Plot
Frank Martin puts the driving gloves on to deliver Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of a Ukranian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he has to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina's safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.
Release Year: 2008
Rating: 5.9/10 (51,094 voted)
Critic's Score: 51/100
Director:
Olivier Megaton
Stars: Jason Statham, Robert Knepper, Natalya Rudakova
Storyline Toxic waste bubbles in a ship waiting permission to dock in Odessa. Frank Martin turns down a job in Marseilles, referring it to a pal. A short time later, the pal, wounded by gunfire, crashes his car into Frank's living room and dies, leaving a young woman in the back seat. The employer of the dead man shows up, forces Frank to take the job, snaps a bracelet on his wrist that will explode if Frank gets more than 75 feet from his car, and sends Frank on a journey east with the young woman and a trunk full of something. She's Valentina, nearly mute. Can Frank figure out what's going on, deliver the package, and escape alive? And what does the ship have to do with it?
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Cast: Jason Statham
-
Frank Martin
Natalya Rudakova
-
Valentina
François Berléand
-
Tarconi
Robert Knepper
-
Johnson
Jeroen Krabbé
-
Leonid Vasilev
Alex Kobold
-
Leonid's Aide
David Atrakchi
-
Malcom Manville
Yann Sundberg
-
Flag
Eriq Ebouaney
-
Ice
David Kammenos
-
Driver Market
Silvio Simac
-
Mighty Joe
Oscar Relier
-
Thug
/
Driver
Timo Dierkes
-
Otto
Igor Koumpan
-
Cop Ukraine
Paul Barrett
-
Captain
Taglines:
If You Need It To Arrive Safe and In One Piece -- Hire A Professional
Opening Weekend: $12,063,452
(USA)
(30 November 2008)
(2626 Screens)
Gross: $31,316,973
(USA)
(28 December 2008)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
One of the promotion posters for the film shows Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) posed holding a gun, despite the fact that nowhere in the film does she do so.
Goofs:
Continuity:
In the scene where Johnson is convincing Frank to drive for him, he turns a gun on Frank after shooting one of his own men with it. In most of the scenes, he is holding what is obviously a 1911-style handgun. In one shot, however, when he is holding it to Frank's head, he is clearly holding a Beretta M92 in lieu of the 1911.
Quotes: Valentina:
Am I not sexy? Frank Martin:
[uninterested]
... yeah, you're sexy. Valentina:
[elatedly]
You're the gay! Frank Martin:
Nope! I am not "the gay."
User Review
Not a shade on the first two Transporter movies and here's why
Rating: 5/10
Read through all the reviews of this movie. Big fan of the first two
myself and just got back from watching this. Pretty surprised that
nobody has articulated the real reasons why this movie doesn't work.
Firstly, if you didn't enjoy the first or second movie all of this
probably won't be very relevant. I would have thought that most people
watching the third would have likely seen and enjoyed the other films
in the series.
So, why is this the weakest film in the series? Anybody's review who
criticises it based on a unrealistic plot or implausible action is
missing the point. This might be obvious but there are numerous reviews
citing these as the reasons for the film being average/bad. It's also
an important part of the formula that worked well in the first and
second films.
The reason this third effort doesn't work as well and is not as
enjoyable is due to a variety of factors - TONE and PACING probably
being the key reasons and also areas where it departs from the previous
instalments.
By tone i mean a few things. Is there ridiculous over the top action in
this film? Yes, most definitely, but the problem is in how it is being
presented. The other movies made you laugh in their almost comic book
presentation and stunts. This film is genuinely trying to sell itself
as a serious action movie. They completely took the humour out of all
the potentially very humorous moments through the more 'arty' editing,
over the top score dramatic score (soundtrack definitely plays a big
part of the different tone in the 3rd movie) and generally lousy
script.
This leads on to the pacing, which is far too slow at times. Way too
much dialogue between Statham and the girl. Yes we know the character
fairly well but the movies were always about the action and less the
dialogue. Jason Statham is capable but the script can't really be saved
here.
So, a dramatically more realistic Transporter movie but sucked dry of
all the humorous and fun tone that made the previous instalments so
much fun. As I said there are plenty of silly and deliberately humorous
moments but the way it was constructed and presented meant I wasn't
laughing anywhere near as much as I was in the other films. This in
conclusion is the main failure of Transporter 3 - 5/10 just for being a
new movie in an otherwise cool franchise.
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