Man Crush #10: Jason Statham

Best Known For: The Transporter Trilogy

I wanted to put Guy Ritchie on this list.  I really did.  Six years ago, I would have typed his name in the header without thinking twice.  But one Swept Away, Revolver and marriage to Madonna later and it's decidedly not his name beside the number 10 on this list.  Granted, Sherlock Holmes was fun and RocknRolla didn't make me want to gouge my eyes out.  So, maybe in another six years he will have undone the damage and earned his way back here.  But right now, in 2010, he didn't even make the Honourable Mentions.

But that doesn't change the fact that I loved every frame of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.  And what's not to love?  Smart, funny, gritty and with style coming out the wazoo, these are the very definition of 'my kind of film'.  And, if you've been paying any sort of attention to this list, you know that I'm a big believer that a great movie is pretty hard to achieve without a great cast.  And Guy Ritchie put together one hell of a cast for both of those movies, introducing the world to the great Vinnie Jones and of course...

Jason Statham.

And what can you say about Jason Statham? Not only does he do most of his own stunts (which always gets my Man Crush juices flowing) but there's also something about a British accent that just makes a guy that much more likable.  I'm not sure if he's actually charming,  but he sure comes across like it.

Sure, much like the aforementioned Mr. Ritchie, he does seem like a bit of a one trick pony - always playing a variation of essentially the same character.  But he plays it well dammit, and he doesn't get snobby with his roles.  I mean, no one's confusing Crank or The Transporter for Shakespeare, heck, they aren't even that great in the grand scheme of their own genre.  But I'm a sucker for them none-the-less (although Transporter 3 was almost unwatchable), and I'm always glad when I get to watch the same guy (in this case Statham) continue as the same character, when most actors would bail on the sequels and let Ice Cube take over (*cough* Vin Diesel).

And if you need anymore proof, just consider this:  I can't think of anyone else that rocks the going bald look and not only pulls it off, but also still looks completely bad ass.  Most guys have to resort to hair pieces (*cough* Bruce Willis) or shaving it completely bald (*cough* Bruce Willis).   More bad ass than Bruce Willis?  Not an easy task.  Sounds like Top 10 material to me.

Proof of Awesomeness:


Ok, he's probably not actually more bad ass than Bruce… and Bruce was rocking the receding hair line in the first and third Die Hard movies and still crushed it.  I retract my previous jabs at him.