Jason Stathamis a great action movie star, but his deadpan debut performance inLock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrelsproves he’s even better at delivering pitch-black comedy. Statham is one of the few movie stars left who can turn a movie into a blockbuster based on their involvement alone. Statham is the onlyreasonThe Beekeeperwas a box office hit. Even when it comes to his own franchises, likeCrank,The Meg, andThe Expendables, it’s Statham’s star power that draws in the crowds, not the I.P.
Statham is always awesome in his action movies. No one other than Statham could fight a megalodon in hand-to-hand combat with a straight face and really sell it. No one other than Statham could end one of his movies with a hallucinatory kaiju battle and not make it feel like jumping the shark. ButStatham’s first film rolein Guy Ritchie’s crime caperLock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrelsproves there’s something he’s even better at.
Jason Statham’s First Movie Role Proves Action Isn’t What He’s Best At
Statham Is A Master Of Dark Comedy
Statham began his career as a member of Britain’s national diving team and later worked as a model for French Connection, Tommy Hilfiger, and Levi’s. It was during this time thatStatham was introduced to Ritchie, who cast him in his directorial debut,Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels(viaAskMen).Statham plays one of the lead roles, Bacon, a small-time London criminalwho pools together some money with his friends so they can enter a high-stakes three-card brag game.
The First 60 Seconds Of Jason Statham’s Movie Career Prove Why He’s The 2020s' Biggest Action Star
Jason Statham is one of the world’s biggest stars and the secret to his success is less of a secret when his first-ever movie scene is considered.
Along with Vinnie Jones’ Big Chris, Bacon is one ofRitchie’s best characters.Statham perfected his tough-guy on-screen persona right out of the gate, looking right at home in the dangerous criminal underworld in which the film takes place, andhe also nailed the dry, deadpan delivery of all of Bacon’s snarky one-liners. This performance proved that Statham is adept at dark comedy — he could’ve played the Colin Farrell role inIn Brugesor the Mark Strong role inKick-Ass.
Jason Statham Hasn’t Made A Movie Like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels For A Long Time
Statham Has Done Other Comedies Recently, But None As Dark As Lock, Stock
Shortly afterLock, Stock, Statham played a handful of other darkly comedic roles. He reunited with Ritchie forSnatch, a spiritual successor toLock, Stock, and theCrankmovies are two of the darkest, wackiest, most bonkers movies ever made. But in recent years, Statham’s dark comedy streak has fallen by the wayside. He’s been in comedies likeSpyandOperation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, but nothing as twisted asLock, Stock, despite it still being arguably his best movie.Jason Stathamshould get back to doing dark comedy, because he has a real knack for it.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Cast
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a British crime film directed by Guy Ritchie. Released in 1998, the film follows a group of friends who become embroiled in the London underworld after a high-stakes card game goes wrong. Their attempts to repay a substantial debt lead them into intersecting criminal activities involving a variety of eccentric characters. The ensemble cast includes Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, and Jason Statham.
