Jason Statham may have found himself a core audience of followers who have been making sure his expansive catalog of movies is constantly on one streaming chart or another. However, one of his bleaker, less-spectacular action thrillers that is climbing up the STARZ streaming chart was incredibly unlucky when it came to its reviews – but who cares about that in the streaming age?
Statham’s appearance in the 2010 box office flop 13 is one that has mostly been forgotten, but is just the latest example of how mid-shelf titles can rocket up the rankings years after their theatrical release—especially when an algorithm notices viewers start to binge anything with Statham’s name on it and drops another title into the mix.
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13 is an English-language remake of the French cult hit 13 Tzameti, and the film arrived at a time when Statham was straddling a line between making gritty ensemble movies and balls-to-the-wall action blockbusters. Director Géla Babluani was given the task of remaking his own movie from 2005, re-crafting the story of a desperate young man (Sam Riley) who steals an invitation to a clandestine high-stakes Russian-roulette tournament, only to land in a warehouse full of spectators wagering on who survives each pull of the trigger. Statham enters halfway through as Jasper Bagges, a sadistic participant who is watching his brother (Ray Winstone) through the rounds while sizing up Riley’s character to try and work out exactly why he is there. The cast list comes with plenty of the usual suspects, including Mickey Rourke, 50 Cent, and Michael Shannon, and the film that would probably not have been out of place as a late-night television filler saw itself crash and burn with a box office of under $2 million worldwide.
Is Jason Statham’s ’13’ Really as Bad as It Seems?
Anchor Bay Films
It is hard to find a Jason Statham movie that doesn’t tick boxes for at least audiences, if not always critics. However, 13 proved to be very unlucky as it delivered just a 34% rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, which turned out to be relatively perfect compared to the 7% score from critics on the Tomatometer. So why do so many people hate 13?
There have been many examples over the years of movies that have been completely destroyed to satisfy American audiences. The Ring went for flashy CGI over the nerve-shredding low-key horrors of Ringu. The same could be said of The Grudge, a Sarah Michelle Gellar vehicle that just could not match the original. You would think that action movies would be an easier genre to nail, especially when the same director is at the helm. For 13, that was not the case.
In an ironic twist, the original movie is Géla Babluani’s highest-rated movie, while his remake is his worst. For many, the gritty story of the original became lost in translation and became what one reviewer eloquently called a “craptacular.” From complaints of the movie being a “dumb and suspenseless thing that barely feels finished,” to simple statements asking “how did this get made,” it is maybe not surprising that so many chose to forget it even exists.
However, time moves on, and now the name Jason Statham is usually the guarantee of some blistering action sequences, albeit wrapped around a fairly predictable plot. This means seeing a little-known title appearing on a streaming platform’s banner with Statham’s name attached to it is always going to pull in attention, and that is enough to make it another unlikely action streaming hit. So, who is up for a sequel?
Source: FlixPatrol
Release Date
March 12, 2010
Runtime
91 Minutes
Director
Géla Babluani
Writers
Gregory Pruss
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