Action for action's sake

Rating: 7/10 (14 October 2002)

Let's be honest here. The appeal of The Transporter is not in a gripping, tightly-plotted script that speaks to the intricacies of human nature. The appeal of The Transporter is in the action. The appeal is the highly-choreographed, Hong Kong-inspired, thrill-a-minute martial arts and stunts that make movies like this great fun.
Directed by Hong Kong veteran Corey Yuen (Jet Li's Fong Sai Yuk movies) and coscripted by French action master Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Leon, The Fifth Element), The Transporter is the story of Frank (Jason Statham), an ex-military man who now earns a lucrative living in France as a transporter; a man who drives criminals and delivers packages, no questions asked. Frank has three rules: Number one, never change the deal. Number two, no names. And number three, never open the package.
Well it wouldn't be much of a movie if Frank didn't break the rules - and it's rule number three that proves his downfall, as he opens the package in his trunk only to find the lovely Lai (Shu Qi). This starts a chain of action sequences that lead to a very cloudy and obscure plot which serves mostly to offer up more bad guys for Statham to beat the living snot out of.
And beat them up he does. The action sequences are the saving grace here, with boundless energy (and an endless supply of goons) and inventive setpieces. The movie starts with a high-energy chase scene down alleyways, up stairs, and every which way but the right way on one-way avenues. Another top-notch scene involves an outnumbered Statham fighting off a barrage of mooks while all of them have to deal with overturned barrels of oil - there's more slipping and sliding than there is punching and kicking there. It all adds up to a lot of fun.
There's no depth and mystery involved in a picture like The Transporter. It is what it is, and it aims to please. For pure entertainment (and a few double-take moments), it's well worth the time spent.