Flash & Panache wheel in this basic action film.

Rating: 8/10 (31 May 2020)

Jason stars as Frank Martin. He's a hired gin who does driving jobs for a hefty fee. For his services he'll use his superb driving skills to get his paying customers out of a jam. He asks no questions and needs precise instruction in order to perfectly time his getaways.
As the lead character, Statham's a transporter. He can get you, your associates or your property anywhere, anytime, on time, no questions asked. But you know what? Common sense tells us that it was curiosity that killed the cat, and the cat in this picture thankfully doesn't die some horrible death but instead, curiosity yields him a break - a beautiful woman named Lai (Shu Qi) - bound and gagged, and in the trunk of his BMW. The day he breaks his own rules, he realizes he is transporting a Chinese girl, Lai (Qi Shu), and he gets in many troubles due to his fault.
It starts with a wild car chase in France, & introduces some memorable phrases. There are no smarmy one-liners making light of good action sequences as is too often the case in American-directed action flicks. There are some unbelievable yet jaw-dropping stunts, a terrific fight scene in oil, and some great car chase scenes. The Statham is cold, yet compassionate. There is even a great shot of the him jumping off a speeding semi while it races over a bridge onto the back of a bus going perpendicular to the truck under the bridge!! I mean, come on! There is another hilarious scene where the hero chases down an airplane on foot, hijacks it, jumps out of the plane at great altitude in order to land on the back of a speeding transport with a conveniently located borrowed parachute!
There is plenty of action, Statham does display some pretty impressive moves but the frantic editing just doesn't do him justice. He obviously worked out for this part and there are frequent moments when his ripped torso is on display. He also (barely) manages to shy away any possible accusations that he's just a British novelty to American audiences.
A basic action film filled with bone breaking action and wild stunts. People have unfairly slammed this movie for being unrealistic. What do you expect? The action scenes are performed to panache & stylized you have to suspend belief. There are many great action sequences, some so unbelievable you have to just shake your head and remember that action movies are not supposed to be based on reality. Over all, a fun action film filled with bone breaking action and wild stunts.