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Transporter 3 By John P. McCarthy Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) -- The third go-round for this extremely violent, heavily stylized and borderline nonsensical action franchise begun in 2002 sticks to the formula of diverting audiences with frenetic fight choreography and full-throttle chases. Devoted to glamorizing speed and mayhem in a criminal milieu, "Transporter 3" (Lionsgate) stops a meter short of self-destruction and kilometers away from plausibility. An attempt is made to civilize courier-for-hire Frank Martin (Jason Statham); he's not quite the amoral automaton he was in the first two movies. But for every move to soften the character there are two or three aimed at boosting his appeal as a lethal machine. After shifting stateside for 2005's Miami-based "Transporter 2," it's back to the Old World where Frank is hired to drive young redhead Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) from Marseilles, France, to Odessa, Ukraine. He doesn't know she's the daughter of Ukraine's environment minister (Jereon Krabbe) and has been kidnapped as part of a scheme to persuade her father to allow a multinational corporation to dump toxic sludge inside the country. Frank carries out his assignment reluctantly if skillfully at the behest of the company's American enforcer Johnson (Robert Knepper), who expounds on the virtues of pacifism but doesn't hesitate to kill anyone in his way. Frank is compelled to take over when the driver he recommended is permanently incapacitated. Complicating matters, both he and Valentina are fitted with explosive bracelets that will detonate if they move a certain distance away from his car. French police Inspector Tarconi (Francois Berleand), whose jurisdiction stretches clear across the continent, aids his fishing buddy Frank. Valentina's fractured English is the main source of humor. She's also the vehicle for humanizing her lead-footed escort. We're asked to believe Frank has tender feelings for her, expressed during off-camera lovemaking and later when he puts her safety above his own. Statham doesn't betray much that's convincing in this regard and its presentation is more lascivious than romantic. Valentina only becomes interested after watching a bare-chested Frank lay waste to multiple bad guys. And prior to the intimacy, the freckled gamine ingests recreational drugs and vodka. There's also the question of whether she's underage. In addition to inappropriate material, the movie's premise is riddled with holes. Evidently, director Olivier Megaton was preoccupied with devising more and more improbable stunts. Even with the prospect of a meaningful relationship for Frank, it's hard to imagine this franchise is headed toward a destination that's worth visiting -- one that's not about generating sordid, cynical thrills. The film contains pervasive violence, frequent crude language, some profanity and rough language, an implied sexual encounter, scattered innuendo, and an instance of drug use. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. - - - McCarthy is a guest reviewer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film & Broadcasting. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies. END Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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