an almost instantly forgettable European action vehicle with a few relatively good bang-’em-up sequences and a straight-to-video storyline
The Transporter (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:121
Fresh:64
Rotten:57
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: The Transporter delivers the action at the expense of coherent storytelling.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violent sequences and some sensuality
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Oct 11, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $25,221,889
Synopsis:
Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods - human or otherwise -...
Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods - human or otherwise - from one place to another. No questions asked.
Carrying out mysterious and sometimes dangerous tasks in his tricked-out BMW, Frank adheres to a strict set of rules, which he never breaks. Rule One: Never change the deal. Rule Two: No names - Frank doesn't want to know whom he's working for, or what he's transporting. Rule Three: Never look in the package.
Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He has been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" (see Rule Two) to make a delivery, but when Frank stops along route, he notices his "package" is moving. Violating Rule Three, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman.
Frank's steadfast adherence to his other two rules - which make up his basic code of survival - also quickly falls, hurtling him and his new companion on a road leading to shocking secrets, deadly complications, and the last thing Frank ever expected to come to believe: that rules are made to be broken. -- © 20th Century Fox
Starring: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, Francois Berleand
Starring: Jason Statham, Shu Qi, Matt Schulze, Francois Berleand, Richard Young, Doug Rand, Didier Saint Melin, Tonio Descanvelle
Director: Corey Yuen
Director: Corey Yuen
Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Producer: Steven Chasman, Luc Besson
Composer: Stanley Clarke
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Release:
Oct 14, 2008
Reviews for The Transporter
This jittery junk is palatable in some doses but for the most part the adrenaline surge teeters off to the point that The Transporter in theory is just another bombastic excuse for targeting the testosterone-driven masses with its showy banality.
Good car chases, great fight scenes, and a distinctive blend of European, American and Asian influences.
The chases and explosions get a little (well, more than a little) ludicrous, but the cool premise is still very cool.
What sets the film apart from other examples of Exploding Cinema is a combination of tone, inventiveness, cheekiness -- and Jason Statham.
It's high rent Steven Segal -- fights, explosions, and more fights, but with a flair.
The story is virtually impossible to follow here, but there's a certain style and wit to the dialogue.
The Transporter is as lively and as fun as it is unapologetically dumb
We sighed, we swooned, we fell in love. It's really too bad that the movie itself sucks out loud.
Tackles action with the enthusiastic glee of boys who like to dream up impossible scenarios and commit them to film.
There are some flaws, like the distracting fight photography and the intrusive, immature score, but it has such infectious energy that it’s impossible not to like.
It moves along so fast you forget about the holes in the plot. It is one of the best action films in several years.
Serves up tiresome characters, a reheated narrative and emasculated action sequences.
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