The Transporter (2002)

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Lowthor
Utterly ridiculous, but rather good fun. 7 years 8 months ago
Siskoid
The Transporter, the movie that made Statham a viable action star, and for me at least, definitely justified the rest of the franchise. Frank Martin isn't a generic action hero, he's a precision driver that brings that precision to everything he does. He's controlled to the point of being anal, only gets into trouble when he breaks his own rules, and finds smart solutions to get out of it. François Berléand is sympathetic and funny (it's possible only I laughed out loud at the Proust joke though) as the French police inspector who gently hounds Frank, and I'm glad he returned in the sequels, even when he didn't have very much to do. Shu Qi isn't the typical damsel in distress, she's smart, manipulative and endearing. If there's a weakness in the cast, it's the villains, especially Matt Schulze. Dude, when you're playing a guy who deals in human trafficking, you really don't need to over-play how evil you are. The story is fairly simple, but doesn't feel predictable, and the action, both martial and vehicular is top grade, in good part thanks to Hong Kong director Corey Yuen, though the vehicle and acting stuff was mostly handled by A.D. Louis Leterrier who went on to direct the second one. It certainly helps that Statham is doing 90% of his own stunts, and the Riviera locations are great. 10 years 8 months ago
sammysin
Oil scene was absolutely excellent. 11 years 5 months ago