Will It Transform You Too? (Transporter 2 (DVD))

Member Name: Brown_eyes1984

Product:	Transporter 2 (DVD)
Date:	15/07/06 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great cast performances,brilliant action scenes

Disadvantages: none

Directed by Louis Leterrier, this action packed sequel, sets out to grab its audience and take them into a world where violence, kidnapping and psychopathic women with barely any clothes on, are all part of the norm. Starring Jason Statham, Allesandro Gassman and Amber Valletta, to name but a few, this film is predicted to be a hit with both sexes, but is it really as good as its trailer says that it is?

*** The Plot ***

A rich family hire Frank Martin (Jason Statham), to chauffeur their young son Jack Billings, not knowing that he is usually used to transporting different types of goods rather than people. However, after taking Jack to what should have been a regular, routine doctors appointment, he finds himself caught up in the middle of a vicious kidnapping plot.

Can Frank save Jack from the psychopaths that took him, or will the police catch up with him first?

*** The Action ***

After watching the trailer, this looked like a really fast paced, action film – just what I was in the mood for. Now, after watching it I have to admit, I wasn’t disappointed.

The film opens introducing Frank in a nice, black Audi, which straight away gives off the image that he is either very rich, or he works for somebody very rich. His car is held up by a gang of youths who hold him at gunpoint. This is where Frank shows us his ‘transporter’ skills. In a Jackie Chan kind of way, he manages to fight off the gang, get in the car, and arrive on time to pick Jack up from school. His character has been successfully introduced and the action has only just started.

There are quite a few scenes of ‘Jackie Chan’ style fighting. All unrealistic - but extremely watchable all the same. Sometimes I find that, films that feature just one man taking on the world, can sometimes be a bit too much, and it really decreases the enjoyment I get from watching it. However, this wasn’t too over the top at all, or if it was it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment, and the special effects really made up for it in places.

There is one great scene where Frank is chasing an aeroplane, in a car that he stole from the bad guys. It is a sleek, sexy sports car that almost takes off with its own speed. It is a fast paced scene and one that demands your attention.

It is fair to say that this film is ninety percent action and ten percent drama. So if you don’t like a lot of action in films, this is definitely not for you.

*** How It All Comes Together ***

I was a little sceptical about the actual plot, as I have seen quite a few kidnap themed films before and I wasn’t sure how different you could make it. However, I was happy to find that it wasn’t just an ordinary kidnapping plot, there was also a nice little twist involved in the middle of the film. I definitely couldn’t have predicted what was going to happen, it was a completely original idea that worked out really well.

I really liked the way that everything developed slowly, despite it being action packed. The characters were introduced gradually and the viewer got to establish a relationship with them before anything too dramatic happened. The characters were amazing in the film and they interacted great together.

The film didn’t go too fast, nor too slow and every minute of it grabbed me. I liked the fact that although there was some action in the beginning, it went on to gradually build up and grab your attention slowly rather than just diving straight in.

The special effects were amazing and Leterrier didn’t give in to the possible temptation of overdoing it. He got the right combination of sound and visual effects and to me that made the film really enjoyable. There were explosions, amazing fight scenes, and plenty of car chase action, not to mention the scenes with ‘Lola’ (played by Kate Nauta), who has got to be the best woman baddie that I’ve ever seen, though I do wish she’d have worn more clothes!

That leads me nicely onto the character section of this review…

*** Characters and the Cast Who Played Them ***

The main character ‘Frank Martin’ is played by Jason Statham – someone I became familiar with when Kelly Brooke broke his heart by dating Billy Zane. He also starred in the original ‘Transporter’, ‘The Italian Job’ and ‘Revolver’. He seems to star in the same kind of films every time, but then he does seem to play his parts extremely well. In his role as Frank, he comes across as silent but strong. He has some good fight scenes where he gets to show off his muscles, but don’t get too excited ladies, as apart from one scene where he takes his shirt off, he is mainly wearing a suit so you don’t get to see much.

The character that impressed me the most was bad girl ‘Lola’, played by Kate Nauta. Kate really did shine in this role and she came across worryingly, convincingly. This is Kate’s first film and I have to say, I think she has a great career ahead of her. The main thing that annoyed me about her character was the fact that she barely had clothes on most of the time. There were a couple of scenes where she started off with clothes, but then somehow she’d end up in her bra and mini shorts again and that just does not happen in real life. This, I’m sure, will be great news for the guys, but for most women, we really don’t want to see other women in their underwear all the time!

Allesandro Gassman played Lola’s boyfriend and the main baddie in the film ‘Gianni’. With impressive fighting skills, Gianni really is a force to be reckoned with. Allesandro has mainly been in foreign films and none that I have ever heard of, so this was my first experience watching him. I feel that although he was supposed to be the main baddie in the film, Lola outshone him and she should have played the main lead (only as a woman obviously). He did perform OK, but I won’t be watching out for him anytime soon.

Amber Valetta played Audrey Billings, A USA Officials wife, and mother to Jack who had some sexual chemistry with Frank. Nothing really happens between them but they have a bond and she trusts Frank even when nobody else does. She does star in the film quite a lot, but I don’t feel that her role gave her the chance to show what she can properly do. You may also recognise Amber from films such as ‘Hitch’, ‘Raising Helen’ and ‘The Family Man’.

Matthew Modine played Mr. Billings, Audrey’s husband and Jack’s father. He wasn’t shown that much throughout the film due to the fact that his role was a busy, USA official that hardly spent any time with his family. He did play the Role OK, but this role didn’t particularly stretch his acting capabilities so he didn’t give perhaps the best performance that he could have done. He was still OK though, and there wasn’t anything in particular that he could have done better. I feel he played the role the best he could.

All the actors/actresses worked well together and the chemistry between Lola and her boyfriend Gianni was really well put together. It was believable and it seemed like they belonged together. Nobody could have played their parts better in my opinion. Lola especially shined through and I’d say hers was the best performance throughout. Jason also played his role really well, he walked and talked his part and I cannot imagine anybody else playing his role.

*** My Overall Opinion ***

I have never seen the first Transporter film so I cannot compare the two. However I can say that after watching this one, I personally feel that you don’t have to watch the first one in order to enjoy this. It may help understand the storyline a little more in the fact that Frank was a transporter and what exactly that means, but the kidnapping plot line didn’t need any prior knowledge at all.

I felt the actors and actresses did a really good job and gave good, convincing performances. The way the film was shot was really good too. All the special effects went well and Leterrier didn’t overdo it on the sound either. The action scenes were constantly there which kept me on the edge of my seat and I really enjoyed watching it.

I would definitely recommend this to anybody who loves a good action film, whether you are a male or a female.

It is certificate 15 and contains violence, partial nudity, sexual content and occasional bad language.

Summary: a great action film for both sexes