Top 5 displaced ’80s action heroes

Jason Statham is the perfect ’80s action star. Too bad he was born in 1972 and would have been in his pre-teens for most of that decade.

Back in the quasi-glorious 1980s, action stars needed to be muscle-bound, tougher than nails and frighten small children just by entering a room. Oh, and if you could act — all the better.

It’s why Statham, who stars in the new actioner “Death Race,” would have made a killing two decades ago. Instead, he’s one of five current stars who missed out on some Reagan-era cinema.

1. Jason Statham: The star of “Death Race” and “The Transporter” is a mountain of a man on screen. He’s bald, can glower his enemies into submission and strides with a sense of deadly purpose. He’s a throwback, plain and simple.
2. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson): The ex-wrestler should have been an ’80s action star, but he’s smart enough to realize that ain’t happening. So he improvised his career with mega-results. He bounces from kiddie flicks (”The Game Plan”) to action flicks (”The Rundown”) to action comedies (”Get Smart”) to forge his own path.
3. Vin Diesel: This action star tried to follow The Rock’s blueprint, but so far his career has been but a faded Xerox copy. He would have owned the ’80s. (Bonus points for the ambitious failure that was “Find Me Guilty.”)
4. Vinnie Jones: This former soccer star turns up mostly in secondary roles (”Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”). But his fearsome appearance and laser-like intensity could have easily deposited him into “Rambo” terrain.
5. Tyrese Gibson: This “Death Race” actor already boasts an impressive action resume, but none of his films have hit the stratosphere like “Die Hard,” “Rambo” or other ’80s heavyweights. (”The Transformers” doesn’t count - he played a supporting role in that blockbuster).

(Photo: Jason Statham forged his action hero image in “Transporter 2″)