Since being thrust into the spotlight in 1998 when he starred in Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock and Two Smoking BarrelsJason Statham has become the hard man of British cinema.Before long he took his onscreen macho reputation to the States where he has become a regular in fast paced action movies.Born in London Statham began his career in sport excelling in athletics and diving before becoming a model for French Connection.A chance meeting with Guy Ritchie changed the course of his career when the director cast him in the role of Bacon in his breakthrough movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.A collection of law-dodging characters in London are brought together by coincidence when a streetwise young man loses half-a-million pounds in a card game. He has a week to get together the money or face losing some fingers.

Desperate, he and his friends decide to rip off a gang who are planning to rip off a bunch of ganja farmers. Simple.

Except the drug dealers want their money back, as do the thieves, and now there are three sets of criminals after their blood.

Statham worked with Ritchie again two years later when he landed the lead role of Turkish in Snatch, which also starred Brad Pitt.

The film was mostly successful doing well at the box office, grossing over $30 million, as well as winning over most of the critics.

By 2002 Hollywood had beckoned for the British actor as he starred as Frank Martin in action/crime movie The Transporter.

Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods--human or otherwise--from one place to another.

No questions asked. Carrying out mysterious and sometimes dangerous tasks in his tricked-out BMW, Frank adheres to a strict set of rules, which he never breaks.

Rule One: Never change the deal.

Rule Two: No names--Frank doesn't want to know whom he's working for, or what he's transporting.

Rule Three: never look in the package.

Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He's been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" (see Rule Two) to make a delivery; but when Frank stops along the route, he notices his package is moving. Violating Rule Three, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman.

Despite being met with mixed reviews upon release in 2005 Statham reprised the role in the sequel and a third movie in this unexpected franchise is scheduled for 2009.

Since then he has worked with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron in The Italian Job, Kim Basinger in Cellular and Steve Martin in The Pink Panther.

His new movie sees Statham return to the gritty streets of London for The Bank Job.

A car dealer with a dodgy past and new family, Terry has always avoided major-league scams. But when Martine, a beautiful model from his old neighbourhood, offers him a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street, Terry recognizes the opportunity of a lifetime.

Martine targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewellery. But Terry and his crew don't realize the boxes also contain a treasure trove of dirty secrets - secrets that will thrust them into a deadly web of corruption and illicit scandal that spans London's criminal underworld, the highest echelons of the British government, and the Royal Family itself...the true story of a heist gone wrong...in all the right ways.

Death Race is also scheduled for release this year with sequels Crank 2 and The Brazilian Job all in the pipe line.

The Bank Job is released 28th February.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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