The Transporter Starring Jason Statham, Qi Shu Directed by Corey Yuen Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality ** out of 4 Stars, Movie Grade: C+

Theatrical Release: October 11, 2002

Running time: 97 minutes

by Kevin Lang

"The Transporter," directed by Corey Yuen and starring Jason Statham ("Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," 1998), offered little more than an abundance of action scenes surrounded by a weak story that we never came to care about.

The basic concept of the plot could have provided for a much better story than it did. It involved an Ex-Special Forces operative named Frank Martin (Jason Statham), who hired himself out as a transporter. He delivered any package, no questions asked. He had strict rules that he followed, such as never taking names and never opening the package.

However, when the package was a large duffle bag with a moving person inside, he decided to break his own rule. He unzipped it, and he gave the attractive young woman who emerged something to drink. This alone could have made for a much better story than it did. Instead, it set into motion a movie that failed to garner our interest except during moments of loud explosions, car chases, and fairly well executed fight scenes.

The film offered a plentiful supply of action sequences. Yet without an engaging plot behind them, they were nothing more than an attractive shell to a somewhat empty story. There were several outrageous action sequences that immediately distanced me from the movie, or at least caused me to take it less seriously. One involved the transporter, Frank, jumping his car off a bridge and onto the top of a car-carrying semi-truck, placing his car perfectly between the other two without getting a scratch on it. Unfortunately, this happened rather early in the film, and it made me a little apprehensive about the believability of the action to come. However, there were many scenes that were easier to accept, such as a cool Jackie Chan Style fight inside a bus and another fight at a mansion that will make you a little apprehensive about opening your front door (this was also in the trailer).

I expected more from the story due to the input of Luc Besson who co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Mark Kamen. Besson had previously scripted 1994's "The Professional," which was a much more engaging action movie. In both films we found the hero (a hit-man in "The Professional") having to open up his life in order to protect the life of another human being, but in "The Professional" it was done with much more humanity and emotional involvement, not to mention better acting, particularly from Natalie Portman.

In the end, "The Transporter" was another mindless action movie. Jason Statham wasn't bad as the action star. He offered a less ridiculous and better-acted character than Vin Diesel brought to the screen in this past summer's "Triple X." Statham's co-star, Qi Shu, on the hand, despite her attractiveness, failed to draw us to her character and at times seemed almost as mindless as the film itself. We never even learned exactly why she was being transported in the first place. Later, we found out that she had been trying to stop her father and his business partner from receiving four hundred Asian slaves in a cargo shipment. "The Transporter" was another action movie that tried to make up in stunts and explosions for what the overall story lacked.

"The Transporter" Review written October 9, 2002, CTF.

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