“Transporter 2” (20th Century Fox)
In 2002 Jason Statham blasted on to movie screens as Frank Martin in “The Transporter.” This film was action packed but also believable in a “boy is he lucky” sort of way. Now Statham is back as Martin in “Transporter 2” but this time believability goes right out the window.
As the film opens Martin is filling in on a job requiring him to transport the son of a wealthy couple back and fourth to school. The kid (Hunter Clary) is as cute as can be and he and Frank have a special rapport. His mother (Amber Valletta) appreciates Frank’s closeness with her child while his father (Matthew Modine) just considers Frank as “hired help.”
A hired mercenary named Gianni (Alessandro Gassman) and his second in command Lola (Kate Nauta) plan to kidnap the child and inject him with a virus that will kill all people with whom he comes in contact. It is up to Frank to protect him as much as possible and ultimately to find him when he is kidnapped.
Getting him back involves over the top adventures of stunt driving and martial arts fighting. A battle between Frank and Lola is a particularly good one as Lola is a woman with a lot of skills in her arsenal. Nauta gives Lola a sinister but sexy appearance and a believability to her exploits.
Statham still has charisma to spare but this time out his ability to dodge bullets and survive plane crashes is just too much. The film becomes a comic book story about a super hero and that is not what was expected from “Transporter 2.”
The film also suffers from its similarities to the Denzel Washington/Dakota Fanning movie “Man On Fire.” That movie was much better and casts a long shadow over this film.
Although Statham, Clary, Gassman and Nauta are very good in their roles, Modine and Valletta are weak in theirs. Having the parents be sympathetic is key to the enjoyment of the movie and compassion for these parents is just not generated.
The film is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and partial nudity.
“Transporter” was one of the bright spots of 2002. Not so for “Transporter 2” in 2005. Statham still has his charisma intact, but this is not the right vehicle to advance his career.
I scored “Transporter 2” a stalled 4 out of 10.
