Move over, Vin Diesel, because The Transporter, Hong Kong action veteran Corey Yuen's English-language directorial debut, is revving up to steal your thunder. As the other top-billed action star to emerge in 2002, British hunk Jason Statham--previously seen in Snatch, Ghosts of Mars, and The One--plays a hard-driving courier for well-heeled underworld clients. He follows simple rules: (1) Stick to the deal; (2) Don't ask names; and (3) Don't look in the packages he transports. All's well until he violates rule 3, discovering a Chinese beauty (Qi Shu) in the trunk of his tricked-out BMW, and foiling a deadly plot to smuggle Chinese slaves through the port of Marseilles. The first hour is ass-kickin' fun, and the stuntwork is impressive throughout, even as the plot degenerates into a predictable series of bone-breaking showdowns. Statham boasts an appealing combination of brains and brawn, suggesting the suave versatility of a promising career. Coproduced by action auteur Luc Besson and filmed on dazzling French locations, The Transporter is an action fan's delight. --Jeff Shannon
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: It's on Blu-ray! Comment: This movie really brought the action genre back during a time when when the movie biz was catering to tweens and their love paper-thin plotlined romatic comedy garbage.
This movie put a bicycle pedal on it's foot and kicked the box office in the throat! So the weak story and cheesey lines coupled with great fights and car chases are the reasons I really enjoy this one! When I'm in the mood to see a car chase and some hand to hand combat this has always been an enjoyable ride.
A great transfer to HD. I liked this movie a lot when it came out - which should make my disdain for the others in the series more palpable. The action is crisp and clean, fewer blurs than the standard definition. The care chases are that much more exciting. If you've seen this and are a repeat watcher of the movie then this is a purchase you won't regret.
A notable improvement from the standard definition version you've likely seen. If you're not fan then don't spend the money on it. Customer Rating: Summary: Jason Rocks in this role Comment: A new Bondish franchise in the making. This flick is almost a parody of them, with great action scenes, the comradie of a villian, and a highly charismatic performance from Jason Statham. Steathem is ripped and flexible, scary tough, even though the most violent scenes are almost cartoonish at times. Decent storyline. What I liked most was his role, the good guy bad guy. In fact, he would be perfect as the next Bond (if they go back to the old style script), as the last two put out were serious flops in my view.
Customer Rating: Summary: Action For The Action Seeker Comment: There is romance in this movie. But this is not the movie to watch for romance. Their is a story in this movie. But this is not the movie to watch for a story. Their is intrigue in this movie. But this is not the movie to watch for intrigue. Their is action in this movie and plenty of it. This movie has action done perfectly. The choreography is great. Jason Stratham as Frank Martin is excitement personified. One fight scene after another mixed with bullets, bombs and car chases. If one took the time though, their wasn't an unnecessarily high body count though. Didn't matter in this one. It added or took nothing away from this movie. The "marose, cold , steele willed" protagonist (Martin) gets too involved with a client and delivery package sparking all the action, and from that point on the action never stopped. The oil fight scene was the only bit of humor, and was funny enough. The story was good, though it really wasn't preaching. So the story wasn't a big player. The romance was minimal, but appropriate. Could have been a little more of it, to explain more of Martin's concern for his love interest, whom he just met. The intrigue was also minimal. This will not go down as one of the greatest movies of our time, with a mystery unlike any other. Not necessary. This is all about a foot to the face and a hiyaaa! across the neck. Well Done. Very Well Done. Stratham is an action star I plan on watching in many more such films.
PS. The concept of the movie, transporting unknown merchandise, was a welcome, new, fresh catalyst for the events in the movie. The possibilities are endless with that scenerio/plot. I look forward to several sequals. Customer Rating: Summary: 2.5 stars out of 4 Comment: The Transporter:
Reasonably enjoyable, if completely forgettable, The Transporter rides on the charm of lead Jason Statham and delivers pretty much what could be expected from its bare-bones plot. Customer Rating: Summary: Seen worse Comment: Well this was entertaining, you can't deny that, and in various parts of the film there were some subtle moments between the action sequences.
It only just merits 3 stars for me. Jason Statham is not a great actor, but as Frank he does this part as well as I've seen him do anything. The actor who played the French Police Inspector was by far the best thing on the screen.
So its certainly a 'high-octane' thriller, and in places it doesn't take itself entirely seriously (which I like). However this is not in the same league as say the original Die Hard. Rent it first or buy cheap, as you may be dissappointed.
