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Transporter 3
Studio: Lionsgate
Year: 2008
US Rating: PG-13 - Sequences of Intense Action and Violence, Some Sexual Content and Drug Material.
Film Length: 104 Mins
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX Audio
Subtitles: English and Spanish
US Release Date: March 10, 2009
Review Date: March 4, 2009
The Film - :star::star::star:
Do I look like a man who came half-way across Europe to die on a bridge?
Jason Statham has become the pinnacle of the quiet tough guy in action films. He’s a no nonsense actor who has concentrated on a particular vein of character – men who say very little but produce a wild amount of carnage in dealing with aggressors, threats and other sorts of gun and muscle related hurdles. And Statham is the right man to hold that mantle since he can do more with a scowl and a furrowed brow than most so-called action stars can do with a string of pithy outbursts. He’s a scruffy, lone wolf type wrapped in tailored suits – and it suits him.
Transporter 3 seems to pull back from the more playful edge of Transporter 2, or perhaps it has just tempered the more consistently outlandish tendencies of the first sequel, adding a more serious tone that seems to work. The plot remains absurd, but the execution tones down the generic quips. However, you need not fear, the ratio of cool moments and smack downs to car chases is still high. This time around, Frank Martin is forcefully cajoled into transporting a precious cargo in his trusty Audi for some crooks who are forcing a high ranking government official to sign off on letting ships bring deadly waste into the country. Adding to the thrills is the twist that if he, or his female passenger, (one of the rules he must break during this ‘mission’) get more than 75 feet from the car – they will explode (courtesy of the bombs strapped around their wrists).
The film begins quickly enough by throwing down the plot strands and then slowly aligning them into the simple story we expect to see, one that is adorned with heavy doses of action, a little heart and drama to placate our need for just a smidge of substance (though we still roll our eyes a little when it happens) and, most importantly, plenty of stoic action hero persona from Frank Martin who is sorta like Eastwood’s ‘Man with no name’ - but with a day job as the Transporter. As for the cast, Statham is great, again, as Frank Martin; Natalya Rudakova is disposable as his female passenger Valentina and François Berléand is solid again as Inspector Tarconi, the unlikely friend (and sidekick in some regards) to Frank Martin. The bad guy this time round, Johnson, is played by Robert Knepper and he is rather good, never overdoing the evil, but remaining sinister enough to believe. In the end, all the cast play the parts they need to in order for the mechanics of the action film to work.
The plot is pure tosh, but that isn’t the point and I think the writers, director and Statham himself understands that. So once the basic and generic enough plot has been thrown together, the creative talent is then able to concentrate on setting up precarious situations requiring Statham’s somewhat unique fighting talents (a mix of various martial arts’ styling’s, a Londoner thug and some lower level Royal dueling in the 18th century). Fears of ludicrousness, preposterousness and absurdity are no tethers at all to the high octane pounding action that revs up frequently throughout the film.
The action sequences are fun, as you will expect, but they are also hampered a little by the director Megaton’s rather aggravating habit of speeding up the chase footage, giving it a somewhat shaky, almost vibrating feel. It has the effect of cheapening those moments in the elaborate car chase sequences and they come off rather like echoes of low-budget chase scenes from the 60’s or 70’s – silly and dismissible. A problem for a film looking to impress the audience with slick action. Fortunately, it isn’t pervasive – but just distracting enough at times to be mentioned here.
When The Transporter finished its run, it had grossed $25MM at the domestic box office and $18MM at the foreign box office. Not a huge earner, but a respectable amount of money for a small, primarily European funded picture. It did well on DVD and the sequel proved just how much of a fan base it had amassed when part two bested those box office receipts, bringing in $43MM domestic and $42MM foreign – a significant bump, especially in foreign takes (even though it was the weakest entry). Then Transporter 3 was released and again did well worldwide – seeing another leap in international receipts – up to $65MM+ - but it also saw a drop in domestic gross, down to $31MM. But that really isn’t a surprise since it has the distinct feel of a European action film, something far less slick than most American action film’s, and it doesn’t try to be anything but that.
With Statham’s ever improving cut, agile and limber action performance, fast cars, silly action that holds the pedal to the metal for a solid hour and a half, Transporter 3 is just the right kind of fun.
The Video- :star::star::star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:
Lionsgate brings home Transporter 3 with its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 intact and enhanced for widescreen televisions. It used oranges and reds, warm and rich colors to spice up the familiar stony grays and muted colors found in films set in the European grit. The image quality for this release isn’t among the finest that Lionsgate has released, however. The image is fairly sharp, but you will notice some moments that look a little over processed – a little too sharp. But, honestly, I wonder if what I was seeing was an artistic choice rather than an issue with readying this movie for our viewing pleasure at home on DVD. Overall, the image looks good - with good contrasts - good color balance and, in context, good flesh tones.
The Sound - :star::star::star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:
Lionsgate provides Transporter 3 with an aggressive, pounding and subwoofer heavy English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX audio. Growling engine sounds, whizzing cars and the occasional gunshots flex the speakers nicely. The fun here, though, really is in the martial arts sequences, choreographed by Cory Yuen – punches, kicks, sweeps and an assortment of prop assisted butt kicking jump between the front speakers and launch into the surrounds in just the right measure. The center channel with dialogue is clean and, overall, this is a throaty, active surround sound.
The Extra's - :star::star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:
Disc One.
”Special Delivery: Transporters in the Real World” Featurette – (13:47) – Security consultants, ex Special Forces etc and other folks are interviewed talking about the reality of ‘Transporters’ – an interesting piece.
Audio Commentary with Director Olivier Megaton - Olivier Megaton’s commentary, a little hard to understand at times through the thick accent, covers how he became involved in the project, the purpose and work behind the scenes and some of the challenges he faced creating some of the sequences.
Behind-the-Scenes Bonus Footage
-Storyboards - (2:45) – A look at some storyboards created for scenes that were unused or changed in the final production as the director discussed what we see.
-Sets/Production Design - (2:09) – A look at the sets and details used in the film.
-Special FX - (2:33) - A look at some of the effects sequences, with the various shots and elements that go into them, again as the director shares some background
“Making of Transporter 3” Featurette – (16:14) – Not a bad ‘Making of’ that, while having all the tenets of a generic featurette but pulls back from the over-produced types that have become prolific and does well, especially in covering the stunt rehearsals.
Theatrical Trailer
Disc Two.
Digital Copy of the Feature Film
Final Thoughts
Luc Besson, director of some great films such as Léon and Le Grand Bleu and of course Subway, can be found more active now as a producer – with varying degrees of success. But he has found success here, serving as producer (and writer) now on all three Transporter films and has helped define a neat little franchise of adrenaline pumping, cool inducing movies that don’t require you to think, just enjoy. Part three doesn’t add anything new, but continues the franchise on cruise control – and that works out just fine.
Not perfect, not original but fun every step of the way.
Overall Score - :star::star::star:
Neil Middlemiss
Kernersville, NC
