Lean and Mean Just Like its Star

Rating: 6/10 (9 October 2004)

"The Transporter" is a surprisingly well made, if routine action-adventure film. There's a better story here than the one told, but star Jason Statham delivers the goods and has a real future as an action star. Statham is the most virile action hero since Sam Elliot and is built like a hairy Greek god. He also sounds like Billy Idol. I saw this movie primarily to see Qi Shu, who impressed me so much in Jackie Chan's "Gorgeous". Qi Shu has the kind of face that looks as if it were made of the parts of two different beautiful women. Her mouth certainly doesn't go with her eyes and nose and keeps her from being stunningly beautiful. However, she uses her mouth the way many actors use their eyes, and her contribution to "The Transporter" and cinema is largely due to that expressive mouth. She's perfect in "The Transporter," giving her character much more than is written.
What keeps "The Transporter" from being first rate is the directing and editing. Much of the dialogue is unintelligible and some of the action scenes suffer from unwise editing. Watch the "deleted scenes," which are actually extended fights and you'll see what I mean. Had the fight scenes been left intact,the movie be worth a "7". As presented, however, I give "The Transporter" a "6".