The Transporter Refueled

Starring: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright, Tatiana Pajkovic, Radivoje Bukvic, Noemie Lenoir, Yuri Kolokolnikov
Directed by: Camille Delamarre
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Thriller
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) reluctantly works with three women who have kidnapped his father (Ray Stevenson) to force him to help her.

Review:

Tim: The Transporter was a surprisingly good action movie when it came out in 2002. The next two sequels were okay, but certainly never got near the heights of the original. The franchise appeared out of gas (ha, get it- because of the title of this film?) and it was probably time to reboot it (or, god forbid, let it die). If the franchise was going to continue, it certainly needed to do something different. This wasn't the answer, though. It might have needed a reboot, but not like this.... not like this. The fourth film in the franchise is the worst film in the franchise. It might not quite be terrible, but it does nothing to reverse the trend.

The film received no favors by casting Ed Skrein as the new Frank Martin. Skrein is one of the most dull, forgettable actors I have seen in quite a long time. He has absolutely no chance at a long-term career as a leading man. I've been complaining about him since "Game of Thrones" and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. Jason Statham might not be the greatest actor, but the guy has charisma. You like him and want to root for him. Skrein has none of that. His Frank Martin is all smug looks and no substance. There's no emotional connection to the character. Skrein does nothing to connect to the audience or make you care about his character at all. It's a bland, watered down, utter disappointment of a performance. I wanted to go to sleep every time Skrein is on screen. That's a bad characteristic for your leading man to have. I'd be stunned if he ever played this part again. He's just wrong for it.

I liked seeing Ray Stevenson as Frank's father, although I'm generally not a fan of bringing in family for sequels (besides Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, it almost never works). Stevenson gives a good performance, but he can't save this sinking ship.

The movie doesn't really have any truly effective action sequences. There's certainly a few fights here and there and some fast driving scenes, but it all feels strangely muted. There's no sense of danger or excitement. It felt like a fourth film in the franchise, moving forward on autopilot. There was no sense of urgency to save the franchise. That translates into the most forgettable, disappointing sequel yet.

The story wasn't anything overly exciting. It's about on par with the other films in the franchise. It seems to serve no purpose except to move the characters to the next action sequence. Not a lot of time or energy was spent on the script, that's for sure.

Director Camille Delamarre's first feature film was the abysmal Brick Mansions. In that context, this film is significantly better than his first film. Unfortunately, he's now directed two bad action movies to start his career. I dread to see what he does next.

Now, I am dumping pretty heavily on this movie. There was an opportunity to right the franchise here and all those opportunities were squandered. Is The Transporter Refueled a terrible movie? No, it isn't. It is a lackluster one, though. It has a few entertaining moments, but these are few and far between. This felt more like one last cash grab from a dying franchise.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Transporter, Transporter 2, Transporter 3