The Transporter Refueled
- Review Date: September 4, 2015
- Rated: PG-13
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Release Year: 2015
- Running Time: 96 minutes
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What parents need to know
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Transporter Refueled is the fourth in the Transporter action series, and the first without star Jason Statham (Ed Skrein steps into the title role). Expect lots of shooting, with many secondary characters dying, plus frequent martial arts fighting, car chases, crashes, and explosions. There's also a somewhat gory bullet-removal scene, a shot of burnt corpses, and a woman being pistol-whipped in the face. Women are also generally objectified, constantly being shown in skimpy outfits. Sex is implied, and one man is shown sleeping in a bed with two partners. Language includes one "f--k," plus "s--t" and "a--hole." Characters drink fine liquor frequently but never get drunk. Blatant product placement includes Evian water and Audi cars.
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What's the story?
In the French Riviera, Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) agrees to one of his "transporter" jobs, picking up a mysterious woman, Anna (Loan Chabanol), and two "packages." When the packages turn out to be women, Frank balks and threatens to quit. Unfortunately, his employers have kidnapped his father (Ray Stevenson), and they use that as leverage to force Frank to drive them away from a bank robbery. More heists follow, with Frank beating up many henchmen and causing many car crashes. Eventually it becomes clear that Anna and her friends are going after an evil crime lord who runs a prostitution ring. But can the good guys survive the final showdown on the bad guy's yacht?
Is it any good?
On paper, it might have been an attractive idea for Luc Besson to resurrect the Transporter series, but without Jason Statham in the lead, and given a general carelessness, the movie is out of gas. Instead of Statham, THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED gives us Skrein -- recognizable mainly due to a few episodes of Game of Thrones -- as Frank Martin. He's handsome, he's fit, and he has some chin scruff, but he has none of Statham's personality, and he never comes to life on screen.
Of course, he's not helped much by the lazy screenplay or by Camille Delamarre's hopelessly lost direction. Frank never seems to be looking at the road while he's driving, and the overly choreographed fight scenes have thugs simply walking into his punches. Perhaps worse, in a movie about eradicating prostitution, is the fact that there are dozens of scantily clad women objectified and on gratuitous display. In this entire mess, only Stevenson, as Frank Sr., has any charm. This is one for the scrap heap.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about The Transporter Refueled's violence. Does it feel exciting or brutal? How did the filmmakers achieve that? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How are women portrayed in the movie? Do they come across as real characters or as objects to be looked at? What's the difference? What message does that send?
How does the movie depict sex? Is it meaningful to the characters? Parents, talk to your kids about your own values on this topic.
Movie details
| Theatrical release date: | September 4, 2015 |
| DVD release date: | December 8, 2015 |
| Cast: | Ray Stevenson, Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol |
| Director: | Camille Delamarre |
| Studio: | EuropaCorp |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Topics: | Cars and trucks |
| Run time: | 96 minutes |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sequences of violence and action, sexual material, some language, a drug reference and thematic elements |
About Our Rating System
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What parents and kids say
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Exciting and violent action film is somewhat bloody but not enough story.
Transporter Refueled
Dull, unnecessary and just plain bad.
