The Jason Statham Crime Thriller That's Killing It On Netflix

One of the best things about being a fan of Jason Statham is that he instantly improves any movie he's in, good, bad, or somewhere in-between.

The magnetic British action star has been cracking skulls and delivering delightfully hammy lines for over two decades. Whether he's a snarling villain or a hardened hero, Statham has turned in dozens of extremely enjoyable performances since he was first introduced as part of Guy Ritchie's repertory of British toughs in the late nineties.

If you're even a casual enjoyer of Statham's work, then you've probably seen him in The Transporter and Crank, and also as part of the impressive ensembles in the Expendables and Fast & Furious franchises.

You've probably even caught his surprisingly effective comedic work in movies like Spy and Gnomeo & Juliet.

But there are some movies in the actor's oeuvre that only hardcore fans of Statham are likely to have seen.

Enter one of Netflix's current top 10 most watched movies: the 2013 action movie Homefront.

There's a good chance the name isn't ringing any bells, as despite some obvious draws, like James Franco playing a character named Gator, Winona Ryder as a hardened criminal, and of course, Statham himself, the movie never made much of a splash.

But as so many films have in the past, it's getting another life thanks to Netflix. Here's what you need to know about this overlooked Jason Statham action thriller.

After a violent drug raid gone bad and the loss of his wife, DEA Agent Phil Broker decides to take his daughter, Maddy and retire in what he believes will be a quiet Louisiana parish.

Unfortunately, it's not long before Broker learns that not all of his new neighbors are interested in rolling out the welcome wagon. After an altercation with some schoolyard bullies, Broker and Maddy land on the radar of local meth kingpin Gator, his desperately addicted sister, Cassie, and his vicious right-hand woman, Sheryl.

What starts as a game of intimidation quickly escalates when Gator learns that Broker isn't just some new guy in town, but a retired DEA agent, and Broker decides to put his old job skills to work to try and dismantle Gator's operation. Both sides find themselves entrenched in a violent back and forth.

Broker may be outnumbered, but when Gator and Sheryl orchestrate the kidnapping of Maddy, he taps into a well of fury that the small town criminals couldn't have understood the depths of. Unfortunately for them, now that they've crossed the line, there's no going back.

Statham has rarely met a group of fictional malicious criminals who he hasn't wanted to kick the dirt out of, but when it comes to Homefront, there was another big pull that helped bring him on board.

The movie was written by Statham's Expendables co-star and Oscar nominated screenwriter Sylvester Stallone.

As Statham told Den of Geek,

"He's one of the great writers. I think people forget how many great films he's written. You know, he wrote Cliffhanger, he wrote all of the Rockys, all of the Rambos, all of the Expendables films. It's like a library of mega-success."

In fact, when Stallone first wrote the script -- which is based on a novel of the same name by Chuck Logan -- he intended to star in it himself. When it came time to actually make the movie, however, the legendary action star tapped Statham to take his place.

While speaking with Den of Geek, Statham said that getting the call was, quote, "one of the biggest privileges you can get… a hand-delivered script for something [Stallone] wrote for himself."

Critics also found plenty to enjoy in the movie, which was summed up by many as simple but satisfying. Noah Berlatsky, writing for The Atlantic, said that

"As a big dumb action movie, it works pretty well. [...] Overall, Homefront delivers the enjoyment you'd expect from a shoot-‘em-up."

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times summed up the experience of watching Homefront by calling it "indefensibly enjoyable."

Andy Lea of the Daily Star said

"Nobody can write this stuff quite like Stallone. And nobody from this over-drama schooled, over-Botoxed generation of movie stars can play it like Statham."

You can judge for yourself by checking out Homefront on Netflix.

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