Jason Statham’s reputation as an action hero largely precedes him, with the actor having appeared in numerous successful franchises and memorable standalone movies. Statham has carved a specific niche for himself that has seen his career blossom, with the actor becoming one of Hollywood’s most reliable action stars over the years. The British actor’s distinctive voice and appearance has only bolstered his appeal, and has helped him to earn a place among some of the most recognizable action movie stars in Hollywood. But for all his success, Jason Statham has also appeared in a number of movies that proved to be far less memorable than his reputation otherwise suggests.
There have been many wild Jason Statham action movies, though not all of them have been able to achieve the heights of success that his most prominent roles have reached. In fact, there are several poorly-received movies in the actor’s back catalogue, but that isn’t to say that all of those movies – forgotten or dismissed though they may have been – aren’t worth watching. In reality, there are multiple movies starring Jason Statham that remain severely underrated, and ultimately deserve a little more attention.
3. Safe (2012)
2012 saw the release of Safe, a Statham-led action thriller with an impressive supporting cast. Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount, James Hong, and Reggie Lee all appear alongside Statham, who plays a former NYPD cop turned government assassin who finds himself protecting a mathematically gifted child while attempting to exact revenge upon his wife’s killers. Though Safe received incredibly mixed reviews, many critics notably offered significant praise even among their varied criticisms. To that end, Safe is undeniably an underrated and overlooked Jason Statham movie.
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Safe‘s plot is classic action thriller fare, boasting a seemingly complex plot that actually amounts to a relatively simple and easy to follow story. Much of its entertainment value lies in Statham’s deceptively nuanced performance, which is heavily masked by innovative and enjoyable action sequences. Some have come to consider Safe as something of a precursor to the John Wick franchise, with its action scenes employing a similar gun-fu style two years prior to Wick’s big-screen debut. Though it’s far from a perfect movie, 2012’s Safe remains one of Statham’s most criminally overlooked efforts more than a decade after its release.
2. The Bank Job (2008)
Though The Bank Job might not be one of Jason Statham’s best action movies, it’s still one of the actor’s most underrated films. The 2008 movie tells the true story of the 1971 Baker Street robbery, albeit with a number of fictional elements introduced into its narrative. Statham leads The Bank Job‘s cast as Terry Leather, who heads up a heist to retrieve compromising photos of a member of the British royal family from a bank vault. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, The Bank Job remains one of Statham’s most overlooked movies.
Though it doesn’t precisely fit into the well-known action niche of Statham’s most successful roles, The Bank Job is a movie that deserves more attention. The movie is a tense and exhilarating affair, comprising aspects of all the best heist movies with political elements and enough truth to add another layer of fascination to its plot. It may be a little different from many of the other movies that have populated Statham’s career, perhaps further explaining just why it’s so often overlooked when considering his best work.
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1. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023)
2023’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre was one of Statham’s more publicized outings of recent years, though this unfortunately did not translate to overall success. Statham stars as Orson Fortune, a spy tasked with retrieving a high-tech device from an arms dealer. Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, and Cary Elwes all appear alongside Statham, making Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre‘s cast a star-studded affair. Unfortunately, box office failure and an underwhelming critical response did nothing to help the movie’s reputation.
Regardless, Operation Fortune is an incredibly enjoyable movie. Its action and high-stakes story is offset by considerable moments of comedy, making it a thoroughly entertaining watch throughout. A light and unchallenging spy caper, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre might not be one of Jason Statham’s best movies, but it’s certainly one of his most underrated.
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