In spirit if not quite execution, The Transporter 3 is the equal of its predecessors, offering up the
same goofy over-the-top martial arts and vehicular madness that has become the series’
signature (and which I’ve finally embraced). There’s nothing quite as
ridiculous as the Transporter 2 sight
of stone-faced wheelman Frank Martin (Jason Statham) removing a bomb from the
undercarriage of his Audi by flipping it midair and knocking the device off
with a nearby crane hook. Still, there’s plenty of silliness to this third
outing, helmed by Olivier Megaton (whose ludicrous last name alone makes him a
perfect fit for the franchise) with careening velocity and muscular precision,
as well as enough edits to make one’s eyes burn. The plot involves Frank being
forced to transport a human package, Natalya Rudakova’s Ukrainian redhead, to
Odessa, a mission complicated by a bracelet slapped on his wrist that will turn
him into an exploding man if he strays too far from his car. The underlying
reason for his task has to do with a villain’s (Robert Knepper) efforts to
blackmail a politician over anti-pollution legislation, but really, that’s all
beside the point –Transporter 3
exists only so that one can witness Frank outmaneuver pursuing baddies on the
road, and dispatch hordes of anonymous goons with his fists and feet. As such,
the film delivers what it promises, highlighted by the oft-shirtless Frank taking
down foes with the aid of his tie and belt, as well as another sequence in
which he chases down his stolen car (so as not to blow up) on a dirt bike, with
Statham’s unflappable no-nonsense demeanor a perfect complement to his outrageously
cartoonish superheroics.
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