The Transporter Refueled *** (2015, Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson) – Movie Review

Statham is missed but Skrein is fine.

Camden bloke Ed Skrein, aged 32, has the difficult task of stepping into Jason Statham’s worn-out shoes as The Transporter in this fast-moving, all-action B-movie thriller from director Camille Delamarre (Brick Mansions).

Perhaps it lacks quality, style and a fresh zing. And there is far, far too much CGI, making it all seem a bit ludicrously unreal, even if much of it is actually staged for real. But there are full-tank loads of pace, action, stunts, car wrecks and laughs in this entirely acceptable reboot set in the south of France.

Skrein’s Frank Martin has given up his gig as a special-ops mercenary and is now transporting classified packages for dodgy characters, and he’s hired for a job by femme fatale Anna (Loan Chabanol) and her three blonde-wigged sidekicks to orchestrate a bank heist and take revenge on a sinister, human-trafficking Russian kingpin.

I get that this rebooted B-action series is no match for the unexpectedly slick Jason Statham original The Transporter (2002), though it’s probably the equal of the sequels, Transporter 2 (2005) and Transporter 3 (2008). Even if he’s not great or memorable, Skrein’s fine, especially in the action and fights, holding the movie together, though he doesn’t have Statham’s way of deadpan dialogue delivery. But then, to be fair, he doesn’t have that many witty lines to deliver.

However, the bantering relationship between Frank Martin (‘Junior’) and his ever-in-trouble retired dad, Frank Senior, helps it along nicely, as does Ray Stevenson’s suavely cynical performance. Chabanol makes a fine femme fatale and the villains are adequate enough.

Dare I say it, it’s really not that much worse than an old-style Bond movie. Even if Refueled is not exactly the Citizen Kane of action movie reboots, and can’t spell its title correctly, it does exactly what it says on the tin. So no one can really complain.

The public will vote at the box office whether they want more Transporter or not. Writer-producer Luc Besson is always up for squeezing out one more sequel if he can. This time, I’m guessing no more Transporter, but I’d happily see another one. I like its devil may care attitude.

After gaining a BA Hons degree  in Fine Art from Central St Martins, Ed landed his first acting role as the lead in iLL Manors (2013). He was hailed as a ‘2013 Star of Tomorrow’ by Screen International.

Jason Statham declined to play Frank Martin again and Ed Skrein left Game of Thrones (2011) to play him. The fights are a mix of Krav Maga and Filipino martial arts.

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© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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