The Transporter (2002)

This film is about a man whose job is to deliver packages without asking any questions. Complications arise when he breaks those rules.

Directors:

Louis Leterrier, Corey Yuen

Writers:

Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen

Stars:

Jason Statham, Qi Shu, Matt Schulze

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Statham	...	Frank Martin
Qi Shu	...	Lai (as Shu Qi)
Matt Schulze	...	Wall Street
François Berléand	...	Inspector Tarconi
Ric Young	...	Mr. Kwai
Doug Rand	...	Leader
Didier Saint Melin	...	Boss
Tonio Descanvelle	...	Thug 1
Laurent Desponds	...	Thug 2
Matthieu Albertini	...	Thug 3
Vincent Nemeth	...	Pilot
Jean-Yves Bilien	...	Little Thug
Jean-Marie Paris	...	Giant Thug
Adrian Dearnell	...	Newscaster
Alfred Lot	...	Cop 1

Storyline

Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods--human or otherwise--from one place to another. No questions asked. Carrying out mysterious and sometimes dangerous tasks in his tricked-out BMW, Frank adheres to a strict set of rules, which he never breaks. Rule One: Never change the deal. Rule Two: No names--Frank doesn't want to know whom he's working for, or what he's transporting. Rule Three: never look in the package. Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He's been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" to make a delivery; but when Frank stops along the route, he notices his package is moving. Violating Rule Three, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman. Frank's steadfast adherence to his other two rules--which make up his basic code of survival--also ...

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Plot Keywords:

reckless driving | exploding house | knocked out | martial arts | special forces | 

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Taglines:

Pro no hakobiya, iraihin wa itsumo WAKE ari [Japan]

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English French Mandarin

Release Date:

11 October 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Transporter

Filming Locations:

Avenue de Saissy, Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$302,482 (Japan) (31 January 2003)

Gross:

$428,179 (South Africa) (7 March 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Current Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Lai is using the computer, she browses through several other pictures before finding Wall Street's. The other pictures are all of crew members and the names next to the pictures are all jokes ("Gordon Zola", "Christiane Isme"...).

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Goofs

When Lai's father enters the room (just before he slaps her) the guard at the door can be seen setting a beer bottle down. But before the father enters the room he has no beer bottle in his hand.

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Quotes

Frank: That's your last pee break for this trip.

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Connections

Referenced in The Inbetweeners: Club Code (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Muzik"
( Knoc-Turn'Al (as R. Harbor), Kanye West (as K. West), S. Christian )
Performed by Knoc-Turn'Al
©Knoc Turn'al Publishing / Million Dollar Game Ain't Free / Ye Worlds Music
Excerpts from "Old Siam, Sir" as performed by Wings
Used under license from Capitol Records, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
This recording samples portions of the composition "Old Siam, Sir" written by Paul McCartney

User Reviews

A few bumps mar an otherwise decent outing in "The Transporter"

There's no question that Luc Besson is one of Europe's biggest action producers. I mean with the cult classics "La Femme Nikita" (1991) and "The Professional" (1994) behind him, he's basically been given the green-light for every big action picture he comes across. One of his latest and most ambitious projects was "The Transporter," released in 2002.

I have to admit this is one flick I approached with a very open mind - very open. I mean, I like 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. There are plenty of holes and unanswered questions (i.e., the extent of Frank's military training and experiences, Lai and how she wound up with Frank and her quarrelsome relationship with her father who is played by Ric Young, and the plot with the Chinese smuggling).

But why am I making such complaints? "The Transporter" is an action movie; no plot required. Despite some bumps in the road, "The Transporter" is pure action fun from beginning to end, and I got my free ticket to see "The Transporter 2" on Friday.

7/10