Transporter Refueled

The Transporter series is what I consider a low-level spy series. Even though it has put Jason Statham on a career path as the action guy and it's made it's fair share of money, it's just not something I hear talked about. You hear more enthusiasm when it comes to the James Bond series or even The Mission Impossible series. Transporter is basically like Kmart to Walmart when you compared it to the other big spy series.

It's been seven years since the last one and everyone forgot the television series that came out in 2012. I don't think anybody asked for a fourth installment and this has been promoted very little. With Statham now not in the lead role and using an entirely new cast, it's put in time of post-summer and post-blockbuster season. A time where studios throw films out with no confidence in them. With Transporter Refueled, you should basically know with what you are getting going into.

In the year 2010 and in south of France, Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) goes on a wild ride dealing with saving his dad, getting caught up in a strange prostitution ring and a money plot.

Skrein is famous for leaving Game of Thrones and we will really see what he can do in a lead role as the villain in Deadpool next year. He's not bad for what he does; it's just he does everything you would expect. He can fight, has his way with women, can drive a car very well and has style. He is basically the typical hot shot action guy who the police can't catch or will never arrest. Even his father Frank Senior (Ray Stevenson) is basically just an older version of him and his character is one character to help keep this series alive. There is a character named Gina (Loan Chabanol) who is the main girl of the ring and goes through some nice development but it's not clear if we are supposed to like her or not because of the script.


As to the plot, it is really as expected; a muddled mess with no logic. The storylines go every which way and again it's form an opinion of what the boring villains of Stanislas Turgin (Anatole Taubman) and Arkaday Karasov (Radivoje Bukvic) are because it's not clear. Both guys are known for these roles with both being in the first Taken and Bukvic was in earlier year action film Run All Night. Using nice European locations and images, the action scenes are popcorn fun but kind of far-fetched. It's just a little too much watching a car driving through airport at high speeds and or nightclub scene where literally everyone passes out because of poison gas.

This series is really at a standstill. It's really depends on box office numbers on this Labor Day weekend to see if this series is going to be "refueled". Frankly, I don't see this movie making money because it's time is likely over. This fourth sequel works fine as one-time watch but there is nothing much left in the tank now. Transporter Refueled is a mindless film that you would get in September that will be forgotten once bigger films come around come Thanksgiving and Christmas.                                         

2.5/5