The Transporter
Starring: Jason Statham, Qi Shu, Matt Schulze
Directed by: Corey Yuen
Rated: PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality.
Parental Notes: Although “The Transporter” is a fairly bloodless film, it is quite violent. Younger teens may find it too intense but older ones will probably love it.
“The Transporter” opens with a hilarious sequence that sets the tone for the film perfectly. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) picks up a quartet of none-too-bright thieves outside a bank. Unfortunately, he was contracted to drive three men, not four, and won’t move until the issue is resolved. Frank remains calm, explaining as sirens get closer and closer that one of his rules is that the deal can never be changed.
Finally, the robbers settle which of them will stay behind and buckle in for the ride of their lives as Frank whips his sleek black car in and out of traffic, around pedestrians, and out of the city in spite of the massive numbers of police cars everywhere. The mix of rather dark humor and spine-tingling action runs through the entire film.
Frank’s complete calm under stress and his amazing talents are explained when we learn he’s ex-military. He supports himself (and his multimillion dollar Italian seaside villa) by transporting packages for people. He has an excellent reputation build around his unbreakable rules. Unfortunately, the next job he takes, he breaks rule number one and looks inside the package – a duffel bag that squirms and turns out to contain a beautiful young woman.
Of course the young woman is in jeopardy and Frank becomes entangled trying to rescue first her and then a container of slaves being smuggled into Italy. There is just enough plot to support the weight of the action sequences that make up the bulk of the film’s screen time.
But do we care? Of course not. “The Transporter” is a movie for people who want to watch a tough guy doing all kinds of amazing martial arts and firing all kinds of weapons and so on. Boy, does this film deliver in that department. We get to see Frank fighting groups of people everywhere from on a bus to in a garage with several gallons of oil on the floor, there is a fight in a hallway with Frank trapped between two axe-wielding assailants, and there’s a scene with enough slow-motion gunfire to last John Woo for almost an entire film.
In spite of all that, there is comparatively little in the way of blood and guts. Frank makes it through several chase scenes without ever running into a pedestrian, and although there’s plenty of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat there is the bare minimum in the way of fake blood.
What really makes the film work, though, is Statham’s ability to simply be Frank. He doesn’t so much play the character as inhabit him, remaining totally deadpan but showing reactions and thought processes with a flicker of his eyes or a tilt of his head. If only the other actors were as good. They are competent, however, and fit in well with the ludicrous story. The villains are over the top, although not quite as gloriously so as Alan Rickman or Jeremy Irons can be, and it’s fun to watch them get their comuppance.
“The Transporter” is not a film for a moviegoer in search of intellectual stimulation, psychological twists, or a quiet and thoughtful evening out. Those who just want to be entertained, however, will no doubt be amply satisfied.