The Transporter

There's no question that Luc Besson is one of Europe's biggest action producers. I mean with the cult classics "La Femme Nikita" (1991) and "The Professional" (1994) behind him, he's basically been given the green-light for every big action picture he comes across. One of his latest and most ambitious projects was "The Transporter," released in 2002.

I have to admit this is one flick I approached with a very open mind - very open. I mean, I like Jason Statham. I think he's a pretty cool guy and at first, even I questioned his casting as Frank Martin in "The Transporter." But the problem is, and I'm assuming this is the result of the quickly edited action scenes (which were toned down to make the film "PG-13"), he's not being given the room to really be the best he can be.

As the lead character, he's a transporter. He can get you, your associates or your property anywhere, anytime, on time, no questions asked. But you know what? Common sense tells us that it was curiosity that killed the cat, and the cat in this picture thankfully doesn't die some horrible death but instead, curiosity yields him a break - a beautiful woman named Lai (Shu Qi) - bound and gagged, and in the trunk of his BMW.

It's not spoiling much that she and Frank get together and as a result, are forced to do battle with shady and vicious American businessman Wall Street (Matt Schulze) and his army of high-kicking, disposable assassins. There's a little more to the plot and Lai, and the circumstances surrounding her appearance in the trunk of Frank's car, and it involves some smuggling of poor Chinese immigrants from China to Europe, where much of the action takes place.

Speaking of action and there's plenty of it, Statham does display some pretty impressive moves but the frantic editing just doesn't do him justice. He obviously worked out for this part and there are frequent moments when his ripped torso is on display. He also (barely) manages to shy away any possible accusations that he's just a British novelty to American audiences. Director Corey Yuen (whose work on Jet Li's 2001 action film "Kiss of the Dragon" I admired), is behind it and Besson's got a producer credit.

The problem may not be Statham because I think he's a really cool actor with a raspy British accent, but the script is worth some deeper examination by more thoughtful minds. There are plenty of holes and unanswered questions (i.e., the extent of Frank's military training and experiences, Lai and how she wound up with Frank and her quarrelsome relationship with her father who is played by Ric Young, and the plot with the Chinese smuggling).

But why am I making such complaints? "The Transporter" is an action movie; no plot required. Despite some bumps in the road, "The Transporter" is pure action fun from beginning to end, and I got my free ticket to see "The Transporter 2" on Friday.

7/10

This thrilling film is packed with unstopped action , stirring car races and sensational fights .The former mercenary called Frank Martin(Jason Statham in his starring debut) turned in security agent is now serving as chauffeur for delinquents and mobsters . He is contracted by a gangster to make a delivery, but when Martin stops along route, he aware his "package" is moving. Frank's curiosity leads him to break the rules, and he discovers the package is delivering to Wall Street contains an amazing surprise . Violating his own personal rules, he breaks his own code and looks inside the trunk , finding its contents to be a wonderful Oriental woman named Lai ( the Chinese Qi Shu ) . Learning that Martin broke the rules and aware about Lai, Wall Street (Matt Schulze) orders his mercenaries to kill him . Later on , he becomes involved in human smuggling by ominous nasties( Matt Schulze, Ric Young). Meanwhile , an astute Police Instector (Francois Berleand ) is investigating the deeds .

This exciting picture gets frenetic action, suspense, thrills, tension , terrific chase scenes, and lots of violence when the struggles and killings happen , being pretty entertaining. Chases galore abound with breathtaking velocities and overwhelming pursuits where the cars bound, leap and fly. It's a run-of-the-mill action film but from the start to the finish the action-packed is interminable. Furthermore , incredible fights with bound and leaps by the trainer master Corey Yeun (artificer of spectacular choreography from Hong Kong cinema) and spectacular chases including a moving ending involving a plane and trucks . Impressive car races and pursuits were made by authentic stunts and computer generator effects. Jason Statham is top-notch as action hero, he lives what seems to be a luxurious life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods from one location to another , he's a tough man fighting stunningly . Matt Schulze is magnificent as an extremely clever villainous .Lively musical score fitting to the action by Stanley Clarke . Spectacularly photographed by prestigious cameraman Pierre Morel (Taken , District 13), subsequently successful director , shot on location in the followings places : Avenue De Saissy, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, Cassis, Bouches-Du-Rhône, Eze Village, Alpes-Maritimes, Marseille, Nice, Paris, and Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, Aix-en-Provence;Saint-Tropez, Var, France , Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes, France. The motion picture is lavishly produced by the notorious producer , writer and director Luc Besson and well directed by Louis Leterrier (Fury of Titans, Incredible Hulk , Danny the Dog) and Corey Yeun , two notable experts on action cinema. In conclusion the film provides fast and furious entertainment and action unstopped with no sense and developed with fast paced and continuous movement. It's a must see for action lovers .Followed by two sequels Transporter 2 (2005) by Louis Leterrier and Transporter 3 (2008) by Olivier Megaton , repeating Jason Statham and Francois Berleand .

All action movies should strive to be this imaginative! OK, the plot was not particularly intriguing, but what action movie's actually is? But the plot was secondary to the action, it only served to make the bad guys bad and the good guys good. The rest was up to Jason Statham's considerable fighting talents.

There were some unbelievable yet jaw-dropping stunts, a terrific fight scene in oil, and some great car chase scenes. There were no smarmy one-liners making light of good action sequences as is too often the case in American-directed action flicks. The hero was cold, yet compassionate. He didn't kill unnecessarily, but when he had to, he was ruthless. There are many great action sequences, some so unbelievable you have to just shake your head and remember that action movies are not supposed to be based on reality. There is even a great shot of the hero jumping off a speeding semi while it races over a bridge onto the back of a bus going perpendicular to the truck under the bridge!! I mean, come on! It would never happen, but I have to give credit to the stunt coordinator who imagined the possibilities.

There is another hilarious scene where the hero chases down an airplane on foot, hijacks it, jumps out of the plane at great altitude in order to land on the back of a speeding transport with a conveniently located borrowed parachute! I am glad all crop dusters carry such indispensable equipment and that it is so easy to land on the back of a truck speeding down the highway at 130 KM/hour.

All in all, 90 minutes of sheer enjoyment. Even with the predictable ending, I have to highly recommend this movie. If you can suspend belief for a little while, you will be rewarded.

The Transporter (2002) was a fun action film that was directed by Jet Li's fight director Corey Yuen and it starred Jason Statham. Jason stars as Frank Martin. He's a hired gin who does driving jobs for a hefty fee. For his services he'll use his superb driving skills to get his paying customers out of a jam. He asks no questions and needs precise instruction in order to perfectly time his getaways. His number one rule is to never ask questions. One day he takes a gig from a sleazy and shady man named Betancourt (Matt Schulze). Instead of delivering the goods, he breaks his number one rule and peeks inside the package...

A fun action film filled with bone breaking action and wild stunts. People have unfairly slammed this movie for being unrealistic. What do you expect? The action scenes are performed to flamboyant ans stylized you have to suspend belief. It's one of those movies that doesn't throw in realism all of a sudden to make the movie more interesting. Jason Statham is pretty cool as well as the Transporter and he seems legit, not another tough guy phony. HE looks like he can knock the tar out of you in a real fight. Co-stars Shu Qi (she learned to speak English phonetically for her role in this movie).

Highly recommended.

I wanted to like this one, being as I am a sucker for Statham movies. But no. Inane dialog, wooden acting, and absurd (and bizarrely choreographed) action just spoil the fun. This feels like an action movie from the 80ies, there is no rhyme or reason to the nonsense in this flick, even by the very modest standards of its genre. I can't believe this absurd flick started a little franchise, although its sequels are a little better, which isn't saying much (it helps that the female leads in them are much hotter in this reviewer's opinion). Even the romantic interest doesn't spice it up, (tiny spoiler) he should simply not have looked in the bag. Not worth it.