Transporter 2 (2005)

And The Action Continues

There was a little something missing from this one, but not enough to matter. It was that European flavor the original had. This one had more of something the first one did not-a good meaningful story. The choreographed fight scenes were perfect. There was even a throwback of the humorous oil fight scene from the first Transporter. Stratham never disappoints. While there was limited killings, after watching both this sequal and the original, I feel as though someone behind the scenes is determined to minimize the death count, substituting instead for numerous beaten and bruised bad guys. More interesting plot than the original. Again , this movie, like the first, is only for the action/karate fan. On that score it succeeds. This is why I gave it a -4-. I was a little disappointed with the climactic fight scene at th end. The antagonist was such a master, I expected more of a fight at the end. Placing this battle on an airplane going down was fresh, but limited the space for this big fight. Frank did not suffer enough of a beating, at the hands of the evil guy , to make us cheer for him to come back and kick his _____. Esaping from the sinking plane made up for it a little. I have owned both this and the original for a while now, but am getting around to looking at it months later. I will not make that mistake with another Stratham action flick. I will not make that mistake with Transporter 3 . Now when are they going to make Transporter 4? December 27, 2008

Very clever

I've seen the first film a couple of times and thought that whilst it was OK and Jason Statham can just about act it was nothing special. I really wanted to hate this, but came away liking it quite a lot. The filmmakers knew what they wanted here. Its brainless entertainment with tongue firmly in cheek, and they know it....

In fact I enjoyed it more than the first film. The villianess in bra and panties, endless ridiculous car chases, fight sequences that have to be seen to be believed. Its all done with style, panache and a "don't care if this is not real" attitude that other films , that take themselves too seriously (i.e. Mission Impossible 3) could learn from.

So if you let it wash over you, you will have a entertaining hour and 3/4. Don't think about it just enjoy! December 5, 2008

Great as always, but no DTS?

Well, I have no much to say. I've always liked the Transporter series. I am working my collection of the 3. However, Amazon says it has a DTS audio track - where is it? The DVD has not a single DTS track authored onto it. It doesn't make it unplayable, but thats certainly one of the reasons for buying the movie... December 2, 2008

Slick, impressive sequel

Not just more of the same, this cranks things up a few notches. It's still great entertainment and has some fantastic fight scenes, as well as a few top car chases. Very good stuff. November 30, 2008

Transporter 2 Movie Review from The Massie Twins

Like many sequels, Transporter 2 does not surpass its predecessor in quality or entertainment value, and actually manages to dumb-down the intelligence level and over-do the already obnoxiously exaggerated action. If you've heard of films that are "so bad they're good," this second outing in the series might just squeeze its way into that category. Transporter 2 isn't the worst movie ever made, but it has to be pretty close.

Transporter 2 finds everyone's favorite rule-abiding mover of delicate goods, Frank Martin (Jason Statham), filling in as a chauffeur for the son of a powerful government official (Matthew Modine). When young Jack (Hunter Clary) is kidnapped by a dangerous mercenary-for-hire (Alessandro Gassman), Frank must uncover the nefarious plot behind the crime, rescue the boy, and generally save the day in as outlandish a fashion as possible.

For every well-choreographed, creative action sequence, there are five utterly ridiculous ones that truly epitomize absurdity. An intense duel with a hulking henchman in the confined quarters of a boat make for some unique camerawork and effective combat, and a martial arts-infused fight with a fire hose steals the show for most original and entertaining action sequence. But a dreadfully dull Tarzan-esque battle with the main villainess, unrealistic bullet dodging, and an anti-climactic airplane crash quickly rescind this action vehicle's license to thrill. And if the majority of these scenes weren't disappointing enough, they're accompanied by awful one-liners and some of the most pitiful special effects in recent history.

The first Transporter movie, while entertaining in its brainless adventure, was wholly unrealistic. The second one practically redefines the word. It's difficult to come up with enough adjectives to describe just how detestably over-the-top every aspect of the film becomes, from the abhorrent, lingerie-wearing antagonist Lola (Kate Nauta) to the badgering use of music and skewed sense of plausibility. Frank retains his use of rules this time out, though the rules of realism have long since been lost. At least a healthy dose of car chases, massive property destruction, and martial arts mayhem keeps Transporter 2 barely watchable. Barely.

- Joel Massie


November 26, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...