Taxi 4

Not much is left of the fast paced action from the original "Taxi"! The only connection between this and the previous movies are the cast and a very short appearance of the taxi driven by Daniel (Samy Naceri)! Everything what I liked about the "Taxi" series is gone! Apart from the climax which looked like a parody on Scarface there is not much action to be enjoyed! There are no car chases and none of the spectacular stunts we are used to from the "Taxi" series! That doesn't mean that "Taxi 4" is a bad movie! It has a lot of funny moments and you will laugh! But with the action missing the well balanced mix of humor and action is lost! It was nice to see the main characters some what matured since they have become parents! But it could have been much nicer if they showed more about the relationship between the heroes and their children! I hope this will be the last in the "Taxi" series! Because it only can get worse and that shouldn't happen! "Taxi 4" is a slapstick comedy that surely will find an audience! But my guess is that a lot of fans from the original Taxi will give this a miss!

After a prologue where taxi driver Daniel helps football star Djibril Cissé get to the stadium just in time for his first match in Marseilles we get to the main story. A Belgian criminal, known as 'Le Belge' is to be held in Marseilles as he changes plane on the way to his trial in the Congo. Not surprisingly things go very wrong. Le Belge manages to persuade policeman Emilien that he is actually an attaché at the Belgian embassy and that the real criminal escaped before boarding the plane to Marseilles. Once released he takes Daniel's taxi to freedom. Emilien is sacked but with Daniel's help he works to recapture Le Belge with the help of Daniel.

It must be said that for a 'Taxi' film this is somewhat lacking in the series' trademark high-speed action; thankfully it is still hilarious... of course humour is subjective but I enjoyed it so much I laughed till it was hard to read the subtitles! The humour was delightfully silly; a police chief shooting himself with a tranquiliser; a criminal in a leather gimp suit and a protagonist fails to recognise his wife just because she was wearing a wig. The cast does a solid job with most of the regulars returning, although Marion Cotillard is no longer present. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of madcap comedy; just don't expect the high speed hijinks of the previous films.

These comments are based on watching the series in French with English subtitles.

The fourth and last (so far) entry in the long-running "Taxi" series is a mild disappointment. There are few car-chase-and-crash thrills, and lengthy talky passages have taken their place. Instead of a climactic chase, we get a belated "Scarface" parody. However, the enduring appeal of these characters, some good laughs ("Yes, the Belgian confessed everything. We used the opportunity to close a few other cases, too!"), and a fun cameo for football (soccer, for Americans) fans at the start help keep this sequel painless. One of its best points by far is the return of Emma Sjöberg as Petra. In this one, she goes undercover as a brunette, and she reminded me of Jennifer Garner in one of her "Alias" disguises. In fact, considering her Amazonian looks and matching fighting abilities (briefly shown here, but showcased better in "Taxi 2") it's a wonder that her film career basically consists only of this series and a Dennis Rodman vehicle. (**)

The worst of all the taxi movies. A beautiful car is the only positive object in this picture; Not enough actions scenes and comedy scenes like in the other pictures. You have to be a Belgian for really understanding the dialogs in this movie. Furthermore the dangerous criminal is known as the biggest Flemish menace, apparently the French have forgotten that in Flanders the people speak Dutch.

The big lack in this movie is the absence of hot pursuits of the taxi driver like in the other three movies. It's a summery of copies of good scenes from the previous movies but it lacks the magic and comedy of the other taxi movies.

The original Luc Besson movie is far more better then this one.

I watched this movie with subtitles, having not seen the previous 3 films. I enjoyed the format, not knowing that previous episodes supposedly offered more/better car chases according to other commentators.

The Inspector irritated me, until I bought into the Pink Panther / Insp. Jacques Clouseau homage (http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=Pink+Panther&x=23&y=7) and "Silence of the Lambs" / Hannibal Lecter thing, then I just rode the wave of good humour and rollicking fun.

This movie was always meant to be taken lightly rather than literally or (worse) earnestly.