The Transporter - When Statham Fever Took Off

Its action may appear rough in a post-John Wick era, but The Transporter highlights Jason Statham's talent as an action star, and here's why the film contributed to his rise as one of the most successful actors in the industry.

Theatrical release poster for The Transporter. Photo: 20th Century Fox

Before becoming one of the film industry’s most bankable stars, Jason Statham was about to go somewhere. Best known in 2002 for his supporting turns in the Guy Ritchie-directed “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, he was on a path to becoming a mid-budget action star in the same vein as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis from decades past. Whilst the films Statham helmed were often of mixed quality, with the odd hidden gem here and there (Crank and Crank: High Voltage are ridiculous works of insanity that are highly underrated and highly recommended to anyone willing to put up with their uniquely nauseating brand of editing). Nevertheless, his films could be relied upon as being semi-watchable crowd pleasers that often made back their budget. But before establishing himself as the mid-budget action star of the 21st century and embarking on commercial success with his work in the Expendables and the Fast and Furious franchises, he got his first leading role in a French action thriller produced by Luc Besson. That film was The Transporter.

The Transporter, made on a budget of around $20 million, was a box office success, earning $44 million at the worldwide box office, and despite a mixed critical reception, it led to two Statham sequels, in 2005's Transporter 2 and 2008's Transporter 3, alongside one Statham-less reboot in 2015's The Transporter Refuelled. As far as action films go, it's passable entertainment, if nothing special. With that said, everyone can enjoy a good action film, and with Statham praised for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2010s, it’s easy to see this as the film that helped put Statham in the market for that genre of film.

The Transporter follows Statham's Frank Martin, a former special forces soldier turned highly skilled driver and mercenary residing in southern France. He has a unique code that is admired and questioned by his peers, following three rigid rules when carrying out transports: never change the deal, give no names, and never open the package. Complications arise when a job goes astray, and after breaking his third rule, Frank seeks revenge against the human traffickers who hired him, all the while working with a human ‘package’  he was never meant to open, and avoiding a wary and suspicious Police Inspector.

It could be easy to say that in a post-John Wick world, where action films look towards the Keanu Reeves-helmed series as inspiration due to the film’s groundbreaking action in the 2010s, The Transporter's action, its main selling point, hasn’t aged well. On the other hand, it’s also fair to believe that before John Wick’s style of neo-action kicked in the next decade, Jason Statham was almost propping up the action film all by himself in the 2000s. He had the thankless task of plying his trade in a genre of mid-budget action fare that nobody seemed to want to watch anymore, burdened by an increased focus on CGI, which cheapened the whole experience. Yet he continued to star in these films, regardless of the mixed-to-negative critical reception they ultimately received, and was ultimately rewarded for his efforts by becoming one of the most bankable actors in the film industry, all while starring in some decent films along the way. The Transporter is one of those films, and we should be thankful to Statham for sticking with the genre and making himself one of the better specialist action stars of the 21st century, and for helping lead the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2010s.

Primarily directed by Louis Leterrier, best known for directing Transporter 2, Clash of the Titans, Now You See Me, and most recently Fast X, The Transporter excels most in its action. Even if the film had addressed its weaknesses, from its poor writing to the uneven pacing and most of the acting being more wooden than an IKEA bookcase, the action sequences would still be the highlight. The hand-to-hand action setpieces are plentiful, likely the result of the film's fight choreographer Corey Yuen’s experience in Hong Kong action films, yet the film never veers too far into becoming over-the-top. In contrast to its sequel, which borrowed from the later Fast and Furious films' playbook in terms of unbelievable moments, The Transporter remains realistic yet knows when to have fun. Best of all, the individual moments themselves feel tailor-made to the qualities of Mr Statham. What other actor would start an action scene by kicking down a door to a mansion? What other actor would have an action scene where he pours motor oil on himself to fight a bus garage full of henchmen, sliding around as if he were an Olympic skater? The action sequences blend well with Statham’s talents, while also succeeding at the bare minimum for casual filmgoers: to be entertaining.

Ultimately, your mileage will vary as to how much enjoyment you will get out of The Transporter. As a film, it will almost certainly not be recognised in the same way as Die Hard is looked upon as an all-time action classic. On the other hand, it won’t be thought of in the same way as A Good Day to Die Hard is remembered as an all-time action failure. It showcased to Hollywood that Jason Statham was a fairly capable actor for any mid-budget action films they had lined up and was a launchpad for the directing career of Louis Leterrier. And while its action may feel noticeably worse to watch in a post John-Wick world, would any modern action film dare include a scene of their action hero pouring motor oil over themselves to fight their enemies? Methinks not.