Transporter 3: What Else Do You Need to Know?

Is Transporter 3 as good as the rest of the franchise? It's hard to say. In this episode, our driver, Jason Statham, and his passenger are given explosive wristwatches that will blow up everything if they get more than 25 feet from the car. A decent conceit, because we want Statham close to his car at all times. Of course, events are always trying to separate him and the car, so we see him chasing it on a bicycle, for instance. On a bicycle, over several cars, and through a factory.

Of course, when he is out of the car, it is usually to fight a batch of bruisers, choreographed by Corey Yuen, my fight hero.

If you care about Transporter 3, I assume you liked 1 and 2, so you are cool with Jason Statham zooming around in a jacket and tie, doing improbable things with his Audi, and kicking butt. Is there a catch?

I mentioned a passenger - a girl who is also wearing an exploding bracelet to keep her in the car. She is a red-headed Ukrainian partygirl with a bad attitude. She also resembles LeeLoo from Fifth Element (red-hair) and Le Femme Nikita (panda eye makeup, attitude). Your basic Luc Besson dreamgirl, and not the most appealing incarnation. As the auto manufacturers say, your mileage may vary.

But Statham is classic. I put him in a class with Clive Owen - My favorite modern British tough guys.