{"id":1854,"date":"2009-07-07T22:45:07","date_gmt":"2009-07-08T02:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=1854"},"modified":"2022-10-22T18:11:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-22T22:11:35","slug":"transporter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/transporter\/","title":{"rendered":"Lean, Tailored, and Ferociously Fit: Jason Statham in Transporter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Transporter 3<\/em>, produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton, is an international product tailored for the American market. Despite its French locales, German cars, and adorably freckled Ukrainian hottie, the hero and villain are both quite American.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The titular Transporter<\/em> is Frank Martin (Jason Statham), a fighter and driver par excellence who earns a luxurious but lonely existence as an ask-no-questions courier. The events of his two previous misadventures have reformed his amoral ways and loner habits, as evidenced by his collaborative friendship with former nemesis Inspector Tarconi (Fran\u00e7ois Berl\u00e9and).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So in order for there to even be a Transporter 3<\/em>, its plot must corral this reformed man into a caper full of opportunities for carnage and lawbreaking. The villainous American Johnson (Robert Knepper) is conceived as Martin’s evil, less evolved twin: a mercenary like him, but unleavened by conscience. His ill-defined plan involves blackmailing Ukranian politician Leonid Vasilev (Jeroen Krabbe) into allowing a giant corporation to import a tanker full of barrels of toxic waste. At one point Martin is menaced by a truck full of the stuff on land, but the tanker hasn’t docked yet. Confusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Natalya
Natalya Rudakova in Transporter 3.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Statham is this generation’s Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Segal. He’s already been typecast as the tough loner in a constant series of b-movies (some more B than others, but The Bank Job<\/em><\/a> is a step up), but usually lightens things up with a hint of Jackie Chan-esque self-deprecation. He’s impeccably tailored, lean, and ferociously fit, looking and moving more like a gymnast than the previous generation of slow-moving bodybuilder action heroes. A good drinking game for any Statham film is to drink a shot every time his shirt comes off. You’re likely to get alcohol poisoning in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons I enjoy producer Luc Besson’s Transporter<\/em> franchise is that I dislike being expected to applaud the typical movie action hero that stands back and shoots bad guys from afar. This applies to pretty much any Stallone and Schwarzenegger film, but is also true of even James Bond (in which his fabled license to kill often translates into mowing down rooms full of extras with machine gun fire — or in the case of Moonraker<\/em>, laser pistols) and Indiana Jones (audiences applaud him for shooting a scimitar-wielding baddie in Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/a><\/em>, but really, is that fair?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In stark contrast, Martin almost never uses any weapon other than his own physicality. Most of the violence in the Transporter<\/em> films is in the acrobatic, bloodless rock ’em sock ’em style of kung-fu flicks, liberally seasoned with impressive automobile carnage. The first few minutes of Transporter 3<\/em> feature a signature sequence in which Martin dispatches a room full of armed baddies using no tools save his own suit jacket. But I was startled to see Martin actually execute a few evildoers later in the film, something I don’t recall him doing in the previous two. It’s wholly out of character, and spoils the fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jason
It’s never long until Jason Statham’s shirt comes off.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What dooms Transporter 3<\/em> to be the worst of the franchise is that there are simply not enough action sequences, and what few there are are uninspired. I recall only two more notable action sequences: in one, Martin is tethered to his car by an explosive device (just roll with it), and must catch up to it on foot after it is stolen. Later, he launches it off a bridge onto the top of a speeding train, and then from there smashes it into the body of a detached passenger car. For a movie so concerned with car chases, it doesn’t help the audience when most of the vehicles are dictated by product placement to be the same brand (Audi) and color (black with tinted windows).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The awkward, eyebrow-raising ending to Transporter 2<\/em> left it up in the air as to whether Martin is gay or just an extreme loner. Surprisingly, Transporter 3<\/em> actually revives that question and makes it its key subject. When Vasilev’s hot freckled daughter Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) comes on to him, Martin protests he’s “not in the mood” but certainly, absolutely, positively, no way no how, definitely not gay, how could you even ask, good grief. Well! I guess that settles that question, albeit in a rather disappointingly conventional manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the end of the film finds Martin not only reconfirmed as a good guy, but also in a steady heterosexual relationship. A key component of both the James Bond and Jason Bourne characters is that their greatest loves were murdered, so they choose to be emphatically alone. Where can Besson take Frank Martin in another sequel? Don’t expect Valentina to last long into Transporter 4<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transporter 3, produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton, is an international product tailored for the American market. Despite its French locales, German cars, and adorably freckled Ukrainian hottie, the hero and villain are both quite American. The titular Transporter is Frank Martin (Jason Statham), a fighter and driver par excellence who earns […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,2],"tags":[35,39,621,620,619,622,618,623,44,617],"class_list":["post-1854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1-star","category-movies","tag-action","tag-france","tag-francois-berleand","tag-jason-statham","tag-luc-besson","tag-natalya-rudakova","tag-olivier-megaton","tag-robert-knepper","tag-thriller","tag-transporter-3"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-tU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2065,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/apocalypse-on-wheels-death-race\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":0},"title":"Apocalypse on Wheels: Death Race","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"November 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race evidences a cynical, shallow, indiscriminate outrage at... everything. In this future dystopia, the U.S. economy collapsed in 2012, followed by soaring unemployment, crime, and incarceration. Echoing Rollerball and Running Man, professional sport has merged with the penal system, providing both televised entertainment and a justice\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "1 Star"","block_context":{"text":"1 Star","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/1-star\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/death-race.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/death-race.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/death-race.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/death-race.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/death-race.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":693,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-bank-job\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":1},"title":"Jason Statham robs Lloyds Bank in The Bank Job","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Bank Job is notable for being an at least partly \"true\" expose into the spectacular (and successful) robbery of Lloyds Bank in London in 1971. For whatever reason, an anonymous participant of the investigation chose to cooperate in the making of this fictionalized film rather than a book or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Bank Job","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/bank-job-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/bank-job-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/bank-job-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/bank-job-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/bank-job-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":570,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/banlieue-13-district-b13\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":2},"title":"Banlieue 13 (District B13)","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 4, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"To the editors of Time Magazine that picked District B13 as one of the 10 best films of the year [update: link no longer online], I can only ask, dude, Que la baise vous pensaient-elles? Yes, granted, it touches on some extremely sensitive and timely issues in a racially and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"District B13","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/district-b13.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/district-b13.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/district-b13.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/district-b13.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/district-b13.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2071,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/a-man-alone-babylon-a-d\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":3},"title":"Vin Diesel is a Man Alone, in Babylon A.D.","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"December 12, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Vin Diesel has made something of a specialty in dystopian science fiction movies, possessed of astonishing visuals but horrifically bad scripts. I'm looking at you, Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick) Does he seek these kinds of projects out, or has he been typecast as a weary but action-ready\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babylon-a-d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babylon-a-d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babylon-a-d.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babylon-a-d.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babylon-a-d.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":885,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/incredible-hulk\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":4},"title":"You won’t like Edward Norton when he’s angry in The Incredible Hulk","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"The Incredible Hulk is Hollywood's latest incidence of what has become known as a \"reboot.\" The term came out of the comic book world, with further derivations in computer terminology. When a franchise begins to show its age with stalled creative energy and declining sales, its owners may opt to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Incredible Hulk","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/incredible-hulk-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/incredible-hulk-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/incredible-hulk-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/incredible-hulk-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/incredible-hulk-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6275,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/laurence-olivier-wrestles-gregory-peck-in-the-boys-from-brazil\/","url_meta":{"origin":1854,"position":5},"title":"Laurence Olivier wrestles Gregory Peck in The Boys From Brazil","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"December 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Franklin J. Schaffner's The Boys From Brazil is one of those they-don't-make-them-that-way-anymore that I miss: the paranoid thriller that blends sci-fi with politics. I'm thinking Coma, The Manchurian Candidate, and Jacob's Ladder. It's often a fool's errand to complain about plausibility in genre flicks, but I think internal consistency is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Boys From Brazil","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1854"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6700,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1854\/revisions\/6700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}