolve, balancing high-octane blockbusters with more grounded, character-driven action thrillers. With a constant output of films, Statham is one of the most consistent action stars working today. His best films of the last ten years showcase not just his martial arts skills and stunt work but also his ability to create films that best utilize his strengths. He’s returning to the screen this year to bring justice in his new film with David Ayer, A Working Man.
This article ranks Statham’s top movies from the past decade, from his strongest performances to his more uneven efforts. Some, like Wrath of Man and Furious 7, demonstrate his ability to thrive in both stylish thrillers and massive franchise blockbusters. The Beekeeper confirms that he’s able to connect with audiences and create new action classics centering on his character. While not every film has been a critical or commercial hit, they all prove that Statham remains one of the most reliable and entertaining action stars working today.
10
‘Fast X’ (2023)
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Fast X sees the family facing the eccentric Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), who has a grudge against the Dominic Toretto crew for ruining his life with their previous heist in Rio de Janeiro. The crew is tested as Reyes breaks them up methodically with his meticulous plan. Han (Sung Kang), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Ludacris) turn to Deckard Shaw (Statham) for help. What’s interesting is that this is the first time Deckard meets Han after his attempted murder in Tokyo a few years back.
The film is the tenth in the highly lucrative Fast and Furious franchise, so it’s quite understandable that the series is reaching for new plots at this point. The film clearly struggles under the weight of an increasingly convoluted storyline and also the burden of being the first part of a bigger story. Statham’s return as Shaw is a highlight, but his role is more of a side quest than a major plot driver. Statham still gets to show off some fighting skills with Sung Kang, but it seems that his bigger role is reserved for the sequel. On top of Momoa’s scene-stealing performance, Fast X still delivers a lot of thrills and excitement, and that’s reason enough for fans to keep coming back.
Fast X
- Release Date
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May 19, 2023
9
‘Mechanic: Resurrection’ (2016)
Directed by Dennis Gansel
In Mechanic: Resurrection, Statham returns as Arthur Bishop, a skilled assassin who faked his death to escape his past. When his lover Gina (Jessica Alba) is kidnapped by an arms dealer, Bishop is forced to do three nearly impossible assasination in different countries—Thailand, Australia and Bulgaria. He deploys his usual skills, which is making his kills look like accidents. Nevertheless, the mission’s difficulty threatens him to succeed on time and rescue Gina.
With a larger scope, Mechanic: Resurrection fails to recapture the grounded tension of its predecessor. The film leans heavily on over-the-top stunts, some of which push the limits of believability, including Bishop’s underwater escape and a daring assassination from a glass-bottomed swimming pool. Statham, as always, remains the film’s strongest draw, delivering his tough-guy persona with excellent fights. However, the script’s lack of depth and weak supporting characters limit this film’s potential. While it’s far from his best work, Mechanic: Resurrection is still an entertaining watch and the closest Statham will ever be to a James Bond movie.
8
‘The Meg’ (2018)
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
The Meg sees a group of scientists exploring the Mariana Trench who accidentally unleash a prehistoric predator, the megalodon, a gigantic shark thought to be extinct. Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver with a traumatic past encounter with a similar, mysterious deep sea creature. With his experience, he is called in to save the crew and prevent the creature from wreaking havoc. As the Meg goes for destruction across the Pacific, Jonas must confront his fears and take down his old enemy.
As a throwback to giant shark movies of the late ’90s, The Meg delivers on its promise of giant shark mayhem without ever committing to either B-movie absurdity or serious deep-sea horror. As the hero, Statham is the film’s highlight, bringing the right balance of toughness and charm as he leads the large ensemble cast. His action sequences taking on the prehistoric shark are exhilarating, fun, and ridiculous at the same time, making them the perfect entertainment. Despite its mixed reception, The Meg found an audience that embraced its over-the-top premise, leading to a successful sequel, The Meg 2: The Trench.
7
‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’ (2019)
Directed by David Leitch
In Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson take center stage in the franchise’s first spinoff as the unlikely enemies-turned-partners duo, Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw. Their mission is to track down a deadly virus that could wipe out humanity. Their enemy, Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), is a cybernetically enhanced super-soldier who’s practically an evil Superman. The duo must also protect Shaw’s sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), as she holds the key to stopping the virus.
Leaving the Toretto family behind, the spinoff still maintains the Fast franchise’s physics-defying stunts that make it more akin to a superhero film than a racing car film. Despite previously being mortal enemies, both Statham and Johnson also get to flex their comedic muscles as their characters learn to like each other during the mission. The film’s action sequences are also thrilling, with the fight scenes involving the two buff actors complementing each other’s styles. The spinoff never reaches the excitement of the main franchise, but the David Leitch-directed film is still a thrilling and occasionally funny affair.
Hobbs & Shaw
- Release Date
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August 1, 2019
- Runtime
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120 minutes
6
‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ (2023)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
In Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Jason Statham stars as Orson Fortune, who leads a team tasked with recovering stolen technology before it falls into the hands of billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmons (Hugh Grant). He assembles a team of skilled operatives, including Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and J.J. (Bugzy Malone), and also a Hollywood star, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett). The mission brings them to Turkey, where they have to intercept the technology as it goes on sale.
While the heist thriller has all the hallmarks of a Guy Ritchie action-comedy, like snappy dialogue and stylish visuals, it never quite reaches the heights of his best work. Statham delivers his usual brand of tough-guy charm, but the film plays it a bit too safe. The exciting ensemble, led by Statham, is a highlight, with Plaza and Grant stealing scenes and Hartnett adding more films to his exciting mainstream return. As usual with Ritchie’s films, the action is well-executed, but the convoluted plot prevents it from being truly memorable. All in all, Operation Fortune feels like a dry run for Ritchie’s next film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Nevertheless, it’s a treat to see Statham leaning more into dramatic roles rather than his usual full-action roles.
5
‘The Fate of the Furious’ (2018)
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Image via Universal Pictures
The Fate of the Furious sees the family breaking up as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) turns bad because he’s blackmailed by cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron). The threat is so considerable that even the family’s biggest enemy to date, Deckard Shaw (Statham), must join the crew to bring some sense to the makeshift family’s leader. Shaw has to break out of a high-security prison, together with Hobbs (Johnson). A full family affair, Shaw ropes in his mother, Queenie (Helen Mirren), to ensure the mission’s success.
In an ensemble action flick like the Fast & Furious franchise, every character has their moment to shine. But here, Statham is practically the film’s MVP, starring in the two most exciting sequences. His prison break with Johnson’s Hobbs practically greenlit their spinoff because of their intense and fun chemistry. Statham also gets a standout action sequence when he rescues Toretto’s baby onboard an airplane, proving his knack for mixing action with humor. The Fate of the Furious doesn’t quite hit the highs of its predecessor, Furious 7, simply because the bar was so high. Still, the film made over a billion dollars worldwide, proving that audiences love to see the family in action no matter what.
4
‘The Beekeeper’ (2024)
Directed by David Ayer
The Beekeeper follows Adam Clay (Statham), a seemingly quiet beekeeper living a simple life, until a close friend falls victim to a devastating phishing scam that leads to her suicide. But Clay is not what he initially seems; he is a former operative of a clandestine organization dedicated to eradicating crime known as The Beekeepers. His personal vendetta soon escalates into a full-blown war against a network of criminals and high-ranking corrupt government officials.
This film is tailor-made for Statham, delivering the no-nonsense, bone-crunching action that his fans have come to expect. His character is a man of few words, but his action sequences are brutal and exciting. Directed by David Ayer, The Beekeeper thrives on its slick fight choreography and a bonkers third-act reveal, making it highly rewatchable. The film may be generic, but it’s one of Statham’s biggest hits to date. It also amassed a lot of fans and has spawned a sequel directed by Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us), soon to be released. With a few franchises under his belt, Statham successfully created a new one for the near future.
3
‘Spy’ (2015)
Directed by Paul Feig
Paul Feig‘s Spy follows Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy), a desk-bound CIA analyst who finally gets her chance to go into the field after the identities of top agents are compromised. On her mission to stop a deadly arms dealer (Rose Byrne), she encounters an overconfident yet completely ridiculous rogue agent, Rick Ford (Statham), whose exaggerated war stories and reckless bravado make him as much of a liability as he is a help.
While Spy is McCarthy’s show, Statham steals every scene he’s in, playing completely against type in one of his most unexpectedly hilarious performances. Known for his stoic, badass action roles, he turns that same intensity into comedy gold, which makes him more similar to Johnny English than his iconic Frank Martin of the Transporter movies. His chemistry with McCarthy is a highlight, as Ford’s misguided arrogance clashes with Susan’s underestimated competence. The success of his role proves that Statham needs to star in more comedic roles because he’s so good at it.
2
‘Furious 7’ (2015)
Directed by James Wan
Furious 7 pits Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew against their most dangerous enemy yet: Deckard Shaw (Statham), a former black-ops assassin seeking revenge for his comatose brother, Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Shaw has been the mastermind of most of the crew’s missions, and they need to acquire advanced surveillance tech to locate him. The team has to adopt new members of the family, outrun a dangerous mercenary, and even skydive with their cars to finish their most intense mission to date.
Statham’s introduction to the franchise as the villain instantly raises the stakes. His first major scene sees him incapacitate Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs, making the hulking agent unable to join the family’s mission. The film even accommodated Statham’s strengths, making the final fight with Diesel’s Toretto much more raw than just car chases. Furious 7 is also the entry where audiences bid farewell to Paul Walker and his character. The film is both exhilarating and heartbreaking, making it an emotional journey and an action blockbuster. Furious 7 connected with audiences everywhere, and it’s currently the highest-grossing entry in the Fast franchise.
1
‘Wrath of Man’ (2021)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham reunite 16 years after their last film together. Wrath of Man follows the mysterious H (Statham), a newly hired security guard for an armored cash truck company in Los Angeles. At first, H seems like an ordinary worker, but when his team is ambushed, he displays deadly precision and combat skills, hinting he’s more than meets the eye. It turns out that H is actually a crime boss on a revenge mission to hunt down the men responsible for his son’s death.
Statham delivers one of his most brooding and intense performances in Wrath of Man. Staying true to the film’s title, his character is a force of nature, driven purely by rage. Statham’s action chops are on full display, but it’s his restrained, simmering performance that sets this film apart from his usual roles. Guy Ritchie opted for a different tone closer to a dark gangster thriller, making this much more serious than his usual action-comedy films. The nonlinear storyline makes this film exciting to follow and also surprising, especially on the first watch. Wrath of Man stands out as one of Statham’s most gripping and intense films of the last decade.
