Transporter 2 UMD
In 2002 we were treated to the adrenalin filled action fest that was The Transporter. It represented Jason Statham’s first opportunity to headline in a film whilst trying to establish himself as a major action star. The Transporter was pretty good for what it was, a no-brain, high octane action romp, but from what I remember it wasn’t highly acclaimed and didn’t make a mint...
In 2002 we were treated to the adrenalin filled action fest that was The Transporter. It represented Jason Statham’s first opportunity to headline in a film whilst trying to establish himself as a major action star. The Transporter was pretty good for what it was, a no-brain, high octane action romp, but from what I remember it wasn’t highly acclaimed and didn’t make a mint at the box office (in the US anyway, it did pretty well internationally), so who knew it would get a sequel.
In Transporter 2 Statham is back as Frank Martin. Ex-special forces but now a ‘transporter’, specialising in delivering packages of dubious nature, on-time every time (up until the first film anyway). After the events of the first film Frank has moved from the South of France and now resides in Miami, still making a living as a driver for hire. His latest job is as the driver/protector/mentor (and quizmaster) to a little boy. The boy, Jack, is the son of an important government official, heading up the war on drugs trafficking, and resides in a Miami mansion/fortress. Frank’s cushy job involves driving him to and from school whilst keeping him entertained. Unfortunately for Frank, during the time they’ve spent together a strong bond has developed between himself and Jack. Starved of attention from his busy father, he has also become very fond of Frank.
I think we can all see where this is going. Extremely hard hero character gets close to child of official fighting crime. Child must therefore become a kidnap victim and hero character must go after him. A simple and predictable formula but it seems to keep working. The villains in this case have been hired by the drugs cartels who intend on taking the war back to the American officials. They attempt to kidnap Jack on a trip to the doctors but didn’t anticipate Frank’s presence or his abilities. It’s here that the serious action starts. We get a taster of what’s to come in the first scene when a gang unwisely decides to car-jack Frank in a virtually empty multi-story car park. After spectacularly kicking their arses he calmly gets back in his Audi (looks like BMW decided not to sign up for the sequel and Audi seem to be on a roll with their product placement after I, Robot) and drives off to pick up Jack. Most of the action is hand to hand, not much gun-play, and to me was reminiscent of a Jackie Chan movie (I swear I’ve seen Jackie take out several guys with a fire hose in one of his films). Statham is man enough to do his own stunts which means that a lot of the action is shot in wide-angle so you can really see what’s going on (no jerky editing to create a sense of the frantic action, but really indicating that the star couldn’t do the moves in real time).
The bad guys are lead by Gianni (Alessandro Gassman), a ruthless, but smart hired killer. Along with Gianni comes his completely psychotic, scantily clad but heavily armed girlfriend Lola (played by newcomer Kate Nauta). Their plan isn’t the straightforward kidnapping that you’d think though, there’s a sting in the tail. After promising Jack that he’d never let any harm come to him, Frank is forced to hand over the boy after a spectacular chase scene. Being a man of his word his sole prupose in life from this moment onwards is his safe return.
Returning from the first Transporter and providing some much needed comic relief, is Tarconi, the French police officer and Frank’s friend. At the beginning of the film he’s seen arriving on holiday to stay with Frank and see something of Miami. Unfortunately for Frank and Tarconi, the FBI thinks that Frank was in on the kidnapping and raids his place, taking Tarconi in for questioning. So much for the holiday! He crops up now and again, managing to give Frank some insider info. His dry wit seems to have moved on a bit from the first film and his scenes are a welcome relief from the skull cracking action.
The plot, whilst having a bit of a twist, is still pretty unremarkable. What makes the film entertaining is the non-stop, high adrenaline action, admirably carried off by Statham. Some of the stunts are just so unbelievable they make you laugh, but the film somehow gets away with it. You take it with a pinch of salt, sit back and wait to see if they can top the last preposterous stunt with one even more so (and they keep managing it as well). The cast are all pretty good, but then this isn’t Shakespeare, the main bad guys all look menacing, Hunter Clary plays a good mix of cute and vulnerable as Jack, Mathew Modine is his absent father and Amber Valletta his protective and loving mother.
This is, in my opinion, one of those rare instances when the sequel is better than the original. The writing and directing credits have been maintained, Louis Leterrier directing and Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen writing. This time round the film, whilst being sillier in places, works better overall. There was just something missing from the first film. The action has been turned up a notch in the sequel certainly, but there’s more of an emotional link established between Frank and the people he’s helping than in the first film. The bad guys are more menacing, I was never that convinced by Matt Schulze in the first film who had a very annoying grin on his face through most of his screen time. The combination of the intelligent but ruthless Gianni and psychotic Lola works well, the threat is clear and the consequences of Frank’s failure are very clear.
Technically Transporter II on the PSP is great. The experience starts with a disappointing menu with a montage of shots from the film but the detail on them is pretty shocking (although I think it’s deliberate). The options are limited and pretty self-explanitory, Play and Setup. The Setup menu is for audio options. Here you can choose between English, French, Italian or Spanish languages or from an impressive list of subtitles (12 different language options). The Play option does exactly what it says on the tin and takes you to the film, which is presented in Widescreen (1.78:1 Anamorphic). The picture is crystal clear as is the soundtrack. As always with the PSP the best option is to listen through a decent set of headphones ‘cause the PSPs little speakers, whilst trying very hard, just can’t handle bass and this title sounds particularly tinny through the main speakers.
All in all a good action romp. If you’re bored and just want pure entertainment and a few laughs (whether intentional at the humour or unintentional at some of the more ludicrous action) then this is worthy of consideration. Just sit back and enjoy the ride, don’t think about it!
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