There's no question that Luc Besson is one of Europe's biggest action producers. I mean with the cult classics "La Femme Nikita" (1991) and "The Professional" (1994) behind him, he's basically been given the green-light for every big action picture he comes across. One of his latest and most ambitious projects was "The Transporter," released in 2002.

I have to admit this is one flick I approached with a very open mind - very open. I mean, I like Jason Statham. I think he's a pretty cool guy and at first, even I questioned his casting as Frank Martin in "The Transporter." But the problem is, and I'm assuming this is the result of the quickly edited action scenes (which were toned down to make the film "PG-13"),he's not being given the room to really be the best he can be.

As the lead character, he's a transporter. He can get you, your associates or your property anywhere, anytime, on time, no questions asked. But you know what? Common sense tells us that it was curiosity that killed the cat, and the cat in this picture thankfully doesn't die some horrible death but instead, curiosity yields him a break - a beautiful woman named Lai (Shu Qi) - bound and gagged, and in the trunk of his BMW.

It's not spoiling much that she and Frank get together and as a result, are forced to do battle with shady and vicious American businessman Wall Street (Matt Schulze) and his army of high-kicking, disposable assassins. There's a little more to the plot and Lai, and the circumstances surrounding her appearance in the trunk of Frank's car, and it involves some smuggling of poor Chinese immigrants from China to Europe, where much of the action takes place.

Speaking of action and there's plenty of it, Statham does display some pretty impressive moves but the frantic editing just doesn't do him justice. He obviously worked out for this part and there are frequent moments when his ripped torso is on display. He also (barely) manages to shy away any possible accusations that he's just a British novelty to American audiences. Director Corey Yuen (whose work on Jet Li's 2001 action film "Kiss of the Dragon" I admired),is behind it and Besson's got a producer credit.

The problem may not be Statham because I think he's a really cool actor with a raspy British accent, but the script is worth some deeper examination by more thoughtful minds. There are plenty of holes and unanswered questions (i.e., the extent of Frank's military training and experiences, Lai and how she wound up with Frank and her quarrelsome relationship with her father who is played by Ric Young, and the plot with the Chinese smuggling).

But why am I making such complaints? "The Transporter" is an action movie; no plot required. Despite some bumps in the road, "The Transporter" is pure action fun from beginning to end, and I got my free ticket to see "The Transporter 2" on Friday.

7/10

I saw "The Transporter" with my brother and sister while holidaying in Scotland. I was expecting a formulaic and predictable film with bad acting and mechanic action, but what I got was the complete opposite. There may be some weak spots in the script, and Shu Qi doesn't always convince as the beautiful captive. But the film is beautifully filmed with lovely cinematography and gorgeous scenery, and has terrific action sequences that help the film go along at a fast pace. The story is a good one, and the soundtrack is energetic. With the exception of Shu Qi, the acting is not bad at all. Jason Statham has a cool charisma that does shine through, and Matt Schulze seems to be having a lot of fun as the lead bad guy. The direction is efficient enough, overall this is a fun action flick if a tad on the short side, helped enormously by a confident sense of style and the action. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a hired transporter willing to deliver anything with simple rules. Never change the deal. No names. Never look in the package. Frank's latest job is to transport for a guy named Wall Street (Matt Schulze). However on the way, he opened the package which turns out to be a Chinese girl.

Written by Luc Besson, this has all the cool people who looks cool, and does cool fighting. And Jason Statham is great at this. From this point on, he becomes the go to guy for all your cool fighting needs. François Berléand does well as Inspector Tarconi and Qi Shu makes a good looking kidnap victim. However, it's not really about any acting. It's all about the action. And director Corey Yuen is an expert at the HK action style.

My biggest problem is that people keep losing or not bringing their guns. So it's a lot of kung fu fighting when gunplay would make more sense. However sense has little to do with this. You must leave reason out of it.