5 Criminally Overlooked Jason Statham Films Worth a Rewatch

Jason Statham’s become a bit of a household name when it comes to action films—he’s churned out more than 50 at this point, whether he’s bashing up villains bare-handed or steering some over-the-top heist. Yet, lurking beneath the explosions and slow-motion scowls is a stash of Statham films barely anyone talks about. They bombed at the box office, never turned heads come awards season, and, frankly, if you ask the average pub goer, they probably haven’t even heard of them.

I’ve recently gone back and rewatched the lot of these so-called “duds”, mostly out of professional curiosity and, I’ll admit, a bit of nostalgia for early Statham weirdness. Shockingly, a few are actually pretty decent—even the ones I absolutely slated on release. Here’s a rundown of five Jason Statham films you may have skipped, and whether they’re dodgy misfires or genuinely worth a punt on a grey Sunday afternoon.

5. Turn It Up (2000)

There aren’t many Statham films where he’s not knocking someone’s teeth out every ten minutes, but Turn It Up manages this rare feat. Here, Statham plays a British crime boss but, rather than being the centre of chaos, he’s sparring with a young Black musician who’s aiming for stardom. The film actually tries to dig into themes like grief, struggling to parent under pressure, and the chaos that comes from hustling in the music business. Ja Rule and Faith Evans round out the cast, both surprisingly decent on screen.

• Director: Robert Adetuyi
• Box Office: $1.2 million
• Runtime: 86 minutes

If you’re tired of Statham’s usual brand of mayhem, this is a refreshing, low-key turn. That said, don’t expect leading man fireworks—the part could have been played by almost anyone, and the script is so by-the-numbers it’s essentially Google Maps for clichés.

4. London (2005)

Yes, Jason Statham once had a full head of hair on film, and yes, London really happened. This one’s a bit of a cult oddity: Statham is Bateman, an uncharacteristically introspective bloke who helps his pal Syd (played by a pre-Marvel Chris Evans) crash an ex’s party. What plays out is basically men in a toilet, whinging about God, women, break-ups, and substances.

• Director: Hunter Richards
• Box Office: $20,361 (not a typo, it barely registered)

The single-location, talky set-up is a bit of an experiment—80% of the film is literally these two jawing in a bog, which makes it feel a bit like therapy with a terrible air freshener. It’s funny and surprisingly honest about heartbreak, but the constant glorification of booze and drugs gets a bit tired. If you want Statham being complex and chatty, this is as close as it gets. If you long for car chases, go elsewhere.

3. 13 (2010)

Here’s where things get bizarre. 13 is a thriller that basically asks what happens if an electrician pinches a mysterious job meant for a dead man and lands himself in the middle of a Russian roulette tournament. Statham’s here as a posh Brit with more menace than usual, bolstering up the ensemble when things get shambolic.

• Director: Géla Babluani (who also made the original French version—very rare move, that)
• Box Office: $3.7 million

The film is tense, relentless, and honestly, a little muddled—especially if you’ve seen the original black-and-white 13 Tzameti, which is grittier and far less flashy. The Hollywood remake doesn’t add much besides a colour grade, but at least Statham tries to tie it all together with his crisp sneer.

2. In the Name of the King (2007)

Yes, it’s based (loosely) on the Dungeon Siege video game series, and yes, it stars Jason Statham swinging swords in a proper fantasy setting—his only real go at the genre. As Farmer (not even joking, that’s just his name), he lumbers into battle after his wife’s kidnapped and his child’s killed by weird creatures called the Krug. It’s surprisingly slick for something directed by Uwe Boll (most famous for legendary flops), and Boll somehow wrangled a cast including Ron Perlman, Ray Liotta, and Burt Reynolds. All actually put the effort in.

• Director: Uwe Boll
• Box Office: $13 million

There’s an odd pleasure in watching Statham deliver lines about vengeance while stomping across medieval forests. Still, if you’d rather have him in a tracksuit with a shotgun, this will feel very off. You can see why he never bothered repeating the experiment.

1. Ghosts of Mars (2001)

Statham does sci-fi horror—yes, really. Ghosts of Mars sees him as Sgt Jericho Butler, a sort of hard-as-nails copper on a terraformed Mars, where things go sideways as the colonists get possessed by some nasty Martian spirits. Unlike most Mars films, we don’t get a parade of aliens or endless digital effects—it’s actually more about battling your own colonising hubris.

• Director: John Carpenter
• Box Office: $14 million

The film’s biggest flaw is probably Carpenter’s fondness for ham and cheese—over-the-top flashbacks and campy moments pop up everywhere. But the cast, including Ice Cube and Pam Grier, throw themselves into it, and Statham’s presence is thoroughly entertaining, even when the plot goes utterly bananas.

'I still think he's too stuck in his comfort zone... and that he should make a war movie and a proper drama movie. However, I cherish his work ethic nonetheless.'