Culture

Transporter 3

By Berlioz Deborah
01/12/2008

Written and produced by Luc Besson, "Transporter 3" has all the ingredients of a classic action film: a hero, both handsome and amazingly strong, very bad villains, beautiful and fast cars, astonishing stunts, violent fights…

The famous specialist in high-risk deliveries, Frank Martin (Jason Statham), is now retired and is enjoying a period of relaxation in the sunny French city of Marseille. But a man like him is not meant to have a peaceful life. This, in any case, is the opinion of a few mobsters, who intend to get him back in the game whether he wants to or not. Trapped and forced to transport two bags and a mysterious Ukrainian girl from the South of France to Odessa, Martin will live the most dangerous of his adventures yet.

It sounds appealing. In fact, at the beginning my curiosity was quite piqued. Who is this girl? What hangs on this delivery? But very soon, in fact too soon, the answer was revealed.Surely not the point of a thriller...

What I did get, though, was good action movie. Having put my innitial expectations and subsequent disappointment aside, I relaxed into it and actually found it rather funny and enjoyable. Franck Martin, although a very serious and stoic hero, is also armed with quirky one liners. Moreover, some action scenes, such as when he is fighting against eight men at the same time, are just too incredible for you not to smile. But the true comic character in this movie is the French police officer, portrayed by François Berléand. His accent, and his driving across Europe in an old Renault, though a little cliché, are definitely amusing.

The action film’s fans will surely like the car races and the upbeat music, which makes you feel the rhythm and tension of the action. And, whilst the boys lose themselves in admiring the hero's splendind Audi, girls will be able to revel in the equally impressive contors of Statham's fine physique. If you think he’s handsome in his Dior costume, you’ll certainly like his “strip-fight”…

In a word, this film his nothing like the old Besson films I loved, such as “Leon”. The director is not like wine, he has not improved with time. However, I’m confident some of you will enjoy “Transporter 3”, especially on a glim Sunday afternoon, when you just want to relax without too much thinking.