[yasr_overall_rating]
In the south of France, former special-ops mercenary Frank Martin enters into a game of chess with a femme-fatale and her three sidekicks who are looking for revenge against a sinister Russian kingpin.
While Jason Statham isn’t what you’d call a “thespian,” he is a bona fide action star and the man successfully established the character of Frank Martin, the “Transporter” in the first three movies, as his own, much like Connery did with Bond. He has a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about him, a characteristic I find lacking in many of today’s up-and-coming action heroes but one that is vital if you want to appeal to the masses and while Ed Skrein, the new Transporter, certainly has the looks and the moves to match, his temperament is somewhat more subdued than his predecessor and he gives off the impression that he’d much rather be some place else. But, I’ll cut him some slack, seeing that it’s his first outing. If this movie warrants a sequel, by then maybe he’ll grow into the part more comfortably.
Frank lives in the south of France and is a courier that will deliver whatever it is you need transported as long as you abide by his rules: Rule Number 1: “Once the deal is made, it is final.” Rule Number 2: “No names” and Rule Number 3: “Never open the package.” With his father, Frank Sr. (Ray Stevenson) getting ready to retire in the area, the two men plan on some bonding time when Frank receives a phone call from Anna (Loan Chabanol), a beautiful but mysterious woman who wants to hire him. He meets with her the next day and lays down his ground rules and she agrees to his terms and the deal is made. He is told to pick her up at 5pm that afternoon outside the local bank but is then accompanied by two additional females, all wearing blonde wigs who proceed to pull a gun on him.
They show him video footage of his father being held hostage so he has no option but to go along with their plan. Come to find out, Anna and the girls were sold into prostitution at an early age and have worked for a local crime boss named Arkady (Radivoje Bukvic) for many years and now plan to exact revenge on him but can’t do it without Frank’s help. Naturally, he and his father empathize with the girls and agree to assist them. The movie’s plot is very similar to that of “The Punisher,” which starred Thomas Jane as a retired F.B.I. agent whose family is killed by the mob and in retaliation, under the guise that he is dead, administers his own brand of justice by secretly turning the family against each other, laying the foundation for suspicion, deception and, ultimately, murder.
Anna and the girls, having worked for Arkady for so long, personally know many of his connections around town and manage, with Frank’s help, to sneak into their locations undetected and having stolen his little black book, which is full of his associates’ bank account information, proceed to take their money and then transfer it into Arkady’s account, thereby suggesting that he is stealing from them which culminates in a Mexican standoff on his yacht. A movie such as “The Transporter” is not going to win any awards for originality but the kinetic action that was prevalent in the previous three iterations is still very much on display here and while Mr. Skrein is more than capable of holding his own in the film’s numerous fight scenes and car chases, you find yourself yearning for Mr. Statham’s droll and nasally one-liners.
English actor Ray Stevenson, who has made quite a name for himself playing bad guys, here, has the opportunity to lighten the mood with his Frank Sr. constantly referring to his son as “Junior,” undoubtedly a nod to Indiana Jones and I kept expecting Mr. Skrein to defiantly state, “Don’t, call me junior!” Director Camille Delamarre, who directed Paul Walker’s last starring vehicle, “Brick Mansions,” handles the action scenes with great aplomb and along the way, concocts some truly amazing set-pieces that would rival “Furious 7.” If you just want to escape for a few hours and switch off your brain and have some fun, “The Transporter Refueled” is your perfect getaway.
In theaters September 4th
