One of very few English actors to find success in American action films, Jason Statham was an untrained unknown when director Guy Ritchie cast him in a close-to-home role as a con artist in his directorial debut “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” (1998). Praised for it’s fresh visual style and quick wit, the film defined a new era of action caper and helped establish Statham as the go-to-guy for handsome, cockney outlaws. His background as a professional athlete and his proficiency in martial arts and gutsy physical stunts were not so unusual for a crime film star, but his accent and unique