The Transporter: Critic Reviews

It's like the worst movie Jean-Claude Van Damme never made.

Will undoubtedly play well in European markets, where Mr. Besson is a brand name, and in Asia, where Ms. Shu is an institution, but American audiences will probably find it familiar and insufficiently cathartic.

What a yawn this truly abysmal film is.

A poke in the adrenal gland.

The last 40-odd minutes are essentially one fight, pushed to the point of absurdity.

The best movie Steven Seagal never made.

Kills time between car chases and martial-arts bouts with random scuba-diving footage apparently culled from producer-co-writer Luc Besson's The Big Blue.

It's junk with a capital J. The sooner you realize that, the more quickly you can settle down to enjoying it.

Alas, veteran action director Corey Yuen is going through the motions.

Too much action brings the movie to a dead standstill. Why don't directors understand that? Why don't they know that wall-to-wall action makes a movie less interesting -- less like drama, more like a repetitive video game?

Aside from a few dynamic fights and Statham's square-jawed charisma, the film is a collection of action sequences in search of a plot.

Jason Statham uses his smoldering charisma to great effect.

It remains to be seen whether Statham can move beyond the crime-land action genre, but then again, who says he has to?

It's also clear from the start that The Transporter is running purely on adrenaline, and once the initial high wears off, the film's shortcomings start to shine through.

While the ensemble player who gained notice in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch has the bod, he's unlikely to become a household name on the basis of his first starring vehicle.

Another big, dumb action movie in the vein of XXX, The Transporter is riddled with plot holes big enough for its titular hero to drive his sleek black BMW through.

When it comes to pure action, The Transporter delivers.

Quite the ride, if you can stand the sight of valuable cars at risk.

This is a film where there isn't the slightest doubt about the dramatic outcome.

There's plenty to like here, especially for connoisseurs of the action genre.

It's high rent Steven Segal -- fights, explosions, and more fights, but with a flair.

Such a silly slugfest that no amount of surly attitude can hide its skeletal plot or stand in for satisfying characterizations.

This month's Luc Besson movie plays a lot like last month's -- only better.