Jason Statham is a child in comparison with some Hollywood friends.
Tom Cruise will likely be 63 in July. Sylvester Stallone of “Tulsa King” fame is 78. Liam Nesson turned 72 final 12 months and “John Wick” alum Keanu Reeves is now 60 (Whoa!).
At 57, Statham has loads of life left in him, a minimum of by motion star requirements. It helps that he seems to be a decade youthful than his start certificates and strikes like a person in his 30s.
That doesn’t absolutely clarify why his new movie, “A Working Man,” beat “Snow White” on the field workplace over the weekend. The film, tailored from Chuck Dixon’s Levon Cade guide sequence, casts Statham as a former Particular Ops warrior who faucets these previous expertise to search out his boss’ kidnapped daughter.
The film earned $15+ million, roughly the identical as his earlier movie “The Beekeeper.” That actioner kick-started a brand new franchise.
“A Working Man” could do the identical if it has field workplace legs.
Statham doesn’t thoughts getting soiled on display. His heroes aren’t slick or properly dressed. They’re humble, blue-collar varieties who, at their greatest, combat again in opposition to ethical outrages.
“The Beekeeper” finds his character taking down scammers who goal the aged. Watching Statham wreck their community is cathartic in methods solely motion heroes can ship.
Levon Cade’s “Working Man” mission additionally strikes a private chord. He’s tasked with rescuing a younger girl taken hostage by a intercourse traffickers. It’s like a non secular sequel to “Sound of Freedom,” solely with a protagonist who personally takes out the (human) trash.
How will you root in opposition to Levon, even when he bends the foundations to make the unhealthy guys sweat?
Veteran stunt coordinator Eddie Fernandez labored with Statham on “The Beekeeper” and “A Working Man.” He praised Statham’s boundless on-set vitality and eagerness to get stunts proper. Each qualities counsel his motion star reign will proceed.
Statham’s ties to Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone can also’t be ignored.
The actors labored properly collectively within the “Expendables” franchise. Stallone spent years nurturing a Levon Cade movie adaptation earlier than formally co-writing “A Working Man.”
The celebs have one thing in frequent in addition to their signature brawn. They know what audiences anticipate of them and don’t have any qualms about delivering it. Statham isn’t trying to carry out Shakespeare or reinvent his display persona.
One other similarity? Each saved their political preferences to themselves for many years.
Most individuals don’t know the place Statham stood on Brexit, nor did he weigh in on the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He doesn’t put on pro-Palestinian ribbons on the purple carpet, and he hasn’t shared his ideas on the U.S. border disaster.
He lets his fists do the speaking for him, a minimum of on-screen.
Stallone deserted his apolitical tone following President Donald Trump’s election final 12 months, ending a half-century of political silence. Statham stays a thriller, kind of.
All the above endeared him to Heartland audiences exhausted by stars insulting their core beliefs. These are the individuals who love rock ’em, sock ’em motion motion pictures, the sort Statham delivers.
Neeson’s motion star standing had light lately. His newest movies have drawn tepid field workplace outcomes. Statham remains to be going sturdy.
Tomorrow’s motion stars would possibly take notes the subsequent time the British actor graces the massive display. They may find out about breaking bones and, extra importantly, movie longevity.