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Leterrier's "The Transporter 2" is less
a movie than it is a live-action comic book, or
perhaps a really wild videogame for you gamers out
there. Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin, the
"transporter" of the title, whose
specialty is to, as the job title may imply, take
things from Point A to Point B in a most
professional manner. In the original "Transporter",
Frank made the mistake of opening his trunk and
taking a peek at the item he was transporting.
This time around he's doing a favor for a buddy by
chauffeuring around young tyke Jack (Hunter Clary)
around sunny
Miami
,
Florida
.
Trouble rears its ugly head
when a gang led by vile South American Gianni
(Alessandro Gassman) and his right-hand assassin
Lola (Kate Nauta) plots to kidnap young Jack and
inject him with a dangerous virus for purposes to
be revealed later in the movie. Despite Frank's
best efforts, Jack does indeed leave his
protection, and it's up to Frank to find him and
save the day. Meanwhile, Jack's mom Audrey (former
model Amber Valletta) is going nuts, while Jack's
oft-absent father (Matthew Modine, far removed
from starring roles) calls in the FBI. Keith David
plays the head honcho of the FBI squad, who ends
up doing all the bone-headed things all FBI agents
do in action movies. A series of car chases,
fistfights, and mano-a-mano duels between Frank
and the two-fisted machinegun toting Lola ensues.
Having fun yet?
Written by Luc Besson ("Leon")
and Robert Mark Kamen, the script for
"Transporter 2" is less an actual movie
screenplay than it is a reason to get star Jason
Statham from one violent encounter (while he's
inside a car or on his feet) to another. Taking
his cue from the script, director and Besson
apprentice Leterrier (who also directed the first
"Transporter") shows just as much
attention to logical plotting, which is to say he
doesn't even bother to make anything in
"Transporter 2" logical. And so much
better for the movie, which is very much the
epitome of dumb and mindless, but if you saw the
original and took a shot at the sequel, then you
already know that, so what's the use in
complaining?
Star Jason Statham has
certainly come a long way from small parts in Guy
Ritchie movies (culminating in a starring turn in
Ritchie's recent "Revolver"),
and if he keeps this up, he could very well become
the next
Hollywood
action hero. That is, if he's so inclined to
follow this particular path, because he clearly
has more acting ability than your usual would-be
action hero. The man has charisma to burn, and I
wouldn't be surprise if the strong box office
showing of "Transporter 2" leads to a
"Transporter 3", or at the very least,
more action movie starring roles for Statham. I
like Statham, I always have, and it'll be a
pleasure to see him in more ballsy action movies
like "Transporter 2".
For those who saw the
original, the sequel has some funny moments
courtesy of series continuity. The best comes in
the form of Francois Berleand, who reprises his
role as French Inspector Tarconi. Visiting Frank
in Miami, Tarconi ends up saving the day on more
than one occasion, and his constant reference to
his job back home (as compared to his American
counterparts) are good for some chuckles. Action
choreographer Corey Yuen ("So
Close") stops the film's constant
fisticuffs just long enough to pay homage to the
first film's grease fight. Unfortunately Qi Shu,
the leading lady of the first movie, is sadly
absent from the sequel.
"Transporter 2" is
more of a stunt film than a martial arts movie, as
although Statham has proven to be physical and
surprisingly agile enough to handle most of the
film's wild stunts, he's still a big, muscle-bound
Englishman. Which means Corey Yuen's stuntmen does
most of the work, which may explain why a South
American villain like Gianni has an over abundance
of Chinese goons at his disposal. There are a
couple of fights that stand out, but the film's
highlight has to be Frank's many encounters with
the deadly Lola. Model Kate Nauta turns what
should be pedestrian gunfights into something
surprisingly sexy by strutting about the film's
battlefields in lingerie, ripped net stockings,
and dripping black mascara. No wonder they put her
on the film's cover, and featured her almost as
much as the film's star in the ads. This is a
breakthrough role if there ever was one, and you
can look forward to bigger roles for the daring
Ms. Nauta.
But if Lola was a standout
villain, then the film's main baddie is shockingly
disappointing. Frank's one-on-one with Gianni in
an out of control private jet never sustains any
energy, as although Gianni is shown to be a
fearsome fighter in the beginning, he proves to be
barely a match for Frank. It's a shame that the
filmmakers let an opportunity for a quick rewrite
go by; the movie should have ended with a Frank
versus Lola death match instead of a CGI-filled
plane crash. There's actually only one outstanding
moment in the film's final 10 minutes, and that
has Frank speeding down a highway zipping past
police cars already engaged in a car chase!
"The Transporter 2"
is certainly wilder than the first movie, and
clocking in at barely 70 minutes soaking wet, I
dare say it's actually better than the first. Free
from the constraints of character and logic,
"Transporter 2" zips along at a breezy
pace, and the film works precisely because it
knows it's not doing Shakespeare. Anyone who
complains about the dearth of intelligence with
"The Transporter 2" deserves a good
beating. Or perhaps a running over by Frank in his
smooth (and apparently indestructible) black BMW.
This is mindless brain candy at its best, and is
nothing more, nothing less. Still, you have to
wonder how better the movie could have been if
Besson had done one last rewrite and kept Lola
around just a little bit longer…
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