Transporter 2
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Movie Reviews of Transporter 2
Movie Review: The Transporter 2
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Transporter" was an absurd little piece of work that I found to be quite good. "Transporter 2" is even more rediculous, but its a better film. I have a nack for defending the Jason Bourne films by arguing that the action and violence are plausible, and now I'm baffled. The "Transporter" films are escapes from reality, in a way that the "Matrix" films weren't, and what an escape this movie is.
One thing I admire about "Transporter 2" is that it takes pride in being implausible. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) isn't just a driver, but an ask-questions-later action hero. So of course he is able to wipe out platoons of bad guys, at one point with a water hose, and maneauver through narrow hallways polluted with gun-toting thugs. And since he is an expert driver, he is able to get rid of the bomb under his car by driving up a ramp, making a complete rotation so the bomb is unlatched by a hook, and land on all for wheels as the bomb explodes in the air above and behind him. The movie takes itself seriously in these kinds of moments, but at the same time it gives us a wink and grin.
I haven't even scratched the surface of the film's craziness. Frank Martin endures gunfights, explosions, and car and foot chases without breaking a sweat or ruining his suit. But even if his suit is ruined, he has a spare in the trunk of his car. At times the movie stops for a comedy break, and sometimes laughs emerge from Jason Statham pulling off some slick moves, like Jackie Chan does in his movies. Then, right when the film slows down for a second, it takes off again, making it's 88 minutes seem a lot longer.
But there is method to this madness, because the film has a plot that is convincing enough and tends to twist in ways that are unexpected. Frank Martin is the temporary driver of a rich little kid named Jake (Hunter Clary), whose parents, Audrey (Amber Valletta) and Jackson (Matthew Modine) are on the edge of a divorce. Not that we or the film cares about their marital problems. It jumps rather quickly into the action when Jake is kidnapped at a doctor's clinic by a lethal vixen named Lola (Katie Nauta, in a performance that allows her to show cleavage and have wars not only with the Statham character, but also with her makeup). She, of course, is at the command of Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), whose real plan is one of James Bondian proportions and only temporarily requires the kidnapping of Jake.
I don't want to describe Gianni's plan in detail, but I will say that I was concerned as to whether or not it was fully dealt with at the end. I guess I shouldn't concern myself with that, because "Transporter 2" isn't the type of film to get wrapped up in. It involves you momentarily with it's real story and then feeds you another big action sequence. Think of it as voluntary distraction.
Jason Statham has at last leaped into stardom. From what I understand, he did most of his own stunts for the film, including driving and fighting. That means that in a technical sense, some of the things that happen on screen are possible, but I can't think of any examples off the top of my head. What Statham does with Frank Martin is similar to what Matt Damon does with Jason Bourne: he manages to give his character emotional drive as well as heroic force. Its just that Frank Martin and Jason Bourne are on opposite ends of the plausible scale, but Statham can't help that. He does what he has to do with his role and he does a good job.
Its interesting how a movie so full of energy can hold it's balance and be good. Not many films hold themseleves together so easily, heaving action set piece after action set piece without sustaining any relevance. Oddly enough, "Transporter 2" is just as eager to set up action as it is to present action. Example: a horde of villains empty their automatic weapons at Frank Martin and stop to reload when they realize they...ahem...forgot extra clips. The proceeding sequence convinced me that watching hand-to-hand combat is more entertaining than watching a gun fight.
Rated PG-13; 88 minutes; Directed by Louis Leterrier
Movie Review: Frank Martin gets to do more behind the wheel in "Transporter 2"
Summary: 4 Stars
My most significant complaint regarding the original "Transporter" was that Jason Statham's Frank Martin did not do as much fancy driving as his job title would suggest. I am happy to report that deficiency has been rectified in the 2005 sequel. The title character still gets to punch and kick people in creative ways in "Transporter 2," but he also gets several chances to get behind the wheel of his big black Audi Cobra and floor that baby. Originally I was hoping for car stunts in the great tradition of Steve McQueen, that is to say the sort of things you really can do with a car, but this movie decides to follow the James Bond tradition where the impossible is made possible and you just smile and go along for the ride.
What we know about the Transporter is that he plays by his own rules and he is deadly serious about keeping them. You make a contract with him and he lives up to his side of the deal. Martin is the best at what he does and you need a lot of money to hire him, so imagine our surprise when we learn his precious cargo in this film is a young boy, Jack Billings (Hunter Clary). The boy's father, Jackson (Matthew Modine) is the new head of the U.S. narcotics agency and his other, Audrey (Amber Valletta), is now sleeping with Frank. I am not sure how anybody came up with Frank's fee to be a chauffer to a young boy, but of course he has promised the boy that nothing bad will happen to him, so you can anticipate where this one is going.
But Jack is the target of more than a kidnapping plot, and while Frank takes way too long to figure out there is not something right at the doctor's office, I certainly do not blame him for taking a while to figure out the plan with plans in this one. That is because the bad guy behind what is going on, Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), is pretty sharp for a villain, once you get past the standard mistake of not killing the hero as soon as you can and instead talking too mcuh. But before Frank can get to Gianni, he has to go through the ultra violent Lola (Kate Nauta), who has the high heels, the tattoo on the inner thigh, and the big guns to hold her own against Frank. Not that they stand a chance in the end, but they clearly are going to put up a decent fight before the end. The screenplay by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen comes up with a solid series of set pieces to tie the plot together for director Louis Leterrier, who is also back for the second go round.
Statham's Frank Martin broods a lot and you can see how he combines the laconic nature of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name/Dirty Harry with the outfits and gadgets of the James Bond of your choice. Substituting action for one-liners certainly meets with my approval because then you do not have to worry about lame jokes. Instead the laughs generated by this film are going to stem from such unlikely bits as Frank stabbing a bad guy with the leg of a chair (and an unbroken chair at that) or finding an odd way to break another henchman's arm. The one liners, such as they are, belong to the comic relief character here and the only other familiar face from the original film, Francois Berleand, who is back as Tarconi, only instead of checking on Frank's possible criminal activity and always being a step or two behind, this time he is visiting Miami on his vacation and taking issue with the local cuisine. This allows Frank to have somebody on the inside, along with Audrey, once Jackson and the police make the mistaken assumption he is in on the kidnapping. More importantly, it allows Frank to get behind the wheel of a car and do what he does best.
Movie Review: Not as good as the original, but still fun
Summary: 4 Stars
If you think the Hollywood movies have been a little slow in action this Summer, the cure has arrived. Jason Statham has returned to repise his role as Frank Martin, The Transporter. Although Frank has traded in his BMW for an Audi, the character is the same and the action takes the first movie up several notches.
This time around, Frank is doing a favor for a friend and is "transporting" the son of a government official to and from school. Frank and the boy have developed a bond since the boy's father (played by Matthew Modine) always seems to be away from home on business and has lost touch with the boy's life (Modine's character gets his son a complete baseball outfit for his birthday, only to find out his son stopped playing last year and is now a pretty good soccer player). Unfortunately, a Miami drug runner (played by Alessandro Gassman) has plans to kidnap the child and use him as the carrier of a deadly virus to kill his father. Now it's up to Frank to save the boy and find the antidote to cure him.
If you enjoyed the first movie, this one won't disappoint. The fight sequences here are choreographed again by Corey Yuen (though he doesn't direct this time around) and Luc Beeson had a hand in the screenplay. This movie doesn't stray far from the original formula that worked so well (fast cars, martial arts battles every few minutes, Statham's quiet manner even in the midst of a dozen guys out to get him, etc). Statham keeps the character low-key through everything, as if nothing can worry the Transporter.
Unfortunately, in an attempt to take everything a step further, there are a few sequences that go over the top. Using a wave runner-on land-to keep up with a bus, literally dodging bullets in a hallway, and Martin's unorthodox method for disabling a bomb under his car are just a few of the moments to make you cringe. And the final battle with Gassman is so far steeped in unreality you'll probably find it hard to swallow the premise. Still, when it comes to one-on-ten combat with an angry mob, Statham makes it beautiful. In one scene of the first movie, he takes down two police officers while holding Qi Shu on his shoulders. In this movie, he disables several bodyguards at once in the same non-lethal manner. In fact, the movie wastes no time showing us Martin still has the moves by giving us one of the best fights in the movie within the first five minutes. And through it all, he never wrinkles his suit. And the sight of Frank behind the wheel of a Ferrari made the entire theater start talking when I watched it. If you thought he could handle a Beemer, wait until he shows you what he can do with a really fast car!
The return of a character from the first movie (I won't spoil the surprise, since I never saw them in any of the previews) really shows us Martin's not just a driving machine-he's a man with friends.
If you're looking for deep, Oscar-winning performances and the feel-good movie of the summer, you won't find it here. If you're willing to suspend your beliefs in reality for a little while and want some over-the-top action and fun, you won't want to miss The Transporter 2.
Movie Review: Good action with some silly effects
Summary: 4 Stars
I was not much of a fan of the original The Transporter (Special Delivery Edition), a film which had similar elements to this sequel, but by the end of the movie had pushed itself to such ridiculous levels of disbelief as to leave you rolling your eyes. "Transporter 2" is also patently ridiculous, but this time director Louis Leterrier (who did not direct the original) manages to keep the movie flowing and it's transferable fun manages to overpower the moments that lead our rational brain to say "What the . . ".
Once again, Jason Statham is Frank Martin, a 'Transporter', who moves a customer's valuables from one location to another. He asks no questions about his cargo, keeping to a code that allows him professional detachment. Frank has taken up a temporary job to help out a friend by transporting the son of a U.S. Senator (Mathew Modine). Frank has taken a liking to the boy (Hunter Clary), while his mother, Audrey (Amber Valletta), has taken a liking to Frank. In the midst of this, an international thief for hire, Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), assisted by his borderline dominatrix associate, Lola (Kate Nauta), have kidnapped the son, Jack, with the intention of holding him for ransom, and also making it appear that Frank had a hand in it at the same time. Frank escapes the kidnappers, only to start to believe that there is more to the kidnapping than meets the eye.
"Transporter 2" is one of those films that should come with the warning label to check your brain at the door. Lots of things happen in "Transporter 2" that are outside the boundaries of reality. Cars defy gravity, human beings perform incredible stunts and survive and people are often in the right place at the right time. Yet, the film has a strong charm that is hard to ignore. A lot comes from the presence of Jason Statham. He is all business as Frank Martin, and he cements the film with his no-nonsense attitude. Statham is the epitome of cool in this film, and that is just what it needs. We can't not help but root for this man at the center of the film, and our interest in seeing him pull himself out of his scrapes is at times just plain lifting. Alessandro Gassman has just the right amount of boldness to be fun as the villain and Kate Nauta seems to be channeling a punk rock superstar as a deadly, but sexy assassin.
The film's action, while borderline impossible, is well-staged. Unlike many recent action films that over-edit their action, director Leterrier keeps everything clear and the running. The fight scenes, choreographed by fight-master, Corey Yuen, are as good as anything in recent martial-arts action movies, with a lean towards slightly more realism than, say, Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
If you are looking for some entertaining action then this is it, just don't believe everything you see.
Movie Review: The Best in the Business is Back...
Summary: 4 Stars
Three years after achieving box office and DVD/Video sales success with the 2002 action packed film "The Transporter", director Louis Leterrier returned to helm the further adventures of ex-special forces operative Frank Martin in 20th Century Fox's hit sequel, "Transporter 2". Joining Leterrier would be star Jason Statham who skyrocketed to fame with his martial arts abilities, charm, and quick wit in the first film. But could a sequel to such a surprise hit do as much business and possibly better than the original? Not to mention the story, could "Transporter 2" continue what was started in "The Transporter" by having an over-the-top action film actually having a decent story to tie the fights together or would it crumble into another meaningless pile of fight scenes with shoddy dialogue mixed in for good measure, like so many other wannabes before it?
"Transporter 2" finds Frank Martin, retired from his transporting profession, living a quiet chauffeuring a wealthy Miami family around. However, peace is not meant to be long-lasting for Frank, as the son of the family is kidnapped, leaving Frank as the main suspect. Now, the best in the business must get himself back in the game so that he can fight insurmountable odds to save the boy and clear his name.
So, was there any hope of "Transporter 2" possibly rivaling the original in terms of quality, fun, and high-octane action, I personally didn't think so. Well, let me say that I was wrong, not only did "Transporter 2" equal the original film, but also I believe it actually surpassed it on all counts.
The story was equally as fun and entertaining, by having Frank be a chauffer instead of a transporter of dangerous and/or illegal goods, was an interesting change of pace for the character, and one that worked well for him. As he was in the first film, Jason Statham managed to grab the audience instantly, taking them on an incredibly fun, high-energy thrill ride. One facet of the original that I thought was so impressive were the fast-paced fight scenes that were no doubt painstakingly crafted to perfection. Plus, the fact that Jason Statham did the majority of his own stunts added to the quality, but as great as most of the fights were in "The Transporter", the sequel managed to step it up several notches. Every move was much faster, the choreography much more precise and natural, leaving me feeling as if the first film seemed too rehearsed, lacking the fluidity that the sequel offered. Both films contain visually impressive fight sequences that are both somewhat realistic and over-the-top at the same time (which is where a lot of the appeal lies for these two films), but I do believe that "Transporter 2" definitely has the upper hand in this contest.
Overall, "Transporter 2" is an excellent, equally over-the-top (one particular car scene involving a bomb, may be too much so, but I'm not complaining) sequel that surpasses the original film, and leaves the audience craving more, just as any good movie should.
"Transporter 2" is rated PG-13 for violence, language, and brief nudity.