The Beekeeper and the best Jason Statham movies to watch

Over the last two decades, Jason Statham has built his reputation as one of the biggest action stars in the world. The tough Englishman is totally believable as a brawling guy yet has a nice sense of humor that lends itself well to scores of great action movies.

True, not all of Statham’s films are good with a few pretty bad and barely above “direct to streaming” fare. Yet he has more successes than other action stars and is often part of some mega-hit franchises and blockbusters. As his new film The Beekeeper is ready to release, here’s a look at the best Jason Statham movies to check out and a reminder of the power he brings to the screen. 

The Beekeeper

Statham’s latest movie is right up his alley. He plays a seemingly simple beekeeper who befriends an elderly lady (Phylicia Rashad). When she loses her savings in a phishing scam and takes her life, Statham seeks payback on the company responsible.

It turns out he’s really an elite agent for a secret organization who “corrects” these things and the movie promises the sort of crazy action that Statham has specialized in over his long career. 

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Statham’s film debut in Guy Ritchie’s beloved crime caper shows his great talents. He’s one of a pack of low-level crooks who try to pull a heist on a bigger gang only for it to go wildly sideways. 

Staham showed the same dynamic for his future career, a bruising hulk in fights but some light humor as well. The film’s success paved the way for Statham in Hollywood and how he had the movie world in his hands from his first role. 

Snatch

Ritchie’s follow-up was Statham’s first starring role as a boxing promoter who finds himself caught in some criminal entanglements. The plot can be as hard to decipher as Brad Pitt’s bizarre accent, but Ritchie’s style pulls you in.

Statham is good as this bruiser who’d much rather fight his way out of a situation than rely on his wits. With a great supporting cast, including Vinnie Jones and Benicio Del Toro, this is a delightful movie that only Ritchie could deliver. 

The Transporter

The film that made Statham a star, he plays a driver for anything from getaways to courier jobs and keeps to a strict code. He ends up breaking it when he discovers his latest “package” is a young woman being held captive. When his employers then try to kill him, Statham is out for blood.

The action is spectacular, from Statham’s brawls to the thrilling car chases. The two sequels built on it, as this is the film that established Statham as a modern action star like no other. 

Crank

The plot of this movie is utterly insane. Statham is a hitman double-crossed by a boss and poisoned. The only way to counteract it is to keep his adrenaline going. Cue Statham doing everything from running to electrocuting himself while hunting the guys who did this. 

Amy Smart is his girlfriend, who has a wild scene with Statham, as the action scenes are meant to be high-powered. It never lets up from start to finish and a role only Statham could pull off. 

The Italian Job

A remake of an already classic crime caper has Statham amid a great supporting cast of Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Seth Green and others. When a band of crooks are betrayed by one of their own (Edward Norton), they seek payback by robbing him. 

Statham uses his Transporter skills well in the role, with some terrific chase scenes using just about every vehicle imaginable. While he’s not as big a role here as in others, Statham still shines in this terrific racing crime thriller. 

The Expendables

For action movie fans, this is nirvana. Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews are mercenaries taking on various jobs. The movie pushes the action with Sataham, in particular, showing his great knife skills in fights.

The sequels throw in even more names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jean Claude Van Damme and more. Statham took the lead for the recent fourth movie as this action film dream team series is a must-watch.

The Mechanic

This remake of a 1972 film stars Statham as a hitman who specializes in making his kills look like accidents (like arranging for a guy’s skyscraper patio pool to break). He starts to train a young man in the ways of the business, only for some personal entanglements to cause issues.

It’s a good piece with some terrific action and intriguing twists. The sequel ups the ante as Statham has to take on multiple targets and the inventive kills highlight this underrated series. 

Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw

While Staham’s role in the main Fast & Furious films was good, he really shines in this spin-off where Deckard Shaw is forced to team up with Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs to stop Idris Elba’s super-soldier from spreading a deadly virus. 

Vanessa Kirby is a standout as Shaw’s sister, but the true joy is watching Statham and Johnson clashing from verbal banter to some wild fight scenes. It changed the character into a hero and made a nice shift in the buddy-cop formula. 

Spy

This terrific sendup of the spy genre has Statham in a standout role. The main focus is on Melissa McCarthy as a techie who finally gets her chance to be a secret agent, getting closer to Rose Byrne’s would-be big baddie.

Statham beautifully sends up his own action-hero image, as it’s obvious his agent is nowhere near as competent or awesome as he believes he is. His claims of surviving impossible situations are as hilarious as his pitiful attempts at disguises, and Statham clearly has a ball playing up his own standing in the action hero world. 

The Meg

While ravaged by critics, this movie became a big enough box office hit to spawn a sequel. Statham is the sole survivor of a wrecked submarine, no one believing his claims it was by a monstrous super shark. Years later, he takes part in an expedition when the creature attacks again.

Statham handles the outlandish stunts and story, somehow believably punching out sharks and outracing these beasts. The sequel upped the ante with wilder action and makes these movies fun guilty pleasures thanks to Statham’s performance. 

Wrath of Man

Statham and Guy Ritchie reunited for this underrated 2021 heist thriller. Statham is a new security guard for armored trucks who seems to hold a secret. He’s really trying to figure out who killed his brother in a robbery and thinks some of the guards are involved.

The plot jumps around the timeline with several twists that keep you guessing, but Statham is great, showing his cold drive and methodical thinking. It’s a good turn by him and nice to see a full circle in his career working with Ritchie once more. 

The Beekeeper premieres in theaters Friday, Jan. 12.