Jason Stathamhas built a career as one of the most dependable action stars of the modern era, bringing a unique mix of physicality and charisma to every role. Over the past decade, he’s continued to evolve, balancing high-octane blockbusters with more grounded, character-driven action thrillers. With a constant output of films,Statham is one of the most consistent action starsworking today. His best films of the last ten years showcase not just his martial arts skills and stunt work but also his ability to create films that best utilize his strengths. He’s returning to the screen this year to bring justice in his new film withDavid Ayer,A Working Man.
This article ranks Statham’s top movies from the past decade, from his strongest performances to his more uneven efforts. Some, likeWrath of ManandFurious 7, demonstrate his ability to thrive in both stylish thrillers and massive franchise blockbusters.The Beekeeperconfirms that he’s able to connect with audiences and create new action classics centering on his character. While not every film has been a critical or commercial hit, they all prove that Statham remains one of the most reliable and entertaining action stars working today.
15’F9' (2021)
Appeared as Deckard Shaw
The sequel to 2019’sHobbs and Shaw,F9marks the overall tenth film in theFast & Furiousfranchise. Reprising the characters from the previous films,F9follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), who is forced to put his peaceful, retired life aside to stop an international terrorist, who turns out to be his estranged brother, from launching a weapon of mass destruction called Project Aries.
Statham reprises his role as Deckard Shaw from the 2019 film, alongsideMichelle Rodriguez,Tyrese Gibson, andChris “Ludacris” Bridgesfrom theearlierFast & Furiousfilms. In the film, Statham only appears in a cameo role during the post-credit scenes, thus leading into the plot of the next film installment,Fast X. Featuring a stacked cast and a plotexploring a more personal history of the Toretto family,F9makes for a very entertaining film with wild and exciting action pieces.—Maddie P
F9: The Fast Saga
14’Expend4bles' (2023)
Appeared as Lee Christmas
Based on the original story bySpenser Cohen,The Expendables 4, stylized asExpend4bles, marks the fourth and final chapter inThe Expendablesfilm series. The film follows the titular team of invincible mercenaries, led by veteran Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), who set out to hunt down a dangerous arms dealer amassing a private army. The entire main cast returns for the final film, along with Jason Statham, who reprises his fan-favorite role of Lee Christmas, the team’s knife expert.
Along with starring in the film, Statham also serves as one of the producers for the film. Although the action franchise initially earned praise for its homage to the genre trends of the 80s and early 90s,The Expendables 4does not meet that expectation or match up to the success of its preceding films. However,the film has been praised for its ensemble cast and solid performance by Statham.—Maddie P
Expend4bles
13’A Working Man' (2025)
Appeared as Levon Cade
Image via Amazon MGM Studios
In this high-octane thriller film, Statham reunites with hisThe BeekeeperdirectorDavid AyerandThe Expendablesco-star Sylvester Stallone, who co-wrote the film. Based on the novelLevon’s TradebyChuck Dixon,A Working Manfollows Levon Cade (Statham), a former decorated military black ops agent, who has left his old life behind and lives a simple life as a construction worker. But trouble finds him fast when his boss’s daughter is kidnapped by a human trafficking ring, and he sets out to find her, only to discover deep-seated corruption.
A Working Manis a well-made action flickwith all the right ingredients to pack a punch, but is predictable nevertheless. While there is indeed a lack of depth in the characters, one cannot miss the efficiently choreographed action pieces.With gun-blazing mayhem and bone-crunching fights, the film delivers exactly what genre fans love and expect.—Maddie P
A Working Man
12’Fast X' (2023)
Appeared as Shaw
Fast Xsees the family facing the eccentric Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), who has a grudge against the Dominic Toretto crew for ruining his life with their previous heist in Rio de Janeiro. The crew is tested as Reyes breaks them up methodically with his meticulous plan. Han (Sung Kang), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Ludacris) turn to Deckard Shaw (Statham) for help. What’s interesting is that this is the first time Deckard meets Han after his attempted murder in Tokyo a few years back.
The film is the tenth in the highly lucrativeFast and Furiousfranchise, so it’s quite understandable that the series is reaching for new plots at this point. The film clearly struggles under the weight of an increasingly convoluted storyline and also the burden of being the first part of a bigger story.Statham’s return as Shaw is a highlight, but his role is more of a side quest than a major plot driver. Statham still gets to show off some fighting skills with Sung Kang, but it seems that his bigger role is reserved for the sequel. On top ofMomoa’s scene-stealing performance,Fast Xstill delivers a lot of thrills and excitement, and that’s reason enough for fans to keep coming back.
11’Mechanic: Resurrection' (2016)
Appeared as Arthur Bishop
InMechanic: Resurrection, Statham returns as Arthur Bishop, a skilled assassin who faked his death to escape his past. When his lover Gina (Jessica Alba) is kidnapped by an arms dealer, Bishop is forced to do three nearly impossible assassinations in different countries—Thailand, Australia and Bulgaria. He deploys his usual skills, which is making his kills look like accidents. Nevertheless, the mission’s difficulty threatens him to succeed on time and rescue Gina.
With a larger scope,Mechanic: Resurrectionfails to recapture the grounded tension of its predecessor.The film leans heavily on over-the-top stunts, some of which push the limits of believability, including Bishop’s underwater escape and a daring assassination from a glass-bottomed swimming pool. Statham, as always, remains the film’s strongest draw, delivering his tough-guy persona with excellent fights. However, the script’s lack of depth and weak supporting characters limit this film’s potential. While it’s far from his best work,Mechanic: Resurrectionis still an entertaining watch andthe closest Statham will ever be to a James Bond movie.
Mechanic: Resurrection
10’Wild Card' (2015)
Appeared as Nick Wild
Jason Statham plays the titular protagonist in this revenge thriller based onWilliam Goldman’s 1985 novelHeatand its subsequent 1986 film adaptationstarring Burt Reynolds.Wild Cardrevolves around Nick Wild (Statham), a recovering gambling addict doing odd jobs in Las Vegas, who hunts down and punishes the men who raped his friend, Holly (Dominik Garcia-Lorido). But when he learns that they were members of a notorious gang, headed by a powerful mob boss, things take a bad turn for Nick.
Wild Cardreunites Statham with hisThe Expendables 2director,Simon WestofCon AirandLara Croft: Tomb Raiderfame. In this action thriller film, Statham fits right into his niche as the one man against an army of wrongdoers, with his signature no-frills, angry hero persona that always brings out the best in him.Although predictable,Wild Cardfeatures some interesting characters and can be enjoyable and entertaining for Statham fansand/or genre enthusiasts.—Maddie P
9’Meg 2: The Trench' (2023)
Appeared as Jonas Taylor
Adapted fromSteve Alten’s novel,The Trench, and a direct sequel to the 2018 filmThe Meg,Meg 2: The Trenchsees Jason Statham reprising his role of deep-sea search and rescue diver, Jonas Taylor. Taking off six years after the events of the first film, the second installment of the sci-fi action thriller follows Jonas leading a research team on an expedition into the farthest reaches of the Mariana Trench, in the Pacific Ocean, where the Megalodon was found. Their quest turns into a high-stakes fight for survival when they are pitted against a malicious mining operation and gigantic, killer Megs, all at once.
Despite the critical reviews,Meg 2joins the ranks of old-school monster filmsand has been a box office success, though not on par with its predecessor.Statham gives a refreshing performance as the heroic explorer compared to his signature dark and deadly persona, as he races against time to outsmart, outrun, and outswim the merciless creatures and corrupt humans.—Maddie P
The Meg 2: The Trench
8’The Meg' (2018)
The Megsees a group of scientists exploring the Mariana Trench who accidentally unleash a prehistoric predator, the megalodon, a gigantic shark thought to be extinct. Statham stars as Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver with a traumatic past encounter with a similar, mysterious deep sea creature. With his experience, he is called in to save the crew and prevent the creature from wreaking havoc. As the Meg goes for destruction across the Pacific, Jonas must confront his fears and take down his old enemy.
As a throwback togiant shark moviesof the late ’90s,The Megdelivers on its promise of giant shark mayhemwithout ever committing to either B-movie absurdity or serious deep-sea horror. As the hero, Statham is the film’s highlight, bringing the right balance of toughness and charm as he leads the large ensemble cast. His action sequences taking on the prehistoric shark are exhilarating, fun, and ridiculous at the same time, making them the perfect entertainment. Despite its mixed reception,The Megfound an audience that embraced its over-the-top premise, leading to a successful sequel,The Meg 2: The Trench.
7’Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw' (2019)
InFast & Furious Presents:Hobbs & Shaw, Jason Statham andDwayne Johnsontake center stage in the franchise’s first spinoff as the unlikely enemies-turned-partners duo, Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw. Their mission is to track down a deadly virus that could wipe out humanity. Their enemy, Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), is a cybernetically enhanced super-soldier who’s practically an evil Superman. The duo must also protect Shaw’s sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), as she holds the key to stopping the virus.
Leaving the Toretto family behind, the spinoff still maintainstheFastfranchise’s physics-defying stuntsthat make it more akin to a superhero film than a racing car film. Despite previously being mortal enemies, both Statham and Johnson also get to flex their comedic muscles as their characters learn to like each other during the mission. The film’s action sequences are also thrilling, with the fight scenes involving the two buff actors complementing each other’s styles. The spinoff never reaches the excitement of the main franchise, butthe David Leitch-directed film is still a thrilling and occasionally funny affair.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Brixton Lorr is a cybernetically enhanced soldier who possesses superhuman strength, a brilliant mind and a lethal pathogen that could wipe out half of the world’s population. It’s now up to hulking lawman Luke Hobbs and lawless operative Deckard Shaw to put aside their past differences and work together to prevent the seemingly indestructible Lorr from destroying humanity.
6’Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre' (2023)
Appeared as Orson Fortune
InOperation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Jason Statham stars as Orson Fortune, who leads a team tasked with recovering stolen technology before it falls into the hands of billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmons (Hugh Grant). He assembles a team of skilled operatives, including Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and J.J. (Bugzy Malone), and also a Hollywood star, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett). The mission brings them to Turkey, where they have to intercept the technology as it goes on sale.
While the heist thriller has all the hallmarks ofa Guy Ritchie action-comedy, like snappy dialogue and stylish visuals, it never quite reaches the heights of his best work. Statham delivers his usual brand of tough-guy charm, but the film plays it a bit too safe. The exciting ensemble, led by Statham, is a highlight, with Plaza and Grant stealing scenes and Hartnett adding more films to his exciting mainstream return. As usual with Ritchie’s films, the action is well-executed, but the convoluted plot prevents it from being truly memorable. All in all,Operation Fortunefeels like a dry run for Ritchie’s next film,The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.Nevertheless, it’sa treat to see Statham leaning more into dramatic rolesrather than his usual full-action roles.
