I have always been a big fan of Jason Statham and the Transporter franchise. When I heard the news about the reboot I was cautious. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Ed Skrein plays a younger version of Frank Martin, the transporter of anonymous packages and mad driving skills. He mixes cool unflappable confidence, with just a trace of cockiness. The age differences between Ed Skrein and Jason Statham is emphasised by the introduction of Ray Stevenson as Frank’s father. Cue father and son repartee and a little back story to Frank Martin’s character. Frank senior is as capable as ‘junior’, with a keen eye for the ladies.
The charm of Transporter has always been Frank’s determination to stick to his rules; no names, don’t open the package, don’t change the deal. Frank’s clients inevitably break said rules within the first 15 minutes of the film. All the key elements are still there. The identical black suits and and sleek black fast cars are now iconic-ally part of the franchise. Loan Chabanol plays Anna, our calculating heroine set up to play on Frank’s weakness for chivalry and rescuing damsels in distress. Radivoje Bukvic makes a convincing villain stopping just short of stroking a mustache and tying our heroine to a railway track.
It is difficult not to compare Ed Skrein With Jason Stratham he brings a different energy and a little more hair. On the other-hand while the moves are impressive, he does not quite have the intensity of Jason Stratham, who always seems to be seconds from exploding into uncontrolled fury. As always the deal involves more than one attractive female and more than one double cross. Good car chases and fast fighting are still meticulously choreographed. If you are fan of the previous films then this will be well worth a watch and leave you only slightly wistful.
