Directed by:
Louis LeterrierCinematography:
Mitchell AmundsenComposer:
Alexandre AzariaCast:
Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng, Keith David, Hunter Clary, François Berléand, Jeff Chase (more)Plots(1)
Jason Stratham returns as ex-Special Forces operative Frank Martin aka "The Transporter." Now retired from his chosen profession of moving dangerous goods with no questions asked, he makes a living driving for a wealthy family in Miami, Florida. But when their young son is abducted, Frank must use his battle-tested combat skills to save the boy and thwart the kidnapper's nefarious master plan. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (8)
Having enjoyed Danny the Dog and praising its relatively strong screenplay for a Luc Besson film, Transporter 2 made me realize that that film was just a momentary flash of his mind's brilliance. The entire scheme of the first installment was simply copied and transferred to America for a stronger audience impact. Fortunately, Americanism is only reminded of here by one awkward sentence, and the American flag is stylishly used in one action scene, which is once again meticulously crafted down to the last detail. The choreographic ballet from Corey Yuen's workshop once again oscillates between perfect simplicity and self-parody. It's too bad that the weak digital effects are used more frequently, as they ruin some scenes where we could have enjoyed the beautiful Audi W2, which looks flawless without a speck of dust or scratch, and when it speeds down the road, with the camera circling around it and Jason Statham behind the wheel, his charisma is simply captivating, as always, making it impossible not to get excited. A delightfully silly diversion, which has the misfortune of being the second film in the series.
()
I feel that Besson's production and especially screenwriting prefabrications are starting to become a genre in their own right. Well, let's just call them “Bessonflicks” = narratively stupid brain-wash for viewers endowed with a hell of a lot of detachment. This sequel has is ten times more of that than in the first one (which I liked for its unconcealed simplicity and pace), but the plot and most of the action passages become so absurd that they start to get boring – more bombastic action sometimes doesn't mean more fun. And the transfusion of the antidote and the airplane at the end really sucked.
()
A film that completely resigns from any logic in its screenplay, ignores the laws of physics, and yet is quite entertaining in its obvious naivety and unrestrained foolishness, partly due to the fact that it doesn't pretend to be anything else, and partly due to the presence of Jason Statham, who fits so well into these types of roles. All he needs is to show his fierce expression and utter a few sharp sentences in his deep voice to satisfy fans of action movies. Overall impression: 35%.
()
A very elaborate attempt to make a megalomaniacal series from the decent first film for the American market with a charismatic hero. Statham's problem is that he has no room in the film to act at all charismatic, if we do not take into account all the tender looks of a cold-blooded killer... The combination of music, luxury and exaggerated action scenes signals that Leterrier and Yuen are staring at Bond, but unlike Bond, Frank gives the impression of a funny exaggerated hero, whose solutions to situations have nothing to do with divine talent, but rather the choreographer's diseased imagination. Transporter 2 is so unbelievable that you can't have much fun with it. In the first film the exaggeration worked precisely because it was at least partially grounded and served with foresight, but the second film is stiff in terms of the humor and essentially just stupid.
()
Uh? What on earth can I say? This time Luc Besson seriously deserves a medal. Because The Transporter 2 is so utterly full of clichés or complete craziness that you just have to say to yourself: what the fuck?! Examples: Frank Martin peels off a bomb from the underside of an Audi using a crane - while driving. Frank Martin jumps from building to building like Batman, in a car. And the episode with the jet at the end is just totally kick-ass. You just sit there and gawp. The two stars that it earned from me were for Jason Statham and the perfect black Lamborghini that didn’t even survive the whole movie. Sniff ;-)... Second time round it was much more fun. I had a really good time. Maybe in time I’ll raise it to 3*. ;-)
()
Ads