Ten years ago, when I saw Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, I was impressed with an unknown actor named Jason Statham. He seemed raw, yet had an undeniable charm and, yes, that indefinable quality, charisma. He displayed it again in his next Guy Ritchie film, Snatch, playing Turkish, the sketchy boxing promoter who gets pulled into the criminal underworld.

Soon, I began to see commercials for something called The Transporter, and there, again, was Statham. Not being much of an action film buff, I passed. As I flipped through the cable channels a few years later, the Italian Job remake was on, and I noticed Statham again, this time playing a character called Handsome Rob. I changed the channel, and bingo, more Statham, this time in a small part in Collateral. Two channels later, a commercial for a film called Crank, starring, of course, Statham. Wow, I thought, this guy is working like mad.

Well, two months ago, my wife and I went to see The Bank Job, a pretty entertaining heist film well directed by the crafty vet Roger Donaldson, and I was struck, as I watched Statham portray Terry Leather, with a strong sense of deja vu. Who did he remind me of? The answer seemed so obvious, and yet I couldn't place it. Then, during one of his closeups, as he stood there, perfectly still, his character listening intently yet seemingly perfectly relaxed, it hit me.

Jason Statham is rapidly becoming the British version of Steve McQueen. Maybe he's not fully there yet, but he's well on his way.

Growing up, I loved McQueen because he seemed to embody all the traits necessary to be a true leading man:

1) Don't say too much. Let the audience project onto your character whatever they choose, allowing you to be everything to everybody.

2) Kick ass convincingly. Don't seem gun shy or afraid of violence.

3) Never be too impressed by a beautiful woman. Of course, Bogart was the master of this, often treating knockouts with open contempt.

4) Never become as evil as the enemy you're fighting, or you'll lose your soul (and the audience).

And perhaps the most important rule of all, the hallowed Rule Five:

5) Never, ever pose. Not for a second. Posing is, well, for poseurs.

Intrigued, I went back and rented a number of Statham's films that I had skipped. Some were fun, lightweight popcorn fare (Crank), some were ultra slick action thrillers (War), some were simply not very good (in the interest of my career, I will refrain from naming them). Yet in each film, you could clearly see Statham learning his craft and improving in subtle yet noticeable ways. In Transporter 2, he lets the camera come to him, rather than projecting outwardly, as he did in the original; in Revolver, he changes his appearance and demeanor; and in War, he stops trying to impress with his fighting skills and, instead, fights (see Rule Five).

Statham, it can be argued, is dangerously close to mastering all five of the LMRs (Leading Man Rules) and is close to adding a sixth: Don't be afraid to (on occasion) express vulnerability, and, yes, even warmth. His character in The Bank Job is both tough guy and family man, a difficult balancing act for anybody, and he pulls it off easily.

The major studios are taking notice of Statham, too. He has roles in three current franchises (The Transporter films, the upcoming The Brazilian Job, and the sequel to Crank), and Tom Cruise's company is putting him in the remake of Death Race 2000 (simply called Death Race). Depending on his (and management's) next few choices, the studio push, the audience's embrace, and, of course, luck, Statham is poised to become either the next Steve McQueen...or simply Chuck Norris.

If I had to bet, though, I'd bet on the former.