12 Best Jason Statham Movies, Ranked

Ranking any performer's filmography comes with the need for at least some clarification, and that's especially true when it comes to action stars. Are they being ranked on the performance, the amazing action they deliver, or on the quality of the film as a whole? Are all films eligible or just the ones where the performer has a lead role? Does more action automatically land a film higher on the list? Does the person doing the ranking have impeccable taste when it comes to action cinema?

Below you'll find a ranking of Jason Statham movies, and here are the answers to those questions above. The films are ranked on their overall value as action films. We're focusing on Statham's lead roles — otherwise "Spy" would dominate the top spot (and "The Way of the Dragon" would have made our ranked list of the best Chuck Norris films) — whether as a solo or head of an ensemble, a film's quality of action trumps the quantity. And yes, of course my film taste is beyond reproach (according to my mother, at least).

So, without further ado, keep reading for a look at the 12 best Jason Statham movies.

The life of an assassin can be tiring, and Chev Chelios wants out. Too bad for him, then, that he wakes to discover he's been poisoned — and the only thing that can save his life is to keep his adrenaline surging.

Is "Crank" a good movie? I'd argue it's not, but there's no denying that it's arrival in 2006 marked it as something interesting and fairly unique on the action cinema front. Rapid editing, silly plots, and over-the-top antics are no strangers to the genre, but they're brought together here for an action concoction that stands apart from the rest with its bonkers aesthetics and unrelenting energy.

It's all about a character fighting to keep his heart pumping, and Jason Statham is the film's beating heart in the form of a walking cartoon character. His body takes all manner of comical, physical abuses — the sequel ramps things up further bringing him even closer to a human Wile E. Coyote, and a rumored third film would aim for even crazier heights — to the point that it passes absurdity well before the midway point. It's goofy chaos, for better and worse.

When the world is in danger, there's only one secret agent for the job — and his name is Orson Fortune. Of course, this secret agent is only as good as the team around him.

Guy Ritchie's thirteenth film was originally meant to be released in 2022, but various concerns (Covid, worries about portraying Ukrainians as villains) saw it eventually limp onto screens and bomb over a year later. The bigger issue, though, was clearly that abysmal title. Get past that unfortunate choice, and you'll find that "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" is a lightweight but fun, entertaining mix of spy thrills and heist antics set against some beautiful locales.

Jason Statham takes the lead here ensuring we get some of his expected and welcome fisticuffs, and Ritchie knows how to capture those action beats well. The film's biggest strength, though, is the rest of its ensemble, which also includes Aubrey Plaza as a seductive and sarcastic tech-whiz. Still, it's Hugh Grant and Josh Hartnett who'll have you wishing for a spin-off as the bromance between their billionaire criminal (Grant) and Tom Cruise-like movie star (Hartnett) is very, very funny.

Arthur Bishop is an assassin known for two things: completing his assignment and making the murder look like nothing more than an accident. It's a straightforward life, but it hits a curve when his mentor's son comes looking for an education... and revenge.

1972's "The Mechanic" is one of the late Charles Bronson's best films — earning a spot on our list of the best assassin films — delivering thrills, charisma, and the kind of downer ending that only '70s cinema can provide. A remake was never going to reach its highs, but Jason Statham and director Simon West make a solid enough effort here. Our hero (antihero?) pulls off several kills, both elaborate and in the moment, and Statham shines as expected with some grisly brawls.

Just as impressive, though, is Ben Foster playing the mentor's son. Viewers know that Arthur killed the young man's father meaning a face-off is inevitable, and the film plays well with that suspense on its way to a fiery conclusion. Can it touch the Bronson original? Hell no, but it builds its own good time.

They say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, and that's usually for good reason. Nick Wild knows this better than most, but it's a lesson he has to keep learning again and again as the body count grows.

Director Simon West reunites with Jason Statham for another remake — this time a new adaptation of the late but legendary William Goldman's "Heat," which previously hit the screen in the 1980s with Burt Reynolds in the lead — and the result is slightly better than their take on "The Mechanic." True to Goldman's novel and script, "Wild Card" is as much a character drama as it is an action film, as only a handful of fight scenes are spread throughout its running time.

Those fights are good stuff when they come with Statham executing some brutal moves against multiple threats, and they work to inform the character even as blood is slapping the walls. Nick's a broken man, someone who wanted better for himself but just can't stop sinking back into violence and gambling addiction. The story told here, and the characters who cross his path, ultimately offer him a way out, but he doesn't always make the right call with the hand he's been dealt.

Phil Broker is tired of the death and wasted lives he encounters as a DEA agent, so he moves with his young daughter to a small town looking to retire in peace. Unfortunately for him, drug dealers, rednecks, bikers, schoolyard bullies, and a very perturbed man named Gator are standing in his way.

A good man crosses paths with bad guys, and violence erupts — it's a tale as old as time and the basis of many, many action films for a reason. The number one reason? It's just a perfect setup. Jason Statham does good work here with a character who wants to be more subdued, more controlled for is daughter's sake, but the various triggers around him refuse to let that happen.

The end result is a flurry of satisfying encounters, as Phil takes out one thug after the next on his way up the chain. The real joy, though — besides seeing Statham beat the living daylights out of James Franco — is seeing and enjoying the names involved in this production. Franco is well-suited as the bad guy unaware that he's utterly out of his depth, and the film also finds time for Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Frank Grillo, and Clancy Brown. Even more unexpected? "Homefront" was written by Sylvester Stallone.

Terry Leather left the criminal world behind years ago and has been making a living as a car salesman. That old itch comes calling, though, when a beautiful young woman comes to him with a foolproof plan to rob a bank.

While the bulk of Jason Statham's filmography fits comfortably under the action genre, his early work and a handful of others stand apart from the crowd. "The Bank Job" is one of those outliers, both because it's (loosely) based on a true story and because it's a more serious affair. Statham does some of his best acting here with a character who feels more fleshed out and more susceptible to danger, and he works as a terrific anchor for the drama and surrounding characters.

Director Roger Donaldson crafts the limited action scenes well, but the sequences detailing the planning and execution of the heist are every bit as thrilling. There are a lot of moving parts and characters at play here, the probable result of working to satisfy both filmgoers and history buffs, but the pieces all come together to deliver a compelling look into the lengths some people will go to both hide and uncover the truth (in addition to millions of dollars, obviously).

Turkish is a boxing promoter in need of a hit, but the honest road to success continues to be elusive. Getting involved with a violent gangster isn't the ideal solution to the problem, but good luck and smart choices have never really been Turkish's thing anyway.

Guy Ritchie's second film — also Jason Statham's second film — is an ensemble that puts the actor at the head of a raucously inept group of characters. Various groups find themselves caught up in story threads that crisscross their way through London, and the comically violent "Snatch" makes its clear mark as one of the best films "inspired" by the mid-90s success of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction."

Statham shines as the straight man in a sea of fools, killers, and whatever the hell Brad Pitt — who famously pursued Ritchie for a role after seeing the director's previous film, "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels" — is on about as one of the film's Irish Travellers. He may not get the laughs, and he barely gets to flex his muscles, but Turkish is our guide through a criminal underworld where chance, luck, and a little dog's whims can change a man's fate in a matter of seconds. 

Ritchie's gathered a strong supporting cast here with a double shot of charisma and personality coming from the always welcome Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina. Add in Lennie James, Vinnie Jones, Stephen Graham, and more, and you have a compulsively watchable group.

Joey lives on the streets of London, and he gets by on odd jobs and goodwill while trying to forget the trauma he experienced as a special forces soldier. An act of violence lands him with the opportunity for a new life, but that new life brings traumas of its own.

Writer/director Steven Knight's "Hummingbird" (aka "Redemption") is as atypical of a Jason Statham vehicle as you'll find, and it's not hard to see why it misses the mark for most people. Far from the action film fans expected, it's a somber, bleak, and ultimately depressing tale of one man's struggle for redemption in a wholly uninterested and disaffected world. We get very brief moments of physical violence, committed both by and against Joey, but that's as far from the film's focus as Joey is from absolution.

The film takes the rare approach of allowing its protagonist to exist, not just in a morally gray world, but in one where he actively enables a heinous reality. Joey pursues his own vengeance while helping gangsters traffic men, women, and children for all manner of terrible purposes. It's not our forgiveness he's after, though, it's ultimately his own, and by the time the end credits roll we're left without catharsis and leery about hope. Like I said, it's an atypical ride.

Patrick Hill is a newly hired security guard at a Los Angeles armored truck company, but while he seems like an unassuming guy, he's actually holding in a secret that's about to explode. He's on the hunt, and he's prepared to leave the earth scorched in his rearview mirror.

While the plot and structure behind Guy Ritchie's fourth collaboration with Jason Statham is maybe a bit convoluted, the end result is a thrilling, action-heavy feature that lets its star cut loose with abandon. It's a packed cast featuring the likes of Holt McCallany, Josh Hartnett, Scott Eastwood, Eddie Marsan, Andy Garcia, and Post Malone, but Statham rules the roost as the man of mystery and mayhem leaving everyone else on edge all the way to its bloody conclusion.

There's an argument to be made that the film's structure — its five chapters jump back and forth time-wise — is an unnecessary choice, but it works well enough to tease the question as to Patrick's motives. Once that's answered, though, we get to sit back and enjoy a grimly determined Statham beat, manipulate, and shoot his way to a final revenge. "Wrath of Man" is easily the darkest and meanest collaboration between Ritchie and Statham, and while it only lands in the middle of our Ritchie film ranking, we're still hoping they have more in the chamber down the road.

Most of us send packages through the mail, but if you have the means — and if you're sending something very, very special — you can hire Frank Martin to transport your goods, no questions asked. Well, unless those goods are a sassy young woman tied up and gagged in a bag.

Don't quote me on this, but Jason Statham might just be the action star with the most franchises under his belt — "The Transporter," "Crank," "The Expendables," "The Mechanic," "Fast and Furious" and "The Meg" — and it's this, his first, that remains his best (at least until we get a sequel to our number one pick below). Statham trained as a martial artist, and while many of his films take advantage of that, it's here where his skills shine brightest as evidenced by its inclusion on our list of the most underrated martial arts movies.

Credit director/action choreographer Corey Yuen for infusing this European thrill-ride with Hong Kong-style kinetics, creativity, and enthusiasm. It's a cheesy ride too, thanks to its score and trifle of a romance between Frank and Shu Qi's Lai, but the action is a celebration of ingenuity and fun. One scene sees Frank facing off against several thugs at once in a garage, so he strips down, pours oil over his body, and proceeds to slip and slide his way in and out of harm's way as he dispatches one bad guy after the last. It's action that brings a big smile to your face.

Luke Wright is an ex-cop, ex-MMA fighter who now lives on the streets of New York City haunted by loss. A chance encounter with a little girl named Mei gives him new purpose, and every bad man in the city is about to find out what that is.

If any title or placement on this list gets grief, I expect it to be this one. Boaz Yakin's "Safe" is far from beloved and seemingly forgotten by many, but the damn thing just cooks as both an action film and a Jason Statham movie. He once again plays a skilled fighter with a tragic past, and the use of a little girl in danger is the easiest of manipulations, but it all just works as Luke crosses paths with corrupt cops, Russian gangsters, and Chinese Triads and then decimates every single one of them.

The fight scenes are numerous and highly entertaining, and they're also choreographed by future "John Wick" director Chad Stahelski, so you know they're going to be as exciting and electrifying as they are creatively crafted. It's a simple story here, one that grows increasingly ridiculous, but the surprisingly high body count delivers one cathartic thrill after the last while also finding time for some sweet moments between Luke and the orphan girl. Add in a title with dual meanings, and this action-loving, justice-craving, creative writing major is smiling even brighter.

Not everyone who keeps bees can be a Beekeeper, and not every Beekeeper actually keeps bees. What? It doesn't matter. Listen as the buzzing of one man's fury approaches and portends your doom.

Chalk it up to recency bias if you must, but it's hard to deny that Jason Statham's latest film (as of this writing) is also the best Jason Statham film. David Ayer's "The Beekeeper" starts in grounded territory — Statham is Adam Clay, an ex-government agent living a quiet life who hits the road seeking revenge after his nice landlady is driven to suicide by scammers who steal her life savings — but it quickly erupts into pure lunacy as Adam's backstory and current predicament come clear. I won't ruin it here, but suffice to say, the script sticks to its bee metaphor like it's a honey-drenched bone, and it is glorious.

Ayer has the chops for crafting action beats big and small, from fights and explosions to sieges and one-off kills, and Statham is still more than capable when it comes to unleashing beatdowns left, right, and center. Action films typically trade in catharsis when it comes to featuring villains the audience wants to see defeated, and that's especially the case here, as everyone from phone scammers to corrupt politicians and spoiled trust fund babies get stung by Statham. It's violently entertaining, gleefully ridiculous, and immensely satisfying all the way through to its definitive ending.