Saturday, February 2, 2013

Jason Statham - Movie

(C) 2013 by Rych McCain, All Rights Reserved. No part of this column may be reprinted, re-posted or duplicated without written permission from Rych McCain Media/Syndication. Violation is subject to applicable laws.

Jason Statham - Movie

By Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist




Jason Statham

Packs A Wallop As Parker!

Photos Courtesy of Film District


     Being an action movie star is a peculiar idiom to navigate because it is a very deceptive art form. The moves, kicks, punches and body slams mixed with the tough, threatening dialogue are thrilling and exciting when flawlessly executed on the big screen but what the viewer doesn’t see is the countless, years, weeks and hours that go into the training for the actors to obtain and polish their fighting skills and the hours of fight choreography and rehearsals it talks to film it; not to mention that those fight scenes are really dangerous if a mistake is made.


Jason Statham as Parker
     Jason Statham has had his share of action movies and the former world-class diver for the British national team has a new one out now titled “Parker.” The Parker character debuted in 1962 from novelist and screenwriter Donald E. Westlake’s best-selling crime thriller “The Hunter.” Parker then became a world-wide, cult anti-hero via a series of two dozen books written with him as the central figure.



Jennifer Lopez (Leslie) & Jason Statham (Parker)
     Statham has had major success as an action hero with films such as “The Transporter” and “Crank” series as well as “The Expendables” series to name some. Which films stick out in his mind when he reflects on them? He goes back to his debut film “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barres” (1998) and “Snatch” (2000). Both films were directed by Guy Ritchie. Statham says, “The Guy Ritchie stuff gave me a career. I was selling perfume and jewelry before that. The fact that, that kind of thing is something I’d like to go see myself. The comedy, the writing, the characters, I just love those films. I suppose they are the two I always look back at and I get more compliments on those than any others.”



     What was it like to book a film with Taylor Hackford an Oscar Award winning director? Statham lights up, “It’s amazing! We had a cup of coffee in over in Hollywood and you are aware of all the great films he’s done. It’s a meeting to see if he wants to work with you or not so the pressure is there. You just have to try and be yourself and not think about the things he has done and are you good enough to work with him. The great thing about Taylor is that he wouldn’t work anyone that he didn’t want to work with and he doesn’t compromise. As a film maker, if you get the part and you end up working together, you’re going to get something authentic and good. You’re in the best hands. Anyone who reaches that standard, they get there for the right reasons.”



     When asked about his career taking off and what it took to make that possible Statham explains, “Its things happening for the right reasons. You’re given an opportunity, you have a ton of luck and then the rest you got to do. So it’s a combination of a lot of things and having my first film be a good film. I mean a lot of people get an opportunity and they star in a film and no one sees it and it goes away and that’s the end of their career. So I was lucky to do two good films at the beginning to at least give me a chance to do another one or two and hopefully that would be good. But there are a lot of elements to it. You never lose sight of that. What goes up comes down as well. As easily as it came to you, it can go away that quick.”

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