...and then it all fell apart!

Rating: 4/10 (15 October 2002)

The Transporter seemed like a good, solid movie for about 95% of its running time. To be sure, this is a movie where you must surrender disbelief before you walk into the cinema, in the genre of films like the Die Hard series and many modern Asian martial arts movies. Facts don't get in the way of a good story, and in a good story such lapses can be easily forgiven. This is sadly not one of those films, though. I can only presume that the budget ran out, and deadlines did their damage, because after what seemed promising through almost the entire movie quickly turned into a shambles with one of the weakest endings I have ever seen. I won't spoil what happens, although the ending could hardly be any more spoiled if I tried - suffice to say that you will leave the cinema thoroughly disappointed, and perhaps even tempted to try for a refund.
As the film progressed, I'd been expecting to want to buy it on DVD if only for some funny scenes, alongside its impressive special effects and fight scenes (which borrow heavily from the movies of Jackie Chan in places). As I left the cinema, though, it was with the knowledge that even if I received this film on DVD free, I'd sell it to get something better with the money. That would not be a difficult proposition.