Though director Olivier Megaton exhibits a good bit of that annoyingly jagged editing that's become all the rage in action films, he has the good sense to never cut away from Statham's pecs.
Transporter 3 (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:105
Fresh:39
Rotten:66
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: This middling installment in the Transporter franchise is a few steps down from its predecessors, featuring generic stunts and a lack of energy.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 5, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $31,316,973
Synopsis: Combining Western-style car chases and Hong Kong-inspired fight sequences choreographed by martial arts legend Cory Yuen, the Luc Besson-created TRANSPORTER films have found international success... Combining Western-style car chases and Hong Kong-inspired fight sequences choreographed by martial arts legend Cory Yuen, the Luc Besson-created TRANSPORTER films have found international success as a sort of working-class James Bond series. Jason Statham, who has become the go-to guy for big-budget B-movie thrills, returns once again as Frank Martin, the driver-for-hire for whom no job is too risky. Brimming with the usual jaw-dropping stunts, this is another crowd-pleasing entry in the saga, delivered at a brisk and flashy clip by director Olivier Megaton. Following the coercion of Ukrainian environmental official Leonid Vasilev (Jeroen Krabbe) into signing papers permitting the shipping of toxic materials into a harbor by criminal mastermind Johnson (Robert Knepper), Frank Martin is forced into accepting the job of driving Vasilev's kidnapped daughter, Valentina (Natalya Rudakova)--acting as human collateral--from Marseilles to the Black Sea coastal city of Odessa. On the chance the Martin should attempt to flee, Johnson has rigged him with a bracelet that will detonate if he strays more than 75 feet from his car. When Valentina is intercepted by a rival group, Martin will have to push his Audi M8 to the limit to complete his mission and ensure his own survival. The TRANSPORTER films require copious amounts of suspension of disbelief, but then again, one doesn't hope they will strictly adhere to the laws of physics. The third volume provides ample thrills, not the least of which is the sight of a car driving off a bridge onto a moving train. Plenty of screen time is also given to Statham's superhumanly chiseled torso, while freckled Rudakova's unconventional beauty balances out the sex appeal. In the end, Statham's undeniable likeability propels the film, and his chemistry in a handful of scenes with François Berleand, returning as Inspector Tarconi, provides some nice comic moments. [More]
Starring: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Francois Berleand, Natalya Rudakova
Starring: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Francois Berleand, Natalya Rudakova, Jeroen Krabbe, Alex Kobold, David Atrakchi, Yann Sundberg, Eriq Ebouaney, David Kammenos, Silvio Simac
Director: Olivier Megaton
Director: Olivier Megaton
Screenwriter: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Producer: Luc Besson, Steven Chasman
Composer: Alexandre Azaria
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Transporter 3
The good thing about Transporter 3 is that you know exactly what to expect. There's reluctant hero Jason Statham, a deadly villain, exotic European locations, car chases, hot action and .. of course there's a girl
With insulting action sequences and a tacked-on love scene, the movie quickly veers into a downward spiral.
The first film was slick, the second one silly, but at least we knew what was going on during those action beats.
Transporter 3 is the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy: a quick sugar rush that melts in your mouth and is forgotten five minutes later.
A preposterous, over the top and entertaining return of Frank Martin, the courier who delivers anything without question. Forget the ludicrous plot and just sit back and enjoy the fight and driving sequences.
Most film trilogies usually drop the ball on the third entry, but if you want to see it done right, check out the fun, unpretentious Transporter 3.
As a fan of Statham and the Transporter series, it's a massive disappointment. The story makes no sense, and there aren't even very many fight scenes.
For the most part, the fights and chases are as implausible as the story, but there's an extraordinarily clever escape-from-certain-death bit about 20 minutes from the end that I don't think I've ever seen before.
Incoherent and inconsistent, this is a step back for Statham in his quest to become more than a cult figure.
The flashy editing gets on one’s wick and no one’s going to win an Oscar – but, really, who’s complaining? This is straight-up fisticuff fun.
With its eco-trappings, car chases and fights, the film feels very sub-Quantum Of Solace. The fact that Quantum itself felt very sub-Bourne says even less for Transporter 3. Even if you're a Statham fan, this series is starting to feel tired.
Transporter 3 is a reassuringly beefy thriller in which Jason Statham has to drive very fast across Eastern Europe with a Ukranian beauty queen on the seat beside him. No one, including Jason, has the slightest clue why. Never mind.
Statham is a relatively entertaining action hero - though he is better in the Crank films. The script is by Besson, but the director is Olivier Megaton, whose surname is the most exciting thing about the film.
Luc Besson's modestly-budgeted but wildly successful franchise shows signs of broadening to include romance and humour.
The most impressive thing on offer is Statham’s straight face…but why the sadistic Besson forced him through a romantic clinch in the Ukrainian equivalent of the Cotswolds is anybody’s guess.
Transporter 3 is going to make an awful lot of money. It has in abundance the ingredient that was missing from the last Bond film: a sense of its own idiocy.
It is a full-throttle action film which works best if you leave your brain at the door... and there's nothing wrong with that!
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