Viewed in
2011
Formats
HDTV
Premise
Jason Statham stars as a delivery man for the European underworld, one day he discovers his cargo is a pretty Asian chick.
Liked
Statham.
Hated
Bad movie physics, even by action flick standards.
Thoughts
It's a decent action flick, though it's probably just more important that it was Statham's breakout role.
Personally, I liked the hand-to-hand fights better than the car chases or explosions. Those fights were simply more energetic and creative, almost Jackie Chan-like in terms of inventiveness and humor. Not sure if it was Louis Leterrier or Corey Yuen who was in charge of the chases, but they were too chaotic to follow/enjoy.
As expected, Statham was bad ass in terms of demeanor and in combat. I was definitely impressed by his legwork. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast served their purpose: Qi Shu was good at being leggy and squealing when needed, and Matt Schulze excelled at evil sneering on cue.
This was obviously a movie where you shut your brain down and enjoy the mindless violence, but even after doing that, the movie felt long. Not a good sign for a 95-minute long flick. What bugged me the most was how ludicrous it got. Even for an over-the-top action flick, the movie physics were so impossible to believe that it just took me out of the moment. This was made in 2002 but it had the laughably horrible plot logic of bad 1980's movies. And no, I don't think that was done ironically or as a tribute.
Overall, this was worth watching if you're a Statham fan. His presence and fight scenes made The Transporter fun at times. Just try not to laugh too hard when he parachutes perfectly from a flying crop-duster onto a speeding semi on a winding coastal highway.
What I would change
At least write a plot that's typical of bad action movies from this century.
