...
The Transporter was released near the end of 2002 by directors Corey Yuen and Louis Leterrier. The script was written by the infamous Luc Besson.
As a quick side note, the "certified 15" stamp could have easily been changed to "certified 12"; The Transporter does not feature much bloodshed, ... Read review
Buckle up for 'a slick enjoyable ride' that delivers 'a medley of stunning fight ... more
sequences'.Frank Martin is the best at what he does: transporting dangerous or illegal goods with no questions asked. But his latest shipment, a beautiful young woman kidn...
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is the best at what he does: transporting illegal goods with ... more
no questions asked. But his latest shipmate, a beautiful woman kidnapped by slave traders, brings deadly complications to the delivery plans. Now Frank must kick into overdrive to save his precious cargo - and his life.
Former Special Forces officer, Frank Martin, takes on a career as a courier for the ... more
criminal underworld. He is hired to deliver a package to a wealthy man known only as Wall Street, but Martin soon realises that what ever is in the package is alive. He breaks all the rules by opening the parcel and discovers a beautiful young Asian woman...
Frank Martin (Jason Statham - Snatch) is the best at what he does: transporting dangerous ... more
or illegal goods with no questions asked. But his latest shipment, a beautiful young woman kidnapped by international slave traders, brings deadly complications to his delivery plans. Now Frank must kick into overdrive in a nonstop, action-packed fight to save his precious cargo - and his life.
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Advantages: The fight sequences, the action, the explosions... Disadvantages: Everything else (in other words, the movie ITSELF).
...action release.
The Transporter was released near the end of 2002 by directors Corey Yuen and Louis Leterrier. The script was written by the infamous Luc Besson.
As a quick side note, the "certified 15" stamp could have easily been changed to "certified 12"; The Transporter does not feature much bloodshed, but rather a bunch of fight stunts and the usual "knocked-around-by-big-explosions" scenarios. ...Jason Statham). For instance, in the exposition scenes, we see our James Bond-esque main character, named Frank Martin, help a group of 4 (well, 3 actually - see film) bank-robbers make their way past the incoming police force.
Due to the nature of his profession, Frank must obey these following rules:
1. Never change the deal.
2. No names or details.
3. Never open the package.
Eventually he breaks the third rule, ... more
Yet another blunt action release.
The Transporter was released near the end of 2002 by directors Corey Yuen and Louis Leterrier. The script was written by the infamous Luc Besson. As a quick side note, the "certified 15" stamp could have easily been changed to "certified 12"; The Transporter does not feature much bloodshed, but rather a bunch of fight stunts and the usual "knocked-around-by-big-explosions" scenarios.
The story is very passé, in which a professional "transporter" for-hire spends most of his time carrying goods from point A to B, no questions asked (played by Jason Statham). For instance, in the exposition scenes, we see our James Bond-esque main character, named Frank Martin, help a group of 4 (well, 3 actually - see film) bank-robbers make their way past the incoming police force. Due to the nature of his profession, Frank must obey these following rules: 1. Never change the deal. 2. No names or details. 3. Never open the package. Eventually he breaks the third rule, discovering a young Chinese woman by the name of Lai (played by the beautiful Shu Qi) in "his" package.
I shall not venture any further into the story from here, because it would spoil things for you. Suffice to say, Frank Martin and Lai fall in love, battle the bad guys, and live happily ever after... You get the picture.
The action takes place in (South-West / East) France, exhibiting the kind of overblown romanticism that most American movies contain, when they refer to France and the French (I should know; I'm half French).
If you like car-chase sequences, or are familiar with Taxi (Gérard Pirès, 1998), then you will love the first half of the film, featuring some very inventive stunts and comical situations. Personally, I cannot stand car-chase sequences, but, my point is that they are extremely well put together and witty in the Transporter.
It though the music was atrocious, going from big-bass ambient, to full-blown R&B. This all fits with the "hyper-cool" attitude of the whole movie, really establishing itself as big-budget and in-your-face. Well, I guess some people like it that way...
Frank drives around in a 735i BMW (V12); a nice car. The fact that Frank Martin is English, and that he drives a posh car, does give the character a pseudo James Bond feel, but there again, it seems that a large amount of modern audiences love references to classic movies (and there is nothing wrong with that...). But let's be honest for a minute... isn't it all a bit too... well, "simple"?
The other thing is that Frank Martin is somewhat of a Kung-fu expert. This really pissed me off. How many movies do the Americans expect to release in which the hero seems to know all about the complex skills of oriental martial arts? It's getting a bit ridiculous to be honest. At least the Matrix had an intelligent explanation for this phenomenon.
As far as the special effects are concerned, these are typical of big budget Hollywood. You will see our main character dodging rockets, bullets and fists, submerged in flying debris, high-kicking his way into a swarming mafia den, fighting on slippery oil... ect. Some of the stunts are very imaginative, especially the fight sequences... But we are far from the genius of old-school Jackie Chan movies, for example.
The cinematography is based upon patches of light-work, small C.G.I rendering, big detonations of fire and rubble... Nothing new. I should however point out that 45 minutes into the movie, a scene in which our heroes have to escape a huge explosion by diving into an underwater reservoir, features some nice submarine camerawork, which reminds me of Luc Besson's 1988 movie Le Grand Bleu (The Big Blue).
The acting is rather dim. For a start, Lai's character is almost laughable in the way she is portrayed; exposing once again the revolting Americanisation of foreign acting, in which Lai's character is forced to wear the clichéd mask of yet another down-played version of her native self... it is very very sad. Jason Statham's character is one of an unmoved man, always in the mood for a sarcastic comment, always ready to throw himself in front of a hail of bullets, always keen to take his shirt off every 15 minutes... Well, he's a typical action hero.
One scene in particular -this is not a spoiler- really made me laugh: Our hero has just been blown out of his house with his newly found girlfriend. He doesn't seem that bothered either. Lai creeps up behind him, minutes after a huge explosion, and decides to "make it up" for Frank's help. This results in the two of them making love... and this is only a couple of minutes after their gigantic house has been holed with rockets... Yes...it's that kind of film.
All in all, if you like your action pure and in-your-face, and have no problems with bad acting and stereotyping of French, Asian and English ways of thinking... then you might enjoy this. Personally, I would recommend the movie for its fight scenes alone (although they do not come anywhere near the old-school Honk-Kong classics from which they were inspired from).
You probably think I hate action movies... Not really. I like the real good ones, the old John Woo films for instance (before 1992). To me, this is just another American blockbuster, shamelessly replicated from the clones of the ones from the previous year. Don't get me wrong... Some American action classics are great, such as the first Die Hard, for example. But I think that Hollywood has forgotten how to make "good" action movies; films like The Transporter only serve to illustrate this.
*
(Written by myself - no violation, no lifting, no breach of copyright)
Advantages: some good entertainment Disadvantages: bad accents, run of the mill
...to have quieted down in the last few years. After masterful directorial jobs such as “Leon”, “Nikita” and “The Fifth Element” that have made his name worldly known, he has slipped out of the limelight and has stuck to more producer related jobs, using his name to boost the selling power of his films. Some may say he is a cinema mater, others may say that he has become somewhat of a Hollywood hack in recent years. ... ...a$$, grossing more money in the USA than “The Transporter” manage to rake world-wide. The only difference is that “The Transporter” never intended to be a box office juggernaut of mass proportions as reflected in its 21 million Euros budget, which comes to £13,793,769 or $25,288,167.
The story for this Euro action romp is thus: Frank Martin (Jason Statham – “Snatch”, “Mean Machine”) is a ‘Transporter’, ...
DarkMark 20.06.2004 (18.07.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Transporter (DVD)
Advantages: No nonsense film with decent action sequences Disadvantages: Apart from the two lead characters acting is not the best
...this film. I’d seen the adverts for it ages ago but it was never in my local video rental shop and I was tempted to buy it as it is only £7.99 on DVD. Anyway I finally found a copy and sat down with my sweets and beverage. >>>>Plot<<<<
Frank Martin is an ex-military man living a peaceful life off his military pension in France, at least that’s what he wants you to think.
Actually Frank is “The Transporter”, working on a freelance basis (this is ... ...a deal has been made the terms of that deal cannot be changed or renegotiated.
2 No Names
3 Never open the package
The thing about the type of package that Frank delivers is that it can be anything, usually anything but legal. Every aspect of every job is planned to precision, and Frank makes sure everything goes to plan. The only problem is that Frank’s latest delivery is a human. He breaks rule 3 and suddenly it’s clear why he lives by these ...
Dogbert 28.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Transporter (DVD)
Advantages: Statham, Shu and Schulze Disadvantages: The dodgy accent they gave Statham
...moving a package he makes the mistake of looking in side and finds Lai (Oi Shu) tied up inside. From that moment on Frank and Lai are in serious trouble and Frank has to keep looking over his shoulder to keep them both alive but can Frank stop the man threatening to kill him.
Ever since his debut appearance in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels I’ve found myself strangely drawn to movies starring Jason Statham. You know before you even switch them ... ...seemed to launch Statham into the lead role in movies and make a name for himself as a big time action movie star.
I think that part of the appeal of this film was the contribution of Leon writer Luc Besson, who penned this Statham vehicle. The directors chair was occupied by Corey Yuen, who went on to direct 2006’s Dead or Alive as well. He seems to work well with Besson and the result is a very smooth, well choreographed action film that doesn’t ...
Andy.mack 11.07.2003 (07.07.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Transporter (DVD)
Advantages: Jason Statham is great in lead role Disadvantages: -
...(Jason Statham) has moved to the South of France to start a new life. Once there he takes on a job as a Transporter, someone who moves packages or people from one place to another for a nice tidy sum of money. He works by a number of set rules where he never wants to know what’s in the package, no names and no changing the details. These rules work for him and he prefers not to know too much so that he can just get on with the job and not worry about ... ...own rules and looks inside the package, finding a young Chinese girl (Qi Shu). From then on Frank ends up trying to fight for his life as he uncovers some very dodgy deals. Cast:
*****
Frank Martin: Jason Statham
Lai: Qi Shu
Wall Street: Matt Schulze
Tarconi: Francois Berleand
Mr Kwai: Ric Young
I found this to be a very fast paced action film, which is why i really enjoyed it so much. There wasn’t too much time to actually think about things ...
Southernboy 13.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Transporter (DVD)
Advantages: Great Action, Entertaining Disadvantages: Very Stupid
...alive in this age where the arnie's and the slys have started to sag both at the box office and physically. the transporter is a mainly european production made with the american production values that we used to love in the eighties. if you've seen the paris based kiss of the dragon then you should know what to expect from this film. Snatch's jason statham plays frank martin, an ex-soldier now living a quite life on the french coast. he's a private ... ...asked. we're not talking about the usual parcels either. if you want something delivered and it's not 100% legit then frank's your man. he ask's no questions, stick to simple rules and there are no names involved. above all else frank doesn't ever look in the package until one delivery changes that. this package seems to be moving in the trunk of his car and it turns out to be a good looking asian girl. however frank still delivers his 'package' ...
utero 19.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Transporter (DVD)
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Advantages: Brilliant fight sequences Disadvantages: A good but occasionally weak storyline which can rely on the action a bit too much
?t aware was still going on, yes this movie is just a movie & not based on truth but the plot line is good.
If you?re someone that?s into action films then I would highly recommend this, if you?re a fan of Jason Statham as I am then I would also recommend this. This is one of his best films to date & I?m really looking forward to seeing the third instalment of this film when it?s released on DVD next month.
One thing that I noticed upon buying this DVD is the lack of special features, there?s only three on there which to some people I?m sure will be disappointing however I didn?t buy it solely for the bonus features so that kind of thing doesn?t really bother me too much. The DVD includes;
Audio Commentary
Making- Of Featurette
Extended Fight Sequences
The Transporter is currently available from play.com for £4.99 which is ...
Advantages: Fast paced, action filled, stunts galore, martial arts abound Disadvantages: Little story and no great acting... but who cares :o)
Transporter was a very minor hit in the cinemas but obviously made good money on the release of the DVD as the eponymous 'Transporter', played by Jason Statham, returns for a second bout of high octane action. Transporter 2 is full of what you would expect? unbelievable car chases, innovative and exciting stunts, some cracking fight scenes, a villainess who spends most of her time in lingerie and a ludicrous plot? in fact everything that makes a perfect switch your mind off Friday night movie!
This time the Transporter has a nice easy driving job, looking after the young son of a famous politician. He drives him back and forth to school and wherever he, or his mother, would like to go. Of course not everything goes as smoothly and the Transporter finds himself caught up in a criminal masterminds incredible plan, one that involves ...
Advantages: great action packed movie from start to finish Disadvantages: none really
Directors: Louis Leterrier and Corey Yuen
Producers: Luc Besson, Steve Chasman and David Lai.
Writers: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
Stars: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze and Francois Berleand.
Released in late 2002 this movie is about a man who offers his services as a transporter of anything, if the money's right.
*BRIEF PLOT*
Frank Martin, (played by Jason Statham) is a delivery driver, only the packages he delivers are not your usual packages, they consists of anything from drugs to people.
He is such a perfectionist at his job that he constructs his 'getaway' vehicles specially for each delivery, with some brilliantly dangerous consequences and even has rules which he religiously sticks to?
With Frank living in France he is finding his 'delivery' job becoming a little harder as he is under the constant ...
Former Special Forces officer, Frank Martin, takes on a career as a courier for the criminal underworld. He is hired to deliver a package to a wealthy man known only as Wall Street, but Martin soon realises that what ever is in the package is alive. He breaks all the rules by opening the parcel and discovers a beautiful young Asian woman...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; Deluxe Video Service - Fox
"...Yuen certainly knows how to direct action..." (Box Office, p.60, 01/12/2002)
"...[Stratham] certainly seems equipped to develop into a mid-weight alternative to Vin Diesel....[Yuen's] talent for hand-to-hand mayhem is truly something to see..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C25, 11/10/2002)
"...This effort is as professional as ever..." (Sight and Sound, p.55-6, 01/01/2003)
"...The lovely Shu registers with an effervescent personality..." (Variety, p.29, 14/10/2002)
DVD Description
Jason Statham (SNATCH) stars in this fast-paced and very loud thriller that was written specifically for him by French filmmaker Luc Besson. Statham plays Frank Martin, a former Special Forces operative who is now a high-priced courier paid to deliver packages he would rather know nothing about. His creed: never change the deal, never use names, and never look in the package. But when he finds out that his latest delivery is a beautiful young woman (Shu Qi), everything changes, and he is off on a wild chase that includes plenty of explosions, bare-knuckle fighting, cool weaponry, and tongue-in-cheek humor. Hong Kong director Corey Yuen--who has previously worked with Jet Li--lets the action tell the story as Frank battles the bad guys in the streets of France to a score by renowned jazz great Stanley Clarke.
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