Ever since J.J. Connolly penned his sequel novel Viva La Madness, rumors have circulated about a return to the world of Layer Cake, the Daniel Craig-led pre-Bond project often named one of the best British crime thrillers of this century. In 2013, it was reported that fellow British badass Jason Statham had acquired the rights to the sequel, but little more than whispers of development were heard since. That is until recently, with it confirmed that Statham is reteaming with frequent collaborator Guy Ritchie to finally bring the story to the screen.
Ahead of the long-awaited Layer Cake sequel, fans are flocking to a free streaming site to catch one of his more forgotten action thrillers. The 2011 crime flick Blitz, which features Statham alongside House of the Dragon star Paddy Considine, features a screenplay from Nathan Parker, who adapted the novel of the same name by Ken Bruen. Also starring the likes of Aidan Gillen, Zawe Ashton, and Luke Evans, the movie was the very first produced by Lionsgate UK, the British subsidiary of the famous company, and earned just over $15 million at the global box office.
At the time of writing, Blitz is one of the ten most-streamed movies on free streaming site Tubi in the U.S. In typical Statham fashion, the movie follows the former French Connection model as a tough South East London cop who uses his expertise to track down a serial killer that has been targeting his professional peers. As far as Statham movies go, the film is perfectly action-packed and makes for easy viewing for fans of his work.
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‘Blitz’ Didn’t Impress Critics
Image via Lionsgate UK
Much like those living in London during September 1940, critics were not fans of Blitz. Awarding a disappointing 48% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus on the site reads, “A middling crime thriller largely assembled from wearyingly familiar parts, Blitz sacks a game Jason Statham performance behind the line of genre scrimmage.” One critic wrote, “It is an unedifying film, slickly directed and photographed, but lacking conviction and much inferior to the police procedurals you can see any night on television.” Audiences agreed with critics, awarding an even more disappointing 36% from over 5,000 submissions.
Jason Statham’s Blitz is streaming for free right now on Tubi. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.