Summary
Jason Statham thrillerBlitzlet the star do his very own take on a classic Clint Eastwood character.Statham once revealed his biggest acting heroes toMen’s Journal, which included Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Newman, and Bruce Lee. In mostJason Statham action movies, it’s clear to see the influence of all those actors on his career, particularly when it comes to choosing actions over words. Sadly, Statham only got to work with one of his acting idols, having collaborated with Stallone many times onThe Expendablesmovies.
Eastwood feels like he would be a natural fit forThe Expendables, but thus far, the screen icon has yet to appear in the series. Despite being a star for over 50 years, there aren’t that manyClint Eastwood franchisesin existence either. Outside of theDollarstrilogy or theEvery Which Way… duology, Eastwood has avoided making sequels. Of course, the big exception is theDirty Harrymovie series, where he played the rogue San Francisco cop no less than five times.
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Jason Statham has made a name for himself in the action genre and once cited his five acting heroes; here’s how they all influenced his career.
Blitz Is Jason Statham’s Take On Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry
What if Dirty Harry grew up in London?
Statham is permanently typecast in the action genre - a label he seems perfectly content with. That said, he will occasionally stretch out to other genres, be it drama (Hummingbird) or comedy (Spy). 2011’sBlitzis a hybrid of gritty thriller and classic Statham vehicle, where he plays a gruff cop called Brant. The film has fight scenes, but it can’t be called an action movie either. Instead,it feels like a modern-day riff onDirty Harrywith Statham in the lead role.
Brant obviously doesn’t carry a .44 Magnum or regularly gets himself into shootouts, but the ending still involves him taking a not exactly legal route to stopping Blitz for good.
All the keyDirty Harrybeats are there; Brant is a cop who plays by his own rules and takes justice into his own hands. The movie’s titular killer (played byGame of ThronesAidan Gillen) targets police officers throughout London and craves publicity and attention.This is also true ofDirty Harry’skiller Scorpio (Andrew Robinson) who, despite his obvious guilt, is able to weasel his way out of legal troubleand gain sympathy using the press.
Brant obviously doesn’t carry a .44 Magnum or regularly gets himself into shootouts, but the ending still involves him taking a not exactly legal route to stopping Blitz for good. The film received mixed reviews (48% onRotten Tomatoes) and wasn’t much of a success, butBlitzhas found a following in the years since its release. It helps that the cast isstacked, with Paddy Considine, Luke Evans and Mark Rylance backing Statham up, while it makes great use of London as a location.
Blitzco-stars Jason Statham and Luke Evans later played brothers Deckard and Owen Shaw in theFast & Furiousfranchise.
Blitz Was Meant To Launch A New Jason Statham Franchise
There’s no shortage of Statham franchises already, but hadBlitzmade a bigger splash, there could have been more adventures with Brant. The film is based on a 2002 novel by Ken Bruen of the same title, andBlitzwas one of many novels featuring the character of Brant, includingCalibreandVixen. A sequel would have depended on the original being a solid hit, but while it did well in the UK, it went straight to DVD in the States.
This is a pity because, while the original was flawed, it featured one of Statham’s best performances from that era. Brant is a character that felt custom-built for the star, and one that offered him a meatier role that didn’t require any heavy action beats.Blitzis about as close to Statham playing a Clint Eastwood role as audiences are likely to get, and while the film’s take on vigilante justice isn’t subtle stuff, it was at least made with some craft.
Jason Statham worked with Clint Eastwood’s son Scott on 2021’sWrath of Man, where they played enemies.
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Given its iconic status, some might be surprised that Warner Bros has never attempted aDirty Harryreboot. Eastwood signed off on the role withThe Dead Pooland ruled out aDirty Harry 6in the years that followed.During the early 2000s, reports suggested Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was being lined up to take overDirty Harry, but those talks came to nothing. In truth, it would be very hard to seeanybodyelse in the Dirty Harry role but Eastwood.
In the same way the poor actor who takes over Clint’s role in the proposedA Fistful of Dollarsremake will have a hard time escaping his shadow,Dirty Harryis just too closely tied to Eastwood. The originals were also controversial in their day for depicting a cop who shoots first and asks questions later, so a modern remake might be a tough sell to audiences. Still, for fans of the Eastwood saga looking for something similar, Statham’sBlitzis very much cast in the same mold.
Blitz
Cast
Blitz is a crime thriller set in London, following hard-edged detective Tom Brant, portrayed by Jason Statham. Brant is on a mission to track down and capture a serial cop killer known as Blitz, who is targeting police officers across the city. Directed by Elliott Lester, the film explores the relentless pursuit to bring the murderer to justice amidst the backdrop of urban tension and brutality.
