Statham loves his new 'Job'

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Jason Statham is enthusiastic about his new film "The Bank Job." He loves the story, he loves the central character he plays. The London-born actor enjoyed the extensive research that he and the director, Roger Donaldson, did before making the movie, which is based on a true story.

However, he's surprised to learn, via this reporter, just how much of that real-life tale the movie apparently reveals.

"The Bank Job" is based on the 1971 robbery of a Baker Street bank in London. No one was ever arrested for the crime, in which safety deposit boxes were looted. It made headlines at the time, but only for a few days — the case was slapped with a D-Notice, an official request to quit publicizing it because of national security concerns.

Only after the heist is complete does Mr. Statham's leader discover that he's been sent in by a government agency to recover compromising photos of a member of the royal family that an unsavory blackmailer has been using to stay out of jail. The film names that member of royalty: Princess Margaret. The real Princess Margaret was, of course, Queen Elizabeth II's younger sister and notorious for a controversial love life.

Mr. Statham, speaking by telephone from Paris where he's shooting "Transporter 3" and reprising his role as the title character in the action franchise, sounds shocked to hear "The Bank Job" actually names a real royal personage. "We might be getting a knock on the front door soon," he laughs. "We didn't set out to upset anybody, and we certainly don't want to embarrass anybody."

The 35-year-old actor is used to playing the kind of guy who would rob a bank. After making his debut in Guy Ritchie's crime flick "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," he went on to star in the director's similarly themed follow-ups, "Snatch" and "Revolver." He played a hit man in "Crank" and helped execute "The Italian Job."

He sees his character in "The Bank Job" as a bit of a departure, however.

"I play a car dealer. One of the driving forces behind it is that I'm under pressure from the people I normally play, from the villains, from the bad guys. He's got debts to pay," he says, adding that wanting to give his family a better future is an "endearing" reason to commit a heist. "It's great for me, I get to play a father, and I get to play the husband. I never get to play that, usually. It's an adult film for me."

Mr. Statham was on Britain's national diving squad for a dozen years and finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992. The athletic actor often does his own stunts in movies, as he did in "The Transporter."

"People do like me to stick a bit of that in there," he says. Still, the excitement in "The Bank Job" comes from the story, not the action — at least until the climax. "I think someone who likes some of the films I've been in gets a fair bit of attitude at the end," he promises.

One wonders, then, if Mr. Statham does a film like "The Bank Job," which taps his known talents while asking him to display new ones, to broaden his future possibilities. "Yes, absolutely," he says. "You can't keep doing the same thing."

At the same time, he counters, "It's like saying to Hugh Grant, when are you going to stop doing romantic comedies, when are you going to do an action film? People like Hugh Grant doing what he does best."

Mr. Statham muses that he'd like to do the kind of thing he does best — action films — while branching out a bit. "Maybe I'll do a romantic comedy. Maybe me and Hugh Grant could do a film together," he laughs.

Mr. Grant will have to wait. Mr. Statham is excited about the upcoming "Death Race," a remake of "Death Race 2000" also featuring Joan Allen and Ian McShane, his "first big studio picture." He's also enjoying the shoot for "Transporter 3."

"If I didn't have whatever success I have with these films, I'd never get to do films like 'The Bank Job,' " he humbly offers. "You should never lose sight of that. I can't, anyway."

DCIFF turns 10

The D.C. Independent Film Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with over 100 films, themed sessions and seminars, receptions, an advocacy forum on Capitol Hill and, for the second year, even a music festival.

The festival runs until March 16; all events take place at George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium (805 21 St. NW). As usual, most of the screenings and seminars take place on the weekend and during the evenings on weekdays, making it easy for almost anyone to attend.

Films, which mostly include shorts, are grouped under themes such as "Native American Films" (Tuesday night), "Making a Difference" (next Friday night) and "Surreal and Absurd" (a week from tomorrow night). The festival's closing-night film is the 60-minute documentary "The Clash Live: Revolution Rock," which shows the evolution of the British band's concert style through live footage.

Complete details are at the festival's Web site at www.dciff.org