Though Jason Statham has constructed a profession as a significant motion star, the disappointing A Working Man suggests it could be time for him to shake issues up. Having received his begin in all-time nice crime motion pictures like Man Ritchie’s Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels, audiences have been watching Statham kick butt for practically three a long time now.
Statham’s motion legacy consists of hits just like the Transporter movies and the Quick & Livid collection, however current roles have proven his tough-guy persona rising tiresome. It’s true that A Working Man reunited Statham with The Beekeeper director David Ayer, however the movie hints it could be time for Statham to discover a daring new path in his profession.
Jason Statham’s Motion Thriller Components Is At Danger Of Changing into Stale
The cruel fact about A Working Man is that it satirically simply didn’t work and stands as a forgettable motion film full of lifeless performances, forgettable characters, and generic stuntwork. Whereas there was a enjoyable vitality to Statham’s earlier position for Ayer in The Beekeeper, all the pieces about this launch simply felt drained and hackneyed.
A Working Man adopted the everyday formulation of an ex-Marine who desires to depart his violent previous behind, being compelled again into motion to avoid wasting a younger woman. It is a setup we’ve seen numerous instances earlier than in motion pictures like Taken, and this by-the-numbers movie didn’t add something new or attention-grabbing to the idea.
Statham is an actor brimming with potential, and he’s able to delivering actually electrifying performances. But, in A Working Man, his character of Levon Cade looks like a carbon copy of his previous motion heroes, and the movie’s relentlessly self-serious tone turns what could possibly be an exhilarating, action-packed showdown right into a lackluster and exhausting expertise.
Even with a script co-written by Sylvester Stallone, A Working Man lacked a novel identification, and when in comparison with fashionable motion triumphs like John Wick, it simply felt like everybody was phoning it in. With Statham’s subsequent two upcoming initiatives each being motion thrillers, it looks like he’s in peril of fatiguing audiences with too many related movies one after one other.
In 2026, Statham will star in Jean-François Richet’s Mutiny, an motion thriller a few man on the run after he’s poised to take the autumn for a homicide he didn’t commit. Director Ric Roman Waugh has additionally forged Statham in an upcoming untitled motion thriller that appears set to ship extra of the identical from the star.
Statham Is Sensible At Comedy & Wants To Do Extra
The largest concern with A Working Man was that it was so humorless, and a sprinkle of comedy would have achieved it a world of excellent. Statham has the comedic abilities wanted to tug this off and has confirmed in motion pictures like Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels, in addition to Spy, that he can maintain his personal in a humorous movie.
A few of Statham’s easiest performances have been in comedies, as he has the spectacular capability to ship actually absurd dialogue with a straight face. Which means in roles like Rick Ford in Spy, he’s capable of subvert his typical motion hero persona by leaning into parody and self-awareness.
Jason Statham’s comedy roles embody Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Imply Machine, Gnomeo & Juliet, Spy, and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.
Whereas some Statham comedies like Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre didn’t get a lot love from critics, his efficiency nonetheless stood out as he held his personal alongside the likes of Aubrey Plaza and Hugh Grant. Statham has what it takes to be an enormous comedy star; he simply must lean into this facet of his skillset extra usually.
Jason Statham Ought to Comply with Liam Neeson’s Profession Change
A Working Man performed out like a greenback retailer Taken knockoff, however the fact is that Statham was proper to take cues from Liam Neeson; he simply selected the incorrect instance. Whereas Neeson’s motion film credentials are simply as spectacular as Statham’s, he’s discovered renewed success in recent times by embracing comedy with The Bare Gun.
That is the trail Statham ought to embrace going ahead, letting him lean into his strengths whereas avoiding the fatigue of formulaic thrillers. Simply as Neeson reinvented himself to maintain his motion profession recent, Statham has the prospect to do the identical and show he’s able to greater than his common tough-guy routine.
Regardless of his vary, Statham dangers incomes a repute for enjoying it protected and repeating himself. A Working Man epitomizes this downside, providing nothing new to the motion thriller style. In contrast to Ayer’s The Beekeeper, which was no less than absurd sufficient to seize our consideration, this one lacked spark and solely highlighted how stale Statham’s formulation has develop into.
Statham has been a dependable display screen presence for many years, however his longevity now is dependent upon shaking issues up earlier than audiences tire of him and cease turning up for disappointing motion pictures like A Working Man. Jason Statham is at a crossroads and should resolve if he desires to maintain churning out forgettable thrillers or take dangers that redefine his profession.
- Launch Date
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March 28, 2025
- Runtime
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116 minutes
- Director
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David Ayer