The Transporter

Plot synopsis:
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a highly skilled driver known only as "The Transporter." The titular character is a former Special Forces officer who, disillusioned with his former leadership and tortured by the memories of his past, now lives on the French Mediterranean coastline with a lucrative "backup" career. He will transport anything, no questions asked, from Point A to Point B, always on time, and he is known as the best in the business. He strictly follows three rules when transporting: Rule #1: "No new deals, when it's a deal, it's a deal", Rule #2: "No names", and Rule #3: "Don't open the package".
Frank has been hired to transport "Three men, 254 kilos." When not three but four men get into his car, fresh from a bank heist, Frank refuses to move, holding fast to Rule #1. After one gang member is killed by the others, Frank leaves with the remaining robbers. On delivery to their destination, they foist new money on Frank to drive further from the city. He refuses the deal, again adhering to Rule #1. The robbers escape in another car, and Frank leaves.
Frank returns to his mansion in the south of France, and he finds out via the news that the gang was caught after crashing their getaway car in a pursuit. Later, local police Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), who happens to be a close acquaintance, arrives to question Frank about the robbery, since his make and model of car was the same used in the robbery. However, despite his suspicions about Frank's involvement, Tarconi has no concrete proof about the heist (due to Frank cleaning up the car and changing the licence plate) and leaves his Villa.
Frank is then hired to deliver a package to an American gangster (Matt Schulze) known only as "Wall Street.". During the way, he notices that something is moving in the package, but he refuses to open the bag due to Rule #3. While changing a flat tire on the road in France, he breaks one of his rules and opens the package that was placed into the trunk at Point A. He finds the package is really a woman, and he makes a small hole and gives her a bottle of juice to drink. He delivers the package as promised to Point B.
Wall Street suggest Frank to transport a briefcase to the new position. Frank relucantly accepts the job. He takes the briefcase and leaves. On the way, he stops at a gas station to eat and rest for a little while, but the briefcase turns out to be a bomb that destroys Frank's car in the parking lot but leaves him unharmed. Frank snaps and returns to Wall Street's residence with a vengeance, dispatching several of his henchmen and then stealing a car to get away, only to find "the package" tied to a chair in the back seat.
Later on, he returns to his house, and unties the package who tells him that her name is Lai. The next day, Tarconi arrives again and makes the usual inquires, producing a scorched license plate, and the suspicion that a house maid drives a Mercedes. Lai supports Frank's alibi, leaving Tarconi with no proof again (who didn't notice that the front light on the car was broken). However, after he leaves, missiles rain down on Frank's house, and Frank and Lai are barely able to escape the house into the sewer, swimming away from the house before it completely explodes. They hide in an apartment in the city, but Tarconi finds them and takes them to the police station for questioning about the destruction of Frank's house.
At the police station, Frank and Lai are able deflect Tarconi's questions, and Lai manages to sneak onto Tarconi's computer to access information on Wall Street. She tells Frank that Wall Street is trafficking two shipping containers full of Chinese people including her own father and family, and is planning to sell them into slavery. Lai and Frank go to Wall Street's office to find the shipping docket identifying the containers. However, Wall Street reveals that Lai's family is not in the containers. In fact, her father is the man responsible for the human trafficking. Tarconi, who was following Frank, then arrives at the office. Wall Street and Lai's father accuse Frank of kidnapping Lai and attempting to blackmail them. Unable to prove otherwise, Tarconi has Frank arrested and locked up in the station.
At the station, Frank does his best to explain the situation to Tarconi. Tarconi agrees to abet Frank's escape as his faux hostage. Frank then tracks the criminals to the docks, where they load the containers onto trucks. However, Frank is spotted and is forced to fight his way through the guards, failing to stop the trucks. He then steals a small airplane and parachutes onto one of the trucks, killing Wall Street and a number of his henchmen. After getting out of the truck, Frank is then ambushed by Lai's father. However, Frank is saved when Lai shoots her own father. Afterwards, Tarconi arrives with the police and they rescue the people trapped inside the containers, and Frank and Lai help to load them in the ambulances as the film ends.
The Transporter drives a BMW in the first film and an Audi A8 (12 cylinder W12) in the 2nd and 3rd films.

Tags: comedy, cult, revenge, action, murder

Review:
Actually, a lot of the film is that but it's such a fun movie that I didn't care.Jason Statham is very cool in the lead and it's he that makes this a decent film.
The Transporter (2002) was a fun action film that was directed by Jet Li's fight director Corey Yuen and it starred Jason Statham.
I think he's a pretty cool guy and at first, even I questioned his casting as Frank Martin in "The Transporter." But the problem is, and I'm assuming this is the result of the quickly edited action scenes (which were toned down to make the film "PG-13"), he's not being given the room to really be the best he can be.As the lead character, he's a transporter.
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.It's not spoiling much that she and Frank get together and as a result, are forced to do battle with shady and vicious American businessman Wall Street (Matt Schulze) and his army of high-kicking, disposable assassins.
There's a little more to the plot and Lai, and the circumstances surrounding her appearance in the trunk of Frank's car, and it involves some smuggling of poor Chinese immigrants from China to Europe, where much of the action takes place.Speaking of action and there's plenty of it, Statham does display some pretty impressive moves but the frantic editing just doesn't do him justice.
Director Corey Yuen (whose work on Jet Li's 2001 action film "Kiss of the Dragon" I admired), is behind it and Besson's got a producer credit.The problem may not be Statham because I think he's a really cool actor with a raspy British accent, but the script is worth some deeper examination by more thoughtful minds.
Jason Statham makes a great tough guy, loved him in The Italian Job as well.I recommend inviting your friends over, grabbing some Orangina, and watching this great movie..
This movie is pure action having all the usual clichés: car chasing, explosions, fights when nobody uses guns, the lead actor gets some kind of involvement with the victim etc.
If you like completely mindless movies that don't even try to come up with an intriguing or original plot, realistic characters, believable dialog, suspense, emotion, etc., etc., but are only looking for a fast paced succession of action and martial arts sequences, then this is your movie!
A hard-boiled ex-soldier (Jason Statham) runs a private 'transporting' business in which he moves goods for clients from point A to point B, no questions asked, no packages opened and no names exchanged.
One day, he breaks his own rule by opening the large bag he is transporting and finds a beautiful gagged woman (Qi Shu) in it.Jason Statham of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fame slips into the buff testosterone-fuelled action-hero role with almost effortless conviction and the perfection with which he delivers his cheesy lines deserves credit ("All right, that's enough juice for now.").
This thrilling film is packed with unstopped action , stirring car races and sensational fights .The former mercenary called Frank Martin(Jason Statham in his starring debut) turned in security agent is now serving as chauffeur for delinquents and mobsters .
Jason Statham is top-notch as action hero, he lives what seems to be a luxurious life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods from one location to another , he's a tough man fighting stunningly .
The stunts and fights are really fun to watch, but the storyline and acting is bare bones and boring.The Transporter focuses on Frank Martin, a highly trained mercenary, getaway driver for criminals, and a "transporter" for anything that needs delivered.
To be fair - I got some good car chase action in the first ten or so minutes of the movie and one good fighting scene in 70,000.
However, the transporter screws up by breaking the rules by opening a package and getting involved when he ends up transporting a Chinese woman to someone.At this point you want to know where the story is suppose to go, but what really happens is it goes nowhere.
But at some point the people making this tried to make the story solve itself within 5 minutes in an office room as they start introducing more bad guys, and try to write up a hasty conclusion.From this point on you can't even like the film for its stupidness.
Like the great French setting this movie reaked of over ripe camembert.It's too bad cause Stratham is definitly passible as an action hero, and the oil slick fight scene is quite ingenious.
The hero Frank is a super fighter who makes other action figures from movies like "Die Hard", "James Bond", "Mission Impossible", and "Terminator" look like schoolboys, and he would probably win a fight against all of them with his hands tied to his back.
I watched this movie because there was absolutely nothing else on TV, but if I can help just 1 other person from wasting their time as I did...If you re-create every action scene you have ever seen (ala James Bond, Terminator, Die Hard), splice them together in no particular order, develop a plot more brainless than a Steven Seagal flick (not easy), you will have The Transporter.The only plus -- that oriental chick was pretty cute.If you like cars that explode like nuclear bombs when they crash, and villains that have super high tech military weapons 1 minute -- then mysteriously lose them just before the obligatory martial arts fight scene -- then this movie is for you..
Jason Statham rules.Qi Shu delivers some very cute and adorable lines.Matt Schulze is utterly convincing as a bad guy.The script is poorly written.
The rest of the plot sort of falls into place heavily and, when it needs to explain things, feels very slow and ponderous  it's better if you don't think about it.Despite the weak plot the film is very enjoyable simply because of the great action scenes.
It isn't great, the plot is weak and the ending is a little bit of an anti-climax with it's happy sunny ending, but the action is good and, more than some over hyped films, it is actually FUN to watch it  just don't expect all the bits to be good..
When the heavies decide to reciprocate with violence, Frank is introduced to Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand) who believes that Frank is certainly a 'Person of Interest.' The rest of the movie becomes a fun filled adventure of high flying street chases, explosions and physical action involving Martial arts of the best kind.
In Jason Statham's first starring role he plays Frank Martin, an ex-something or other who now lives in the sunny French Riviera delivering packages for shady gentlemen.
The only thing worth watching (or so I used to think) are the fight scenes, but they are so poorly edited (as is the whole film) that you never feel the impact or the excitement.The Transporter is good enough if you want to switch your brain off and veg over some tame action against a scenic backdrop.
However, the action is far from hard hitting and this only makes the abysmal story more obvious.Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a hired mercenary transporter, who while on one delivery, breaks his own rules and opens his package.
Frank (Jason Statham) earns his living as a transporter, a driver who operates on the wrong side of the law, making deliveries of any kind, no questions asked; but when Frank breaks one of his own rules by opening a package en route, his ruthless employers decide to silence him using any means necessary.Jason Statham has some pretty lousy titles in his filmography (the preposterous and tiresome Crank movies, the disappointing The Expendables), as do director Corey Yuen (the mediocre So Close, the abysmal Blade of Kings) and producer Luc Besson (the awful Arthur and the Invisibles).
The Transporter, however, sees all three on top form, their film providing an hour-and-a-half of exhilarating, knowingly dumb comic-book nonsense, star Statham playing his part perfectly, with an admirable sense of seriousness despite the patent silliness of the action (unlike his irritatingly OTT performances in the Crank films).As the story progresses, the gunfights, fist fights and explosions get bigger and better, with logic never allowed to get in the way of spectacle.
The rest of the movie is car chases, explosions, and fights.I won't go into the plot, because it's pretty much only here to give Statham a pretext to hand out his butt-kickings.
In the early part of the 21st Century, he turned to producing and one of his major hits was The Transporter, the film that made Jason Statham into an action star.Frank Martin (Statham) is an ex-military man who turned into a driver for hire in the South of France.
Frank has to work with the woman, Lai, and a police detective, Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), to bring down Bettencourt and his operator.The Transporter takes a basic B-Movie plot and story and gives it an MTV flash.
The best sequence for me was the highway chase because it was easier to tell what was happening and for the most part the fighting and gun fights were well done.The Transporter was Statham's first leading role outside of Guy Ritchie's films.
Statham also had very good chemistry with Qi who did have charm as Lai. The pair worked well and were surprisingly believable in the context of their world.The Transporter lacked a threaten villain: Schulze played his role more as a man who is partier then a ruthless crime lord who will kill anyone who crosses him.
The film also introduces a character called Leon who was able to beat up and knock out Frank, leading you to think that there is going to be a showdown between the characters: but it never comes about, which is very disappointing.Stanley Clarke gave The Transporter a more modern, techno score which was fitting for the most part, especially when it becomes pumping for the action sequences near the end.
The Transporter had 'Macho Duck' written all over it from the opening scene and I'm afraid that was enough for me....yet another example of modern movie maggot husbandry where 'action' and "Look at me...look what I can do!" (like some little brat sat in an amusement arcade racing car/fighter jet) is all that matters.
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin a man works as a professional transporter.
Some cool action stunts, fight scenes, car chase and some, but not much, snappy dialog.In the end The Transporter is nothing more and nothing less than a good action flick.
In this, he was the lead and tougher and way more cool and the fact that he did 99% of the stunts himself was impressive.Personally, I would have liked to have seen much more actual "transporting" though, so we could enjoy more of the driving scenes.
Sure, most of the action sequences are reasonably well choreographed, and Jason Statham is quite engaging as the titular character, but neither of these is enough to save a film that chokes on one of the worst scripts of the year.
The opening frantic car chase through the streets and along the boardwalks of Nice, sets the tone for the for the rest of the movie  infused with equal parts action and humor you quickly realize  that this is not a film that  takes itself seriously.
I had a great time watching The Transporter.It's a pure popcorn entertainer with terrific action, and a great story too.It's not a dramatic or very serious film, it's meant to be enjoyed and I'm telling you that if you like action movies, this movie is not to be missed.It's another highly entertaining French action film written by Luc Besson, one of the best action movie screenwriters.Jason Statham is obviously a delight to watch!
Explosions and car chases are done brilliantly, while it's the fight sequences which have been done with extreme sincerity and perfection.Given that it's a 2002 film, The Transporter (or Le Transporteur) stands tall as per action movie standards.
Statham was Excellent as one of the expendables in the great action packed trilogy & was fantastic in The Mechanic & Home front films he also was very cool in Death Race & Ghosts of mars but i honestly liked him best in this first Transporter film!!!
Statham here is a nice mix of bruce Willis (his bald head & stubbled face) & Van damme (his ripped body & fighting moves) & he really is cool to watch especially the "oil fight" that's a great fight scene & yes this has the usual corny & cheesy bits but that's what makes this movie a throwback to those old school action films, this is a very slick looking film with tons of Action & stunts but still on the lower budget side & that's very cool!!!
I can honestly watch this film over and over again.Jason Statham makes his first appearance as Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin who lives a quiet life in the French Mediterranean, but hires himself out as a "transporter" who moves goods from one place to another.
he gets some help from his friend and Police Inspector Tarconi played brilliantly by François Berléand who adds some humour to the film (and subsequent Transporter films).But what makes this such a great film is the introduction to film of the great character of Frank Martin, brilliantly played by Jason Statham.
Overall, this is a must-see if you're a fan of Jason Statham or action movies in general..
The Transporter is a decent movie with an alright storyline and an average cast.It is an enjoyable movie but there really isn't any element to it that is outstanding and I honestly don't see why it's what one of Jason Statham's best known films,his performance is good but he's done so much better action films than this and it's sequels.Qi Shu is a really terrible actress and without a doubt the worst part of the movie,she is very attractive,but pulling off eye candy isn't that easy when the actress says her lines as if she's reading the script for the first time.The Transporter has some action packed scenes,but there is nothing amazing about this movie and I would only recommend it as an action to just watch on TV if there is nothing else on,don't go out of your way to see it.
The story is about an ex-military man, Frank Martin (Statham), who is covertly working as a transporter for hire - a man who basically moves things from one place to another.
Before the action finale to the film, Statham played a much slicker character - almost like a cheaper version of a James Bond.
By the end though, it's a standard Jason Statham action movie that has consistent flow and doesn't have bad pacing..
The first time I watched The Transporter, I had never seen Jason Statham before, but after the movie was over, I was in Love.
Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a hired transporter willing to deliver anything with simple rules.
This Action/Crime/Thriller is about an Ex-Special Force operator Frank Martin (Jason Statham) with a mysterious past now works as a "transporter" who moves goods--human or otherwise from one place to another.
but he broke his own rule & gets into trouble, which one & what type of trouble see the movie please ;).The most strong element is Jason Statham been an Olympic Diver on the British National Diving & background in martial arts gives us some amazingly thrilling car chases & fighting sequence, as a man one of the reason watching some movies is gorgeous ladies which this flick fulfill through beautiful Asian actress Qi Shu (lai).Now lets come to the weak part the reasons why i gave 6/10 , this flick has a very weak script for mature audiences & predictable too,no character development except Frank martin unreal heroism & a weak villain with not much to offer & avg performances by supporting casts sends this flick right back to being an avg , when i compare this action flick to first movie of Die hard series or MI which been released much earlier then " The transporter" they have much better story line to offer.
yet if u like watching Jason Statham in action & want to feel the innocence of Qi Shu call your friends rent the movie don't buy ;) & have fun on couch :).
There were plenty of car chases and memorable dialog.This is about guy named Frank Martin whose living is to transport smuggled girls all across Europe.The acting is not too bad.
Jason Statham plays Frank Martin the transporter.
Corey Yuen has directed some low-budget action films but in 2002 he directed a great action flick called The Transporter, which stars Jason Statham.
Jason Statham and Lucy Liu did a good job with their characters, but I think it was the storyline that brought this movie down.It had good and innovative action scenes, but that was basically all.
Acting is mostly good and Jason Statham pulls it off great, like he always does.
Most of the scenes are a bit over the top (well, i think that's the idea..), but if you liked the action in Stathams another 'kick-ass-movie' Crank, i'm sure you'll love this one too.
In this movie, Jason Statham plays Frank Martin, a man who is a freelance transporter who is hired to deliver a package to an American gangster known as Darren "Wall Street" Bettencourt (Matt Schulze).
'The Transporter' defined Jason Statham as action star but I think he deserves better as we have all seen his great acting abilities in debut movies ('Lock, Stock...' and 'Snatch').