Starring:
Jason Statham as Frank Martin
Alessandro Gassman as Gianni
Amber Valletta as Audrey Billings
Kate Nauta as Lola
Matthew Modine as Mr. Billings
Jason Flemyng as Dimitri
Keith David as Stappleton
Hunter Clary as Jack Billings
Shannon Briggs as Max
François Berléand as Tarconi
Raymond Tong as Rastaman
George Kapetan as Dr. Sonovitch
Jeff Chase as Vasily
Gregg Weiner as Tipov
Special Features:
Trailer
Inside Look
Deleted Scenes
Extended Fight Sequences
“Off the Record” Shooting
Making of Transporter 2
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish and French Languages
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 87 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following text is from the DVD cover:
“The best in the business is back in the game!
Jason Statham returns in his signature role as ex-Special Forces operative Frank Martin aka The Transporter.
Now retired from his chosen profession of moving dangerous goods with no questions asked, he makes a living driving for a wealthy family in Miami, Florida. But when their young son is abducted, Frank must use his battle-tested combat skills to save the boy and thwart the kidnapper’s nefarious master plan.
Packed with high-octane car chases and high-flying martial arts action, Transporter 2 delivers nonstop excitement from beginning to end!”
Transporter 2 is rated PG-13 intense sequences of violent action, sexual content, partial nudity and brief language.
The Movie:
I should start out by mentioning that I never saw the first Transporter film. I wanted to, but I never got around to it. Despite this, I was able to jump right into Transporter 2 without any problems whatsoever. The plot and characters aren’t as important as the action, and that’s easy to follow.
I had two weird feelings while watching this film. The first was that I was watching a comic book movie. The over-the-top plot, physics-defying action, and stereotypical action characters all felt like they were ripped right out of a graphic novel. The female assassin running around shooting machine guns in her underwear seemed like it was written by Frank Miller. So if you like comic books, you’ll probably enjoy this film.
The other weird feeling I had was that this was a Jackie Chan film without Jackie Chan. As Jason Statham battles generic thugs, he uses anything and everything lying around to beat them up. Whether it’s a fire hose, a pole, or even a boat, it can become a weapon for him to use. That’s typically Chan’s style of fighting and Statham mimics it well. Transporter 2 also felt like a Chan film in that the plot was silly and did little more than provide a way to string a bunch of outrageous stunts together. So if you’re a Jackie Chan fan, you’ll probably get a kick out of Transporter 2 as well.
As already mentioned, the fight scenes are spectacular. They range from the jaw-dropping (a gun battle in a pediatrician’s office) to the laugh-out-loud silly (a car flips through the air to knock a bomb off its underside). But overall it’s silly fun and should well please any fans of action movies. The trick is to go in expecting the outrageous.
Jason Statham leads the cast as Frank Martin, the Transporter. He handles the action extremely well and really makes the film. His tough exterior and good heart make him an appealing action hero. Most of the rest of the cast just fade into the background. Alessandro Gassman is a stereotypical villain as Gianni. Kate Nauta runs around in her underwear a lot as Lola, the assassin. Keith David is wasted in a cameo as Stappleton, one of the police. Matthew Modine is also barely used as Mr. Billings, the father of the kidnapped boy.
The Extras:
The preview DVD I was sent didn’t contain all of the bonus features, so I can’t rate them very well. I was able to see the deleted and extended scenes and there are quite a few of them. Most of the extended scenes only consist of a couple of lines of dialogue amid the action. They aren’t anything noteworthy. The deleted scenes are relatively minor, too. One shows more of the doctor that creates the virus. Another shows Frank kissing Mrs. Billings. Overall it’s nothing missed from the film. You can also look for a couple of “making of” featurettes.
The Bottom Line:
If you like comic book movies, Jackie Chan movies, or outrageous action flicks, then Transporter 2 will be right up your alley. As long as you don’t expect anything in it to be realistic, you’ll enjoy the action just fine.
