Why is it exactly that we still love Jason Statham? With his past few films ranging from Uwe Boll's craptacular In the Name of the King to his uninspired Jet Li team-up actioner War all the way on down to his gleefully moronic (but still kind of fun) Crank, he hasn't burned up the box office nor given us much to still love him for. And yet, he keeps on coming out with movies. Like the action hero he often plays, this man refuses to let his career lie down and die. So what keeps him from entering that special boys' club populated with blasts from the past like Vin Diesel, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and up until recently, Sylvester Stallone? You know, the guys who started out cool but ended up direct-to-video jokes?

Well, first and foremost, he's not just a karate kick and a catchphrase. Unlike many of his action star counterparts, he has actually appeared in a number of films without throwing so much as a paper airplane, let alone a punch. With movies like Snatch and The Italian Job under his belt, he's proven that his presence and delivery alone can carry his role in a film. The guy can actually act, at least within the range that he attempts to.

There's also an attractiveness to him. As more than one female friend has confessed, he's not what you would call "good-looking" and at the same time, it makes him very attractive. He's rugged. Kind of like a British Marlboro Man. But beneath those looks smolders a quiet menace. Jason Statham has always struck me as his generation's tough guy. Tough guys are something we've really been missing for quite some time. Oh sure, we've had muscle bound fighter types -- pretty boys with attitudes, a smile, and some martial arts skills. But where's our Lee Marvin? Where's our '60s era Michael Caine? Where's our Steve McQueen? You know, the guy who looks like he could give a rat's ass about you and would be more likely to glare at you through squinted eyes and furrowed brow rather than so much as speak to you?

Where is he? His name is Jason Statham and this weekend he's in The Bank Job at your local Cineplex, that's where.

Does Jason Statham look like the kind of guy I'd want to pal around with or trust my sister with or have look after my kids? Hell no. But when I when I wanna watch a tough guy, or a hood, or just one mean son of a… well, you know… he's just the guy I wanna see.

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C. Robert Cargill - - - Email Me

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