Yep, I know.

I know. I KNOW. 

You'd have thought that matters Stathamistic would have rendered all other things secondary, but it seems that isn't so. Don't worry, though, I'll get there. 

In the meantime, here;s a supercut of every Jason Statham kick in the movies ever, from the good folks over at Burger Fiction. 

255Review review of 13 (2010, Gela Babluani)

Once I finish the Wild Card post, the draft of which is turning into a little bit of an epic (it'll get there) then next up will be 2010's 13, a movie I didn't know about until I started looking into Mr Statham's oeuvre. Anyway, there's a capsule review of mine here. 

Wild Card (2014, directed by Simon West) - parts 1 / 1.1 / 1.2

Las Vegas. Present day. It's Christmas, going by the decor. 

Statham is sat alone on a barstool. He's drinking like he means it. And then a woman walks in. She orders a Diet Pepsi. Takes a seat in a booth. 

Statham lurches over. 

Okay. We don't know who he is, but he's played by Jason Statham. He's unlikely to be a barfly, a creep, or a drunk. Plus, he's clean-looking. His body may be saying that he's had one for each of several roads, but his voice - the accent is Statham's own, by the way - betrays no slurring. 

Let's assume this is a sting. A set-up of some sort.

She's waiting for her boyfriend. Statham persists; asks for a dance. No. 

A long slow take. The movie's measuredness is mesmerising. 

At least tell me your name. Didi. A neat character moment; her grandmother was once a Doris Day fan club manager. 

Statham carries on. He's getting nowhere. Tries the jukebox. 

This is good. Outside; a car pulls up but doesn't park in line with the couple of other vehicles there. Subtext; the driver's a dick. A guy gets out, enters the bar from the parking lot entrance. 

The guy comes in. Now we get a look at him. Some mook in a suit. Little self-important fella. He's older than she is. Maybe forty to her twenties. Flash yet uptight against her curves and hint of sexy-but-not-for-you.    

An aside in the booth. He's juiced in a minor way. Has a shot at promotion, but it's in Atlantic City. Will Didi come with him or not?

She likes him, but.

Statham fancies his chances. Squares up to the john. Acts the asshole. They leave. 

Outside. The guy's carrying out his throughline. He should have battered the creep. 

Statham comes out. Body-drunk but voice still solid and Cockney. By now, we're in on the con, surely. But let's see it play out.

The guy's wearing a hairpiece. Of course he does. And it gets ripped off, naturally.  

The guy and Statham fight. 

And fight. 

Eventually, Statham yields.

The guy and the girl embrace. She's won over. Her Knight Valiant has seen off the aggressor, who's limped away. Yes, she'll come with him to Atlantic City. 

Credits. The wider Vegas. Christmas, intercut with Statham. He's drinking. A match burns. Eventually, it drops into an ashtray with many others. He's danced this dance before. 

Some notes on the credits. Character actors: Jason Alexander, Anne Heche, Vilo Ventimiglia, Hope Davis, Stanley fucking Tucci. Fight coordinator; Corey Yuen. This promises much, and certainly not the flailing we've seen in the parking lot. 

A script by William Goldman. Wild Card is a remake of Heat, filmed under that name from Goldman's original novel in the 80s. No, not the Michael Mann / Al Pacino / Robert de Niro Heat. The first movie starred Burt Reynolds at the end of his theatrical release career. The scripts are nigh-identical, if I remember right.   

That's William - Butch Cassidy / The Hot Rock / Waldo Pepper / Misery / Marathon Man / Magic / The Stepford Wives / The Princess Bride and many others - Goldman. One of the greatest Hollywood screenwriters, and a fine novelist too. The kind of Tinseltown royalty we don't often get associated with straightforward action stars. 

And the film's directed by Simon West. A bonafide cheesy action classic in Con-Air under his belt first time out in 1997, West's career has been a little spotty since, but there's some reliable stuff there, including some other Statham releases (The Mechanic, The Expendables 2) that we'll get to in good time. 

We're almost fifteen minutes in, and so far there's little hint of a story, except that maybe things aren't as they seem, and - just - maybe that Statham's character (whatever his name is) has trouble on his mind. But there's no rush. This is perfectly entertaining, and leisurely to boot. Let's have this one play out.                            
[hiatus]

A slight interregnum, not least because I fancy reading the source novel, so I'm waiting for a copy to be delivered. Amazon being what it is these days, it'll be here in a trice. I'm not sure what it'll bring to the party, but as it is a party after all, the unexpected is to be welcomed. And, yep, I've sourced a copy of the Burt Reynolds movie too. 

Perhaps weirdly, the 1980s movie version of Heat doesn't seem to have made it to DVD, though VHS copies are still available, but I've got an Italian DVD copy - under the title Black Jack - on its way to me. The cover alleges that both an English-language and Italian dubbed version are on the disc, so we'll have to wait and see. 

In the meantime, here's my capsule review, over at 255review.com

[post to be continued]

And back again, a few days later. My Italian DVD has arrived. In glorious 4:3 pan-and-scan and with a cover that sells a) Burt, b) Vegas, c) some ruffty-tuffty fisticuffs action in the bottom left-hand corner; Black Jack / Heat promises much. 

I'll give it a watch and get back to you, then we can discuss the Statham version in conjunction with both the original movie and the Goldman novel on which the film was based. In the meantime, here's the DVD in all its splendour:

Majestic, isn't it? 

Starting to get started

This turned up in the post a couple of days, thanks to Amazon Prime and a bit of casting about for a straightforward way to get started. 

Now, the way that the sell-through market works these days, unless there's a supply issue or else a film has some scarcity value to it, through being long-deleted on DVD, or previously unavailable, movies cost buttons. 

In this instance, half a dozen movies for about a quid a pop. Admittedly, in the world of the box set, you tend to get a mixed bunch, quality-wise. 

The Expendables

Blitz

The Bank Job

War

Revolver

Chaos

Now, I'm not pre-judging the posts to come - though I've seen each of these before - but we're presented with a spectrum of the artistic and experiential possibilities of the cinematic art-form here. 

I'd reckon that - and this is me speaking off the top of my head - that there's one fine movie here, two serviceable ones, one interesting misfire, and two duds. 

However, six movies packaged together offers a chance to get re-acquainted with Statham, and it offers an opportunity to chat along the way about the circumstances in which these films get put together, released, sold, repackaged, and then sold again. 

I can't quite see who the box set is meant to appeal to. To Statham fans, but of course, but those of us who are privy to the cult of the Stath is only too well-aware that for each fine flick there's a shocker. Besides, collectors will collect, and so will already have these films on their shelves. Sure, a few will buy up these collections for the sake of completeness, but we're in rarified territory here. There can't be too many of those cats about.

Maybe the idea is to lure in the casual buyer. Father's Day and Christmas giftage possibilities for those who only have a passing understanding of what the Statham fan in their social circle likes, apart from balding men hitting things. 

The DVD packaging indicates that this is a Lionsgate product. Maybe these films are all owned/licensed by that distribution and production company. This is what they've got, and by Christ they'll re-sell it. Fair play to them.  

A look inside. Lionsgate logos on each disc, the cinematic finery held in those flappy hinged holders that only the sturdiest of box sets have. They're all bare-bones releases by the look of them, each of them marked NOT FOR RENTAL or a variant thereof. The movie, maybe subtitles, a straightforward menu. Perhaps a trailer. That's your cracker.  

Nevertheless. Here we are. Six of the oeuvre, and as good a place to begin as any. I can't promise to work through these six before moving on. I'm impetuous like that. But have no fear, the complete works will be given their due. 

Even Chaos, which I'm sure I've fallen asleep while watching before.     

In the beginning

Here's the thing. 

The idea is simply this; an occasionally-updated blog which'll write extensively on each and every Jason Statham flick in the canon. I won't post in order of release. Instead, I'll put up another post as and when the feeling takes me, and as and when another movie hoves into view.

This is a fan site, and it isn't. It's a place to let me occasionally sound off about films, and particularly the mechanics of action movies, but I'll draw on other stuff as it feels right to do so. 

Why pick on Statham? 

Well, maybe we'll work that one out as we go along. 

I'm going to aim for a fresh post about once a fortnight or so. Too much of anything is bad for the soul, after all. I may even lob in the occasional off-topic posting, but that's not my intent. Let's try and keep this pure.

Cinema via Statham. 

Stathamism.