Lock & Stock (1998)
With this film, and by the hand of Guy Ritchie, our birthday boy made his debut in the world of cinema. He still did not show his stuntman and professional fighting skills, but his interpretation already stood out.
His character in this film is that of Bacon, who, together with his friends Tom (Jason Flemyng), Soap (Dexter Fletcher), and Eddy (Nick Moran), has gotten into financial trouble by betting a large amount on poker against Harry "The Axe" (P.H. Moriarty). The film is a detective film that had great reviews and spectacular audience reception and went on to become a cult film. Highly recommended to those who have not seen it.
Snatch: Pigs and Diamonds (2000)
Jason Statham's professional career in the world of cinema continues hand in hand with Guy Ritchie and, two years after his start in the world, he takes part in the director's new film. The plot of this film is quite similar to that of 1998, as it deals with a group of characters who get into a mess and have to get out of it, while life is getting more and more complicated. This time it is not about an amount of money, but about a stolen diamond. Jason plays El Turco, a kind of manager of underground street fighting boxers. Along with his partner Tommy (Stephen Graham) they play Mickey O'Neil (Brad Pitt), a boy from a gypsy family who has self-control issues but is capable of knocking himself out. anyone with a single punch. Trouble comes when Mickey refuses to back down and gets his two representatives in trouble. Another work of art, not to be missed, in which our actor of the day participates.
The only one (2001)
Finally, with this film, we get a glimpse of the martial arts skills that Jason Statham has and for which he has become famous. Hand in hand with James Wong, he begins to do what he is best at, although it is still a long way from being the highlight of his characters. Here he plays agent Evan Funsch, who together with agent Harry Roedecker (Delroy Lindo), pursues the dangerous criminal Gabriel Yulaw (Jet Li), who has been killing his alternate selves from different universes to keep his abilities. Jason's role isn't one of the best he's ever had, and the only thing that matters is the little martial arts demonstration he does near the end of the movie, but it's not even 10% of what he's capable of. He notes that he is overshadowed by Jet Li's skills.
Transporter (2002)
Louis Leterrier and Corey Yuen had to arrive to make a movie where Jason Statham shows all his excellence and abilities in his prime. It was the first film in which the actor is the full protagonist and the first in which you can appreciate how well he can fight and the beatings he gives to his enemies. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a "transporter", that is, a man who works taking people or objects from one point to another (like a taxi driver, but for dangerous people). Life with this job is going pretty well for him until he breaks one of his three rules: don't look at what's in the package. When he looks he finds Lai (Qui Shu) bound hand and foot. When he delivers "the package" and they give him a new one, that package causes his car to explode. All these facts make Frank decide to go to take revenge and rescue Lai. A non-stop action movie, with incredible fights, exceptional skills on the part of Statham, and a reception, by audiences and critics, so good that it is the first of a trilogy. Let's remember that after this came 'Transporter 2' (Louis Leterrier, 2005) and 'Transporter 3' (Olivier Megaton, 2008).
Crank: Poison in the Blood (2006)
This action movie and black humor are, for me, Jason Statham's best. A work of art due to its style and dynamism, where the adrenaline does not drop (pun intended) at any time and you enjoy each and every one of the scenes. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor directed a thug movie full of insults, drugs, violence, and S- that I would never get tired of watching. Chev (Jason Statham) wakes up groggy without knowing why until he watches a DVD, when he puts it in a player, discovers that his enemy Verona (Jose Pablo Cantillo) has drugged him. In an hour he's going to die unless I do things that increase his adrenaline so that the drug slows down inside his body so he can get to the antidote. Scenes as funny as S- in the middle of the street, putting on a defibrillator, or snorting cocaine without any rush, all to get a high level of adrenaline, make this film an action comedy worth watching. It was liked so much that a few years later the same directors released its second part: 'Crank: High Voltage' (2009).
