Transporter 2 – The Mission

Ein sehr übertriebener Versuch, aus einem soliden ersten Teil eine megalomanische Serie für den amerikanischen Markt zu drehen, mitsamt einem charismatischen Helden. Stathams Problem besteht darin, dass der Film keinen Schimmer Platz für etwas Charismatisches freihält, wenn wir denn nicht sämtliche zarten Blicke eines kaltblütigen Mörders hinzuzählen ... Die Kombination aus Musik, Luxus und übertriebenen Actionszenen signalisiert ja schon, dass Leterrier und Yuen nach dem Bond schielen, jedoch im Gegensatz zu ihm vermittelt Frank den Eindruck eines witzigen, übertriebenen ach so großen Helden, dessen Lösung einer Situation nichts mit einer göttlichen Gabe zu tun hat, sondern eher mit der krankhaften Vorstellungskraft des Choreografen. Dem Film Transporter – The Mission kann man bis zu jenem Punkt eben nicht vertrauen, dass er keinen echte Spaß beim Betrachten des Films haben kann. Wenn denn im ersten Teil die Übertreibung genau deshalb funktioniert hat, weil sie zumindest teilweise die Füße auf festem Boden behielt und alles mit Überblick servierte, so ist der Zweier nur noch lustigerweise verklemmt und eigentlich nur doof. (26.01.2008)

Having enjoyed Danny the Dog and praising its relatively strong screenplay for a Luc Besson film, Transporter 2 made me realize that that film was just a momentary flash of his mind's brilliance. The entire scheme of the first installment was simply copied and transferred to America for a stronger audience impact. Fortunately, Americanism is only reminded of here by one awkward sentence, and the American flag is stylishly used in one action scene, which is once again meticulously crafted down to the last detail. The choreographic ballet from Corey Yuen's workshop once again oscillates between perfect simplicity and self-parody. It's too bad that the weak digital effects are used more frequently, as they ruin some scenes where we could have enjoyed the beautiful Audi W2, which looks flawless without a speck of dust or scratch, and when it speeds down the road, with the camera circling around it and Jason Statham behind the wheel, his charisma is simply captivating, as always, making it impossible not to get excited. A delightfully silly diversion, which has the misfortune of being the second film in the series. (08.10.2005)

A film that completely resigns from any logic in its screenplay, ignores the laws of physics, and yet is quite entertaining in its obvious naivety and unrestrained foolishness, partly due to the fact that it doesn't pretend to be anything else, and partly due to the presence of Jason Statham, who fits so well into these types of roles. All he needs is to show his fierce expression and utter a few sharp sentences in his deep voice to satisfy fans of action movies. Overall impression: 35%. (25.06.2009)

I feel that Besson's production and especially screenwriting prefabrications are starting to become a genre in their own right. Well, let's just call them “Bessonflicks” = narratively stupid brain-wash for viewers endowed with a hell of a lot of detachment. This sequel has is ten times more of that than in the first one (which I liked for its unconcealed simplicity and pace), but the plot and most of the action passages become so absurd that they start to get boring – more bombastic action sometimes doesn't mean more fun. And the transfusion of the antidote and the airplane at the end really sucked. (16.03.2006)

The second Transporter movie somehow forgot its alphabet and, rather than stopping off at B, pranced off into its even lower categories. However, the considerably larger budget and over the topness make this into one big action party that easily exceeds part one in terms of quality. Just too bad that the powerhouse and star - the indestructible Audi A8 with its unstoppable charm - disappears from the story about half way through. (19.02.2008)