The Transporter

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2016)

Incredible fight choreography and Statham athleticism (along with his usual cool and charisma), along with cars and buildings that go Kaboom!, offer plenty for action fans to embrace in this custom made star vehicle that follows a highly paid ex-military mercenary who performs tasks for customers with particular "packages" they want delivered to specific locations under certain conditions. He has rules to abide by so that the transport goes without a hitch. Well, he "opens a package" and what stares from within his trunk is a very pretty Asian woman (Qui Shu). She tells him of slaves being transported by those who hired him to bring her to them. If he doesn't help her they will die or be sold. What ultimately triggers his war with these dirtbags who initially hired him to bring them Shu is their attempt to blow him up in his car, a bomb disguised as another package for him to deliver. When they fire missiles at his château, it is game-on! With Matt Schulz as a lead heavy in cahoots with Shu's rotten pops (Ric Young), making Statham's life most difficult. The use of oil and the shirt off his back and the ability to fight himself out of cramped confines against a litany of men (inside a greyhound or sandwiched between carrier crates in a transport yard are such examples) are just some of the amazing stunts and fight scenes that make up this hotly paced actioner. The finale has Statham trying to avoid gunfire and Schulz' interference as he attempts to commandeer a truck hauling the human slaves in an exhilarating chase sequence. The fighting in the cab of the truck gets intense. Statham's use of his quick legs and how he orchestrates speedy kicks and sharp reflexes produce breathtaking results. The film opens with a humdinger of a car chase highlighting Statham's talents also behind the wheel. The whole point is to signify that Statham has arrived and no matter the firepower or manpower, he seems more than capable to avoid harm while others aren't so lucky.