Transporter 3: Movie Review

Transporter 3: Movie Review

Rating 4/10 - 9/10- if you like exploding things, car chases and lots of slow mo shots
Cast: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper
Director: Luc Besson
Frank Martin is back.
Actually, I don't recall asking for his return - but nevertheless, the courier man who always has a plan has returned for a third outing.
This time, it's pure adrenaline filled nonsense.
Martin's approached for a job when a car carrying a colleague of his - along with a kidnapped Ukranian girl - smashes through his wall at home.
But as his pal's carried away in an ambulance, he explodes knocking Martin out.
When Martin wakes up, he finds he's got a few problems - on his wrist is a device which will cause him to blow up if he deviates on what the bad guys want.
So along with the Ukranian girl, he's back on the road in his trusty car - and determined to untangle himself from the web he's become ensnared in.
The twist (a la Speed) with this one is that if he's too far away from his car and his cargo, the wrist bracelet will explode - and that'll be the end of him.
What can I say about Transporter 3?
At times, it's like watching an overlong commercial for a car with plenty of slo-mo shots/ cut shots/ shots of the gears being wrenched and so on.
There is plenty of car chases - some of them appear to have been sped up in the edit suite which produces an odd effect.
There's also a lorry jackknifing on a narrow road mid -pursuit.
Things blow up - from many angles.
There's a pumping soundtrack - and to be fair, a very amusing chase on a BMX bike as Martin desperately tries to catch up with his car after it's stolen.
There's a gubbins plot about an eco-terrorist kidnapping a petulant Ukranian girl to hold her eco-minister father to ransom.
And there's our Frank Martin (a gruff growling Jason Statham) facing off against multiple bad guys who have guns/ knives etc - and armed at times with only his jacket top and easily shreddable shirt.
Whereas in the past, all the bad guys in action films were either English or Arabian, now every hero is menaced by Robert Knepper (the odious T-Bag in TV's Prison Break) - who's in danger of being brutally typecast in playing the same bad guy roles - even down to the slight chewing on his own tongue.
Basically if you like the previous films, you won't need me to expand on why Transporter 3 works in its respective genre and with its respective audience.

Sadly though, it's nothing new, original - or in places coherent.