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The Transporter
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Corey Yuen
Written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen
Jason Statham... Frank Martin
Qi Shu... Lai
Matt Schulze... Wall Street
François Berléand... Tarconi
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violent sequences and some sensuality.
The old adage, "This is an intellectual movie and is more than just car chases, things blowing up, and action" is certainly not true about The Transporter. As a matter of fact, on the surface this is exactly what the movie is about. When digging a little deeper and thinking about the plot line, although it is shallow, the movie is about things much deeper than car chases, fight scenes, and things blowing up.
One of the troubling aspects coming out of Hollywood recently is the concept of making a really bad character an enjoyable and audience-pleasing character. This was especially true in the summer hit, The Scorpion King, where we see an executioner played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in the title role. There is an eminent danger of establishing role models out of individuals who could influence society, or certainly members of society, into accepting dangerous habits and actions. Many will see The Transporter as a film that follows that mode. I would offer that there is a significant difference that makes this film worthwhile.
Frank Martin, played wonderfully by Jason Statham, is a former special forces operative for the military who is now, "retired". At least this is the story he tells frequent visitor and local police detective, Tarconi, played by Francois Berleand. What Tarconi expects, and in some ways knows, is that Frank is doing something dirty and most certainly illegal.
Frank Martin is a transporter who follows three simple rules, 1) Never change the deal, 2) Never ask for names, and 3) Never look in the package. We see how dedicated he is to these rules in the opening scenes of the movie. In what has to be one of the best car chases ever filmed, Frank delivers several bumbling bank robbers. I won't go into details here but it is obvious that Frank is dedicated and more than just a delivery boy.
Later on, Frank gets more than he chooses when he has another job to deliver a package from a rather ruthless character, Wall Street, played by actor Matt Schulze. Schulze, is incredibly evil and although his character is somewhat thin in detail, he does an adequate job and we know from the outset that this man is indeed evil. The mistake Frank makes though is that he breaks his own rules. From the start of the film, he is a rather evil character himself, but we begin to see something that is portrayed differently than in many films. He actually begins to develop a heart, especially after he becomes aware of the contents of his last package, a young girl, and the ultimate battle she is up against.
The aspect of addressing the potential of change is the one thing that made The Transporter worthy of viewing for me. Don't get me wrong … Frank is still a bad guy, who has some extremely bad habits. The difference is, that we as an audience see him as a person that has the potential for good. Detective Tarconi sees this potential throughout the film. I found myself hoping for change in the lead character and believing that it was possible. The implications of taking that scenario over into real life can be life changing. Imagine that if we saw the potential in people we would likely be more concerned about them and working to bring about change. Detective Tarconi as well as the character that was the package to be transported, Qi Shu, a lovely young Asian lady also sees that potential. Ultimately one of the good things that happens is that Frank does begin to change his ways and his life. Instead of fighting for, and not caring about the evil he performs, he actually shows that he has a heart and has to potential to care.
The editing and action in this film is wonderful. There are wonderful fight scenes and fans of Steven Segal and others within the action genre will love this movie. It is rated PG-13, but could have easily been rated R. There are glimpses of nudity, some bad language and a lot of action violence. It is not for everyone. There are redemptive values to the movie though that are certainly worth discussion with those who see the movie and enjoy the genre. At the top of that list is a person's ability to change.
On a scale of 1 - 10, for minus 2 cars and an important tire blowout I'll give it a respectable 7.
Copyright 2002, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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