I’ll admit, I was not a fan of “The Transporter.” Granted, I’m a big fan of Jason Statham, the man drips bad-ass whenever he’s on-screen, but as far as “The Transporter” went, it just wasn’t that good. This sequel however, is something I truly enjoyed. It’s better than the original, and obviously, it’s a big plus, because I want to like these movies. This sequel attempts to add more humanity to Frank, while dispensing of any annoying sidekicks, so this time, he has no women who follow him around, and he has no assistants to dispense with the one-liners. Frank, as a favor to a friend, has agreed to drive around a child on his spare time. He picks the young boy up from school and drives him around for his parents. He’s also managed to bond with him, as you’d guess.
Now, Frank finds himself personally entangled yet again in his job, as the young boy is kidnapped. Blamed for the crime, he has to prove his innocence, keep his promise to the child to rescue him, and keep himself alive. But when the plot turns out to be something bigger, Frank has to kick more ass to get answers. Statham is just Statham here. There’s no Oscar worthy performances, no dramatic turn of events, it’s just Statham doing what he does best. And that’s why I’m a fan. He grunts, grumbles, and hands people their asses. As I figured from the beginning, this sequel is a pure rip off of “Man on Fire,” involving this man who has to protect this kid who’s parents are aristocrats and play prominent roles in politics, find themselves in a kidnapping plot, and now this tough man has to save the child whom he inadvertently grew fond of.
The confrontation in the final scenes between Frank and the mob boss is utterly anti-climactic, and never owns up to the build-up we witness throughout the film. Essentially, “Transporter 2” is nothing but a moving comic book. It’s ridiculous, cheesy, and incredibly far-fetched, but the direction paired with the talented cast makes it an entertaining bit of action escapism. Granted, watching a car flip over a tractor knocking a bomb off its bottom, and seeing Frank fly along beads to fight a bleached blond villainess requires you ignore the stupidity, but I just had a lot of fun. The characters were colorful, the fights were sleek, and Statham is a bad-ass.
One of the positives of this sequel is the addition of Lola. Kate Nauta’s turn as a psychotic “Suicide Girl” with a glock is memorable and well appreciated; she adds a needed dichotomy to the film. The relationship between the boy Jack and Frank is believable and often very charming at the opening, because Frank becomes a much more human entity, especially when he has to save him from dire trappings. “The Transporter 2” is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it in all its ludicrous devices, and idiocy. Statham is a bad-ass, this is a very good sequel, Statham is a bad-ass, this is much better than the first, Statham is a bad-ass, there’s a simple but very entertaining plot, wonderful stunts, and, oh yes, Statham is a bad-ass.