“Transporter 2” will have you racing for the door
In 2002, we were treated to an enjoyable action film called “The Transporter.” The film showed us the dangerous life of Frank Martin (Jason Statham, “The Italian Job”), a lone mercenary hired out to transport objects – and sometimes people – from one place to another throughout the paradise of the French Mediterranean. In the sequel, “The Transporter 2,” Statham reprises his role as the stoic Martin and quickly becomes caught up in a kidnapping orchestrated by a drug lord.
This film is no different than the first one, except for the gratuitous amounts of unending violence. Martin soon realizes that the kidnapping is just the beginning of a semi-intelligent plan involving biological terrorism. After numerous car chases, fist fights, explosions and shootouts throughout Miami, Martin reaches the ominous drug lord Gianni (Alessandro Gassman) during a prolonged climax.
For those of you who love watching action films, this is the stuff of dreams. But for the rest of us, who expect something more than a series of battles with the bad guys, there is great boredom and unfulfillment. Instead of using time for character development or emotional conflicts, the director (Louis Leterrier, “Unleashed”) just keeps throwing in more fights, thinking that this will uphold the quality of the film by placing each fight in a different environment (from a parking terrace and a houseboat to a lavish mansion and a plummeting jet).
Some of the action sequences are notably innovative, including scenes when Martin uses handcuffs and a fire hose as improvised weapons, but the rapid combat is all so unrealistic that the audience is more inclined to laugh in disbelief than to gasp in amazement (and that is, in fact, just what the audience did).
The realism is further diminished by the acting. Amber Valetta (“Hitch”) and Matthew Modine (“Cutthroat Island”), who play the distraught parents of their kidnapped child, do their best to whimper through the scenes in between all the violence. Another mediocre performance is that of newcomer Kate Nauta, who plays a slithering, stiletto-wearing assassin with strategically placed lingerie. Although the roles are somewhat creative, the actors fail to create anything genuine.
Amongst these supporting roles, Statham dominates the action as well as the drama (which isn’t really saying much). As he leaps over cars and crushes countless thugs, he does it with the grace and ease of a gazelle. His lighting-fast legs create a few moments of excitement but Statham would ultimately make a better stuntman than a leading man. Emotions rarely surface through his steel exterior, probably because he’s so exhausted from fighting so much.
The shallow acting and embellished violence create a film that fails to leave an impression on its audience. Indeed, the only impression someone might have about this film is, “The action was fun.” Despite being a little creative and full of adrenaline, “The Transporter 2” is nothing more than a raging bullet-fest, which won’t leave your heart pounding.
Grade: D