Movie · 2008 · Action, Thriller, Crime · 1h 44m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.1/10 (189.5K ratings)
This time, the rules are the same. Except one.
Overview
Frank Martin puts the driving gloves on to deliver Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of a Ukrainian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he has to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina's safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.1/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Olivier Megaton
Production
Grive Productions, EuropaCorp, TF1 Films Production, Current Entertainment, Apipoulaï Prod
Cast
Jason Statham, Natalya Rudakova, François Berléand, Robert Knepper, Jeroen Krabbé, Alex Kobold, David Atrakchi, Yann Sundberg, Ériq Ebouaney, David Kammenos, Silvio Simac, Oscar Relier, Timo Dierkes, Igor Koumpan, Paul Barrett, Elef Zack, Katia Tchenko, Michel Neugarten, Farid Elouardi, Mike Powers
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, aggressively edited late-2000s action sequel that runs on Jason Statham’s deadpan presence, car-chase momentum, and absurd genre logic more than on story or character. If you enjoy high-velocity nonsense and don’t mind murky action coverage, it can be a fun ride; if you want clean choreography or a coherent emotional arc, it’s the weakest kind of franchise filler.
Best for
Jason Statham fans
viewers who like disposable but energetic action movies
fans of late-2000s hyper-edited thrillers
people in the mood for a knowingly ridiculous B-movie
Skip if
you need clear action geography
you dislike frantic editing and shaky visual style
you want strong writing or romance
you’re not already inclined toward franchise action
Overview
Transporter 3 is the kind of sequel that keeps moving so you won’t notice how thin it is. The premise is pure pulp: a professional driver, a kidnapped passenger, a ticking bomb bracelet, and a cross-country route that turns into a series of ambushes, detours, and mechanical set pieces. Jason Statham remains the franchise’s main asset, selling the role with blunt physical authority and just enough humor to keep the movie from collapsing under its own seriousness.
Worth noting
What holds it back is the era’s worst action-movie habits. The cutting is frantic, the camera rarely settles, and the film often seems more interested in momentum than legibility. That can make the action feel less thrilling than exhausting, especially when the script asks you to care about a romance that feels awkwardly written and undercooked.
Bottom line
Still, there’s an undeniable trashy appeal to its commitment. It’s a movie about competence, speed, and bad decisions, and it knows how to dress those ingredients up in enough chrome and noise to pass as entertainment. As a franchise closer, it’s not the best chapter, but it’s a decent example of late-2000s action cinema at full throttle and low subtlety.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jade talks too much🎅🏻🎄 (4★) · 214 likes
I was led to believe this was a boring self serious sequel, not a movie where the main love interest barters the car keys🔑 for Jason Statham doing a striptease😳. Which leads to them plowing in a field🥵. Cinema👌
It drags a little and the love interest is real weird👀(she poops on the shop floor💩) but this was too ridiculous not to love. It’s still having lots of fun and I could never give a poor score to a movie… more
Auteur (1.5★) · 210 likes
Director Olivier Megaton cannot have a simple establishing shot without cutting ten times in an orgy of flash frames. But the thing that pissed me off the most is not a single mention of French Madeleine cookies. So soon after watching this film I made my own. Here's the recipe I used:
Ingredients
1 stick, plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2/3 cup white sugar1 cup unbleached flour, plus 1 tablespoon, divided2 large eggs1 teaspoon vanillaPinch of… more
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (2★) · 156 likes
Starring: The Bold, Bald, Gruff Action Man Jason Statham
And with that, the Statham-led trilogy comes to a close; I can see why a reboot was inevitable, but this was not the best way to end the series.
One the one hand, I like that they avoided the sequel's excessiveness in favor of the original film's "groundness". Perhaps I'm just not the target audience, but I found the plot to be tedious and formulaic (though oddly relevant). For my part,… more
Michael James (2★) · 132 likes
It just felt like they are over milking the franchise with no substantial creative backup. A strictly sub standard product that ends up tiring.
Sam🦧 (2.5★) · 120 likes
Robert Knepper living the dream we’ve all had, rubbing Jason Statham’s bald head like a magic lamp.
I’m all for some fast paced action, but I couldn’t see what the fuck was going on. Pick an angle and stick with it jeez.
This franchise just progressively gets worse over time, I don’t care about this story or these characters. The only saving grace is how unserious some of the action is, there’s just something iconic about Jason Statham chasing a car on a BMX.
Bonus points for the unnecessary amount of Statham nips.