Cineflesh: Transporter 2
Frank Martin is a transporter. He delivers things – not asking what or for whom. But at the moment he is filling in as chauffeur for the family of a high profile government policymaker engaged in narcotics control. Then a doctor’s appointment leads to a kidnapping, and Frank’s specialist military background implicates him as being responsible for abducting the family’s son. But Frank promised Jack never to let anyone hurt him. And the Transporter always keeps his promises…
So, what about the movie? I think the best way to describe Transporter 2 it is that it is the kind of movie that has a top of the line German sedan – armored to the outer coat of paint. And Lola, a heroin chic-type who considers the best accessories to pink lingerie to be a pair of laser-sighted sub-machine guns. And a latino mercenary practicing Kendo, as well as a few russians, including thugs and a scientist. Oh, and high-tech vials containing cartoonishly bright substances. You get the idea.
I don’t think there’s much to say about the acting – Frank Martin might not be the deepest of characters, but Jason Statham plays a good enough anti-hero, and the rest of the cast does a good job of providing various sterotypes. The script (by Robert Mark Kamen and Luc Besson) won’t win any awards. Some bits are way over the top, but it’s good enough to last the duration of the movie and provides for plenty of action.
Compared to the original Transporter, it feels like a combination of sequel and remake. The story, with Frank Martin working as a family driver, feels like standard sequel-seasoning, and the overall feel is, well, more American than European.
As a mindless action movie, I think it was quite entertaining. If you’re in the mood for something in that direction, but can’t decide if you want to watch Die Hard or something with Jackie Chan – then Transporter 2 might be what you want. There’s plenty of gunfights, car chases and clever Hong Kong-ish fight sequences. But if you’re looking for more than an hour and a half of simple entertainment, look somewhere else. Rating? 8/10 on the roundkick scale, 5.5/10 on the regular.
Some convinient links:
amazon.com: Transporter 2
amazon.co.uk: Transporter 2
