Lionsgate releases Transporter 3 in stunning 4k quality, but will only be worth the upgrade from other medium for the most die-hard of fans.
“Jason Statham is back as Frank Martin, the Transporter in this explosive third installment of the action-adventure series. This time, Frank is presented an offer he can’t refuse and ends up with a mysterious passenger and a dangerous destination – calling for a new machine and new rules. The stakes are bigger, the enemy is deadlier, and the action has never been hotter.”
The film opens as a ship carrying some kind of hazardous waste material makes its way toward shore. After two workers on the ship inadvertently stumble upon the containers hoping to find bottles of alcohol and have their skin melt off, the crew quickly gets rid of the bodies. Meanwhile, Frank Martin and Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand) fish together off the coast of France. Tarconi gets a phone call of a high speed chase in Marseilles in which the suspect got away. Next, we’re introduced to Johnson (Robert Knepper), the obvious antagonist who creepily makes his way through customs whispering that he’s here for business. Once arriving at his destination, Johnson calls Minister Leonid Vasilev (Jeroen Krabbé), threatening him to re-open negotiations with a certain company, providing a picture in an envelope that causes the Minister to re-think his position. Finally, after a long day of sitting on a boat not catching fish, Frank sits at home watching people successfully catch fish on TV, when suddenly a car crashes into his living room, revealing his old friend Malcom (David Atrakchi) whom he recommended for a job. Near death, Frank calls an ambulance that carts him away, all the while Malcolm mumbles something about not getting too far from the car. Searching for answers, Frank finally decides to look one foot behind the driver’s seat to see another person in the car, a girl telling him the same thing, showing Frank a magnetic bracelet on her wrist. Realizing his mistake too late, Frank rushes out the door to see the ambulance explode in a ball of fire. Frank is then hit in the head from behind, waking up in the company of Johnson, with a bracelet of his own on his wrist. Frank is given the choice to die or complete the job Malcolm failed.
Frank does his best to resist Johnson every chance he gets, which ultimately results in a gang of thugs going after him and Frank having to kick his way out of it. He learns the passenger in his car is the daughter of the Minister who they kidnapped until he signs an agreement to let an evil corporation dump toxic waste in their country. Frank looks for all the help he can get while avoiding Johnson’s thugs and trying to stay close to the car or end up in pieces.
It’s been years since I’ve seen the other Transporter films, but what I do remember about them is that over-the-top is an understatement when it comes to these. I’m talking about in Transporter 2 when there is a bomb under the car, and Jason Statham drives over a ramp, flips the car on its belly in the air, hitting a crane that knocks off the bomb and lands safely. I’m not sure if that’s worse than duffle bags being filled with air from tires underwater causing the car to float back to the surface, but hey, it’s Transporter 3. Although this over-the-top stuff can be quite fun if done right, I never really felt like it was in these films, as opposed to the Crank films for example. I always felt the third film felt a bit different, and that’s largely in part to the different director, Olivier Megaton, and the direction he decided to take the action. Catering to the ADD generation, action sequences are a series of almost indistinguishable tiny cuts that really makes the statement ‘you blink and you miss it’ true. The film also suffers from severe shaky cam which only hinders the enjoyment of said action sequences because you’re so dizzy and want to vomit. I’m not sure how this style came about in action films, but it should be banned. Not being able to see the action because it’s such a jumbled mess isn’t entertaining to me, and it shouldn’t be for anyone.
As much as I may feel Transporter 3 lacks in most areas, it is what it is. Fans of the films want over-the-top action in any form, and they sure get it here. Statham has always been a great leading man in my opinion with great presence and he consistently delivers. Robert Knepper has been a favorite of mine ever since Prison Break, and although he doesn’t reach the depths and nuances of Theodore Bagwell, he’s a competent villain who is entertaining to watch. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for Natalya Rudakova, a newcomer discovered by Luc Besson when she literally crossed a street in front of him. With no acting background, it shows, and at times can really take you out of the film.
I used to be excited to see anything involving Luc Besson, but recently he is just so hit or miss that his name has lost a lot of weight with me. The Transporter franchise can be a lot of fun in the right mindset, but part three definitely is the weakest of them all.
Video
Transporter 3 is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.35:1 featuring HDR and Dolby Vision. I was very surprised to see Dolby Vision included on this disc, but really enjoyed getting to see the beauty of the dynamic meta-data as the levels constantly shift from scene to scene. Grain is kept at a manageable level here, with a great balance between color, providing some brilliant colors and deep darks. The film has a very gritty look to it that is definitely highlighted by the 4k transfer.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos and is a very nice mix. Balance is great between all the surrounds and center channel ensuring you’ll never miss any dialogue despite the action. Surrounds are very heavily utilized in the action sequences and as always you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the action.
Special Features
Extras look to be the same from the blu-ray release, consisting of:
- Audio Commentary with Director Olivier Megaton
- “Special Delivery: Transporters in the Real World” Featurette
- “Making of Transporter 3” Featurette
- Storyboards
- Visual Effects
- The Sets
- Theatrical Trailer
It’s unfortunate that the first two films are owned by another distribution company, as it seems kind of odd to have the third film and not the others, as I personally would find a box-set much more appealing with the third film included. For the right price and the right fans, Transporter 3 will be worth it with the upgraded audio and video.
