SYNOPSIS:
A superb cast, suspense, action, adventure and romance against a backdrop of fast cars and beautiful scenery in the third installment of the Transporter franchise.
Jason Statham (Collateral, Snatch) stars as Frank Martin, the daring deliveryman pressed back into service from his retirement on the French Riviera. Robert Knepper (Prison Break) is the ex-Delta Force operative trying to keep Frank chasing shadows, while Francois Berleand (Tell No One), plays Tarconi, the gastronomic French detective, who provides invaluable support. Sultry Slav newcomer Natalya Rudakova rides shotgun and eventually persuades Frank to loosen his tie.
From the Riviera to the Baltic Sea, via Stuttgart and Budapest, Frank races to dodge ruthless hit men, outwit a criminal mastermind and prevent an ecological catastrophe.
MOVIE REVIEW:
I
once commented in my DVD review of "Death Race"
that Jason Statham is the only actor currently working in
Hollywood who can transcend from one set to another without
a hair stylist in tow. With "Transporter 3", he
has yet to prove my words wrong.
In the
third instalment of this popular franchise created by Luc
Besson, Statham reprises his role as Frank Martin, the ex-special
forces operative who is now semi-retired and spends his days
fishing with his best pal, Inspector Tarconi (François
Berléand). But shortly after the opening credits, Martin
is being held captive and forced to make a delivery for a
thug named Johnson (Robert Knepper from Prison Break) or facing
the death of exploding to pieces by the metallic device attached
to his hand.
One obvious
reason why the franchise is so popular is it boasts nothing
but crazy car stunts and action choreography. The recipe never
changes whether it’s helmed by Corey Yuen (who still
acts as action choreographer here) or Louis Leterrier (The
Incredible Hulk) or Oliver Megaton. The story by Besson and
Robert Mark Kamen is laughable and just a good excuse to setup
Frank Martin against the thugs. At least Besson should be
commended for throwing an environmental message here. While
we do not actually knows what’s with the toxic waste
and the background of Johnson at least Besson tries.
The
ludicrous level in "Transporter 3" goes a notch
higher under the hands of Megaton. Try to fathom a scene whereby
Frank Martin drove his Audi crashing into a river, somehow
manage to float it back and continue his journey to save his
'package'. If I could manage to scrimp enough dough to buy
a car someday, I guess it will definitely be an Audi.
Another
distracting point is the all-too frantic visual editing and
quick cuts for the fighting and car chase sequences. Frankly
I don’t really see the need for such cosmetic post-production
works for Corey Yuen’s choreography skills or Michel
Julienne's stunt team. Even though the love interest shifts
through the franchise, this time round newcomer Natalys Rudakova
takes the back seat, Jason Statham remains the sole attraction
with its rippling abs and kick-ass attitude, in other words
the roles he plays doesn’t change.
Lastly,
the lack of humour and boring dialogues consisting of cuisine
suggestions fails to spark any interest or sexual tensions
between Statham and Rudakova. Sadly this third entry in the
Transporter series has little to excite or offer. For an no-brainer
action piece, we seriously expect a whole lot more fun and
adrenalin.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The
special features are strangly omitted from the DVD cover but
anyway here they are -
Special
Delivery: Transporters in the Real World –
This enriching featurette touches on real operatives who work
quietly behind-the-scenes transporting information and people
like movie stars, politicians, VIPs etc.
Making-Of Transporter 3 – A 16 minutes
feature that typically covers the usual cast & crew interviews
and behind-the-scenes shots.
Storyboard
Compare – Take a look at the various storyboards
for the actual shooting
Visual
Effects - A quick 2 minutes feature that delve into
how visual effects were used to composite into the final shoot
of some of the action sequences in the movie.
The
Sets – Another 2 minutes long feature in which
the director talks about constructing Frank’s house
and the train sets in the movie finale.
The
DVD is round up with the theatrical trailer.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
DVD transfer is pretty impressive. At times its grainy, black
levels remain as deep and some of the scenic shots are crisp
and natural. This DVD comes with an option of 5.1 and 2.0,
the Dolby 5.1 is as loud as you can get with huge sound effects
to blow your eardrums.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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