Feb 13, 2003 04:48 PM
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(Updated Feb 13, 2003 04:48 PM)
The Transporter is a film that was made by Luc Besson (the man who did La Femme Nikita for one) and it was apparently made specifically with Jason Statham in mind. Jason Statham is an ex-Olympic diver who has been previously seen in Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
The Transporter is the tale of ex-army man Frank who after leaving the army has settled in France. Who using and incredibly flash BMW Frank works as a transporter who carries anything for anyone who will pay him. He is one of the best at his job and has survived using his three basic rules: no names; never open the package; and the deal is not negotiable.
One day Frank is asked to carry a package, the contents of which cause Frank to break one of his cardinal rules and the rest of the film basically revolves around the consequences of this.
The film is basically an action film in the triple X mode of filmmaking and there is stunt after stunt in the film. Where possible Jason Statham has performed his own and this gives some kind of realism to the film. The stunts are good with some being within the bounds of believability.
The film begins in James Bond mode with the first 10 minutes being an introduction that contains a hair-raising stunt that serves purely to introduce the character but doesn’t concern the main story in anyway. This stunt is an awesome car chase and is not to be missed.
There is a lot of violence in the film mainly of the guns and martial arts variety. If you do not like these types of films then The Transporter is not for you. The martial arts scenes are well choreographed and have an edge of realism to them and make them more believable then scenes from The Matrix or Crouching Tiger.
Jason Statham apparently trained hard to be able to perform a lot of the action shown in the film and it shows when you look at him. He has a very nice physique in the film sort of lots of lean muscles, which he shows at several opportunities. So ladies there is plenty of eye-candy for you in the film.
The aspect of the film that is not as believable is the romance. The leading lady Shu Qi is almost there for visual impact only and doesn’t add a lot to the movie. The scenes of romance (2 min) between her and frank are stilted to say the least. If those scenes were not included you would really lose nothing from the movie except for the opportunity to see Jason’s physique.
The photography and editing etc is ok. The supporting actors are pleasant to look at and fulfil their roles well but are nothing special. What the film does reasonably convey is the life of a good person living on the wrong side of the law, as Frank is inherently a decent man who makes his living within the criminal fraternity.
All in all it is a good film to watch to pass time if you like movies of this particular genre. I saw it on the plane and it whiled away the time well. It didn’t drag and kept my interest through out. You don’t lose much by watching this film on the small screen. However, if on the other hand you are looking for the next James Bond then Frank is not him.
