5 Rare Times Jason Statham Died in a Movie

Fun fact: It’s been 18 years since Jason Statham died in a movie. Sean Bean and John Hurt must be banging their heads on the table right now, given how often their characters get killed off. At this point, it’d be safe to assume that Statham always has clauses in his contract that prevent him from meeting his maker. After all, this is an actor whose character once survived a 1000-foot fall from a helicopter. And he even had the nerve to talk on his cellphone while falling.

To be fair, the death-proof trend isn’t unique to Statham. Major action stars tend to do the killing, not get killed. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, and Sylvester Stallone have suffered no more than three on-screen deaths each since their big breaks. We can thus expect Statham’s movie characters to continue walking into the sunset, no matter what dangerous situations they find themselves in. After all, the Brit considers himself one of the greats, and his toughness is part of his appeal. It wouldn’t be such a good look if so many people one-up him.

Here are a few instances where a Jason Statham character died.

5

‘Turn it Up’ (2000)

Turn It Up stars Pras Michel as Diamond, an aspiring rapper doing everything to become famous while juggling dangerous ties to the streets. He always has a shoulder to lean on, in the form of his best friend and producer, Gage (Ja Rule), but violent debt collectors and gangsters won’t let him exist in peace. Bothering him the most is Mr. B (Jason Statham), a ruthless hoodlum who wants his money by Monday.

Mr. B Is Never Getting His Money Back

Mr. B is fun to watch in his tense confrontations with Diamond. He has a rather interesting way of ducking, twisting his head, turning, smirking, and stalking off, mannerisms that hit audiences like a sudden splash of ice-cold water. He is annoying, too, and he eventually gets what’s coming. In the final minutes of the film, Mr. B confronts Diamond in a tense showdown at a recording studio that ends in violence. He gets shot multiple times, leaving him lying dead on the floor.

Comically speaking, this pre-Transporter version of Statham appears locked in his Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ways. He doesn’t know there are a dozen ways to get out of a situation like this. Also, the new Statham is unlikely to ever take on a role like this. Turn It Up has little action and is generally messy. Critics panned it, and almost no one saw it in theaters.

4

‘Ghosts of Mars’ (2001)

John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars is partially set on terraformed Mars in the 22nd century. In it, the cops Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) and Sergeant Jericho Butler (Jason Statham) head to a remote mining outpost on the planet to transfer prisoner Desolation Williams (Ice Cube). Once there, they discover that most miners have been possessed by spirits of an old Martian civilization, which was accidentally set free during excavation. As the miners attack, the officers are forced to team up with Williams to survive.

A Special Sacrifice

Carpenter’s powers were starting to fade in the early 2000s, and Ghosts of Mars is one of those movies that got tagged as junk the moment it arrived on the big screen. The violence is so over the top that it is more likely to amuse you than make you squeamish. This isn’t to say that the eccentric film isn’t entertaining. Carpenter covers the clash between the grubby miners and the officers with heart, tenderness, and, by the denouement, a soulful measure of poignancy.

Statham’s death in the movie is the honorable, selfless kind. In the climactic battle, his character, Sgt. Butler stays behind to cover the rest as they dash towards a train. A swarm of possessed miners attacks him, and even though he does his best to hold them off, they eventually overpower him and stab him to death. Interestingly, Statham wouldn’t have died in the movie if the producers had stuck to the original plan. He was initially meant to play Desolation Williams, but he was replaced by Ice Cube because he was deemed not famous enough to play the lead. Who is laughing now?

3

‘Cellular’ (2004)

Cellular centers on Ryan (Chris Evans), a young man who finds himself in the middle of a law enforcement conspiracy while trying to reconcile with his girlfriend. He receives a call from a random woman named Jessica (Kim Basinger), who he learns is a science teacher currently being held hostage by robbers at her home. She managed to use the wires of a broken phone to contact a random number, and that’s how she reached him. It turns out a group of LAPD officers, led by Ethan Greer (Jason Statham), is involved.

Dirty Cop… Dirty Outcome

There is a limit to just how many running scenes the average cinemagoer can sit through in one movie before it becomes offensively tedious. That’s why Tom Cruise only serves as one or two good foot-dashing scenes per film. Here, Chris Evans runs all the time, but it’s all good. Someone needs saving. The immediacy creates everlasting excitement, though the movie feels very ancient when viewed today because of the types of phones used.

Greer is arguably Statham’s best villain role, and because bad guys mostly get killed, the officer gets shot by the righteous Sergeant Mooney (William H. Macy) during a confrontation between him and Ryan at a pier. He then collapses and dies. You’ll scream, “I called it!” when it happens.

2

‘The Pink Panther’ (2006)

The Pink Panther stars Steve Martin as the bumbling, famous Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The lawman springs into action when Yves Gluant (Jason Statham), the coach of the French national soccer team, is murdered and his priceless Pink Panther diamond ring stolen. After blundering his way through the entire movie, Clouseau accidentally solves the case.

Blink and You’ll Find Him Dead Already

It’s quite surprising that Statham was okay with appearing in such a minor capacity, yet he was already a major star when the movie was made. Still, his character’s death is crucial as it is the main mystery that drives the plot. Statham’s fans might not be impressed by what they see here, but The Pink Panther still stands as one of director Shawn Levy’s most entertaining films.

There’s a lot of goofiness, but in itself, the film’s obsession with comedy may not be a bad thing. Levy borrows the tropes of film noirs and fills them out with great jokes and slapstick moments, giving the material the same weight and power as the original films starring Peter Sellers.

1

‘War’ (2007)

In War, FBI agent John Crawford (Jason Statham) is hellbent on catching Rogue (Jet Li), a mysterious assassin who killed his partner. After disappearing for years, Rogue reappears, triggering a gang war between Chinese Triads and Japanese Yakuza. As he is being hunted by Crawford, Rogue manipulates both criminal factions to his advantage.

The “Criminal” Wins

Celebrated but largely dismissed by critics, War stands as a harrowing, violent, and suspenseful story of friendship and crime. But it could have been better. Whenever his famous leads aren’t fighting, director Philip G. Atwell doesn’t seem to know what to do with them. Even when fighting, they give their movies too much deliberation, and they always look aware of the camera. So they occasionally come across as novices.

But you’ll still enjoy the ending where Crawford is killed by Rogue. And there’s a lovely twist that shouldn’t be spoiled. It’s all good. Either Jet Li or Jason Statham had to come out on top. The former was chosen as the victor. Since then, the British star hasn’t died in a movie. Will it ever happen again? It would be refreshing if it did, but don’t bet on it.