Transporter 2

The second Transporter movie somehow forgot its alphabet and, rather than stopping off at B, pranced off into its even lower categories. However, the considerably larger budget and over the topness make this into one big action party that easily exceeds part one in terms of quality. Just too bad that the powerhouse and star - the indestructible Audi A8 with its unstoppable charm - disappears from the story about half way through. (02/19/2008)

A very elaborate attempt to make a megalomaniacal series from the decent first film for the American market with a charismatic hero. Statham's problem is that he has no room in the film to act at all charismatic, if we do not take into account all the tender looks of a cold-blooded killer... The combination of music, luxury and exaggerated action scenes signals that Leterrier and Yuen are staring at Bond, but unlike Bond, Frank gives the impression of a funny exaggerated hero, whose solutions to situations have nothing to do with divine talent, but rather the choreographer's diseased imagination. Transporter 2 is so unbelievable that you can't have much fun with it. In the first film the exaggeration worked precisely because it was at least partially grounded and served with foresight, but the second film is stiff in terms of the humor and essentially just stupid. (01/26/2008)

Uh? What on earth can I say? This time Luc Besson seriously deserves a medal. Because The Transporter 2 is so utterly full of clichés or complete craziness that you just have to say to yourself: what the fuck?! Examples: Frank Martin peels off a bomb from the underside of an Audi using a crane - while driving. Frank Martin jumps from building to building like Batman, in a car. And the episode with the jet at the end is just totally kick-ass. You just sit there and gawp. The two stars that it earned from me were for Jason Statham and the perfect black Lamborghini that didn’t even survive the whole movie. Sniff ;-)... Second time round it was much more fun. I had a really good time. Maybe in time I’ll raise it to 3*. ;-) (07/05/2006)

Having enjoyed Danny the Dog and praising its relatively strong screenplay for a Luc Besson film, Transporter 2 made me realize that that film was just a momentary flash of his mind's brilliance. The entire scheme of the first installment was simply copied and transferred to America for a stronger audience impact. Fortunately, Americanism is only reminded of here by one awkward sentence, and the American flag is stylishly used in one action scene, which is once again meticulously crafted down to the last detail. The choreographic ballet from Corey Yuen's workshop once again oscillates between perfect simplicity and self-parody. It's too bad that the weak digital effects are used more frequently, as they ruin some scenes where we could have enjoyed the beautiful Audi W2, which looks flawless without a speck of dust or scratch, and when it speeds down the road, with the camera circling around it and Jason Statham behind the wheel, his charisma is simply captivating, as always, making it impossible not to get excited. A delightfully silly diversion, which has the misfortune of being the second film in the series. (10/08/2005)

Your typically stupid production by Luc Besson, where nonsensical action scenes, stupid car dances, and yellowish camera filters outweigh an already flimsy script. The first one was somewhat decent, with an exaggeration that was a pleasant refreshment. The second one is an over-the-top exhibition, and when I see a car jumping from one rooftop to another (and technically messed up at that), it makes me want to puke. Jason Statham hasn't lost any of his charisma and can still handle himself quite well, but that's about all that remains. Miami is a fairly attractive location for filming, and thanks to fast cuts, we occasionally have the feeling that it's another cool action ride, even though it's essentially a huge mess. (06/14/2006)