The Transporter (October 9/02)
Though he hasn't directed a movie since The Messenger in 1999, Luc Besson's been keeping quite busy writing and producing other people's flicks. He did exactly that with last year's Kiss of the Dragon, a surprisingly violent Jet Li thriller. Now, along with his writing partner Robert Mark Kamen, Besson's created another stylish and exciting action movie. He's chosen to stay out of the director's chair, again, but his unique visual style is certainly intact.
Jason Statham stars as the titular transporter, Frank, a meticulous man who follows a set of self-ordained rules to the letter. His solitary lifestyle is thrown for a loop with the arrival of Lai (Shu Qi), a young woman who Frank was supposed to deliver to a certain location. One of his primary rules is to never open the package, but unfortunately for Frank, this was one rule he shouldn't have broken. Somehow, the bad guys (lead by the sinister Wall Street; yep, that's his name), found out about Frank's indiscretion and are determined to kill him for it. So, Frank's got to protect Lai while he works towards finding out her secret, before Wall Street and his goons catch up to them.
The violence that was a big part of Kiss of the Dragon has been toned down for The Transporter, no doubt due to that film's lackluster box office performance. Still, The Transporter generally works due to some seriously energetic action sequences and a fantastic leading-man performance by Statham. Known primarily for his work in Guy Ritchie's films, Statham's previous attempts with American big-budget extravaganzas have been met with little success (Ghosts of Mars, anyone?) But here, playing a Clint Eastwood strong-but-silent type, Statham finally comes into his own and proves that he's got the chops to become an action star for the new millennium. Statham even gets to show off his hand-to-hand combat skills, which are admittedly quite impressive. As Wall Street, Matt Schulze is appropriately menacing and completely over-the-top in his evilness - but that's exactly what makes for a good bad guy. A villain should be hated by the audience, and Wall Street is certainly no exception to that.
The film's been directed by Cory Yuen, a noted martial arts choreographer who's worked on movies like Lethal Weapon 4 and Romeo Must Die. With the success of people like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, fight sequences constantly have to one-up each other in order to surprise the audience. Yuen doesn't fail in that respect, throwing in one impossibly exciting hand-to-hand combat scene after another. The highlight comes towards the end, and Frank's got about half a dozen thugs surrounding him in a garage. There just happens to be a vat filled with oil, which Frank purposely spills and proceeds to cover himself with. Believe me, the fight that ensues - with Frank evading his pursuers like a greased-up pig - is easily worth the price of admission.
But, like Kiss of the Dragon, the film tends to slow down substantially during non-fight scenes. The plot, which has something to do with human smuggling, isn't terribly interesting and seriously impedes the flow of the movie. But silly storylines are par for the course with these kinds of movies, so one can only hope that the chatty exposition is left to a minimum - which, thankfully, it is here. It doesn't hurt that the movie opens with a spectacular car chase set in the streets of France, a move which virtually guarantees most viewers are going to remain attentive (for a little while, anyway). Finally, an action movie containing more than just explosions and lame one-liners. The Transporter's got style and a captivating lead performance by Statham, which certainly makes it worth a look.
