The Transporter Refueled

For F*** Magazine

THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED

Director : Camille Delamarre
Cast : Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Loan Chabanol, Gabriella Wright, Tatjana Pajković, Wenxia Yu
Genre : Action
Run Time : 96 mins
Opens : 10 September 2015
Rating : NC-16 (Some Sexual References and Violence)

Frank Martin, badass chauffeur extraordinaire, rides again in this reboot of the Transporter franchise, with Ed Skrein stepping into the driver’s seat. Those who engage Frank’s professional services must abide by three rules: “no names”, “never change the deal” and “never open the package”. Frank plans on spending some quality time with his newly-retired father (Stevenson). However, he is called away on duty when a mysterious woman named Anna (Chabanol) hires him. What Frank thought was going to be a simple job ends up landing both him and his father in mortal danger, as Anna coerces Frank into helping her enact a deadly vendetta against ruthless prostitution kingpin Karasov (Radivoje Bukvić).

The Transporter series has been something of a cash cow for producer Luc Besson, the franchise comprising three feature films starring Jason Statham and a spin-off TV series starring Chris Vance. The premise lends itself well to an episodic nature – each new job Frank takes on brings with it new adventures. Naturally, Besson would be most unwilling to put said cash cow out to pasture, so here we are with yet another unnecessary reboot. Besson has put the new film in the hands of director Camille Delamarre, whose previous film, Brick Mansions, was also his directorial debut. From the get-go, it’s clear that The Transporter Refueled is a film that is being made purely for business purposes. It is intended to kick off a new trilogy co-produced by Besson’s EuropaCorp and Chinese company Fundamental Films, with at least one of these new movies slated to be shot in China.

All that cynicism aside, it is still possible to enjoy The Transporter Refueled as disposable entertainment. It is slick, glossy and glamourous, even more of an Audi commercial than the recent Hitman: Agent 47 was. The production values are solid enough, with sub-par computer-generated effects kept to a minimum. Stunt coordinator Laurent Demianoff and car stunt coordinator Michel Julienne are both frequent collaborators of Besson’s. While the stunts never reach the ludicrous heights of the previous films, there is still fun to be had and the pace is kept sufficiently brisk with chases, hand-to-hand fights and action sequences set on airport runways and in luxury yachts. Naturally, the plot is a mere inconvenience and secondary to the action, and scenes that are intended to be emotional generally fall flat. Oddly enough, the prologue takes place in 1995 and the bulk of the film takes place “15 years later”, meaning the movie is set in 2010. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to just set it 20 years after 1995, in 2015?

Frank Martin is still Jason Statham’s signature role and the figure of the driver in the sharp suit who can handle himself in a fight is somewhat iconic, so much so that Statham essentially cameoed as Frank in Michael Mann’s Collateral. Many have dismissed Ed Skrein, who vacated the role of Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones for this project, as just a pretty boy. While he doesn’t quite possess Statham’s natural gruffness, he is relatively charming in the part. Unfortunately, like many of today’s crop of leading men, there are times when he pitches his performance as “intense” but it reads as “flat” instead. Still, he’s able to carry himself well enough throughout the action and there’s an earnestness about him that is somewhat appealing.

French supermodel Loan Chabanol has poise to spare – alas, the same cannot be said of her acting chops. The Anna character, a former prostitute striking back against her criminal employers, should have far more of an impact than she does in Chabanol’s hands. Her sisters in arms, played by Gabriella Wright, Tatjana Pajković and Wenxia Yu, are barely discernible from one another and the film fails to substantially develop the bond between these women. The Russian mafia villains are about as stereotypical and generic as they come. It’s a good thing that Ray Stevenson is on hand to lend some personality as Frank Sr., clearly enjoying himself whether he’s putting the moves on Gina (Wright) or berating Frank Jr. for being 38 seconds late to pick him up. The film is clearly taking its cue from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, what with dear old dad calling his son “Junior” and inadvertently joining his son on a dangerous adventure. Needless to say it doesn't remotely approach the father-son chemistry provided by Sean Connery and Harrison Ford in that film.

The Transporter Refueled is little more than a generic, fizzy action flick but then again, it clearly has no aspirations to anything beyond that. The action manages to be inventive as if almost by accident, with a gag involving Frank using fire hydrants to distract his pursuers and a fight scene in a service corridor with drawers on either side being the standout moments. More polished than expected for a cash-in reboot, The Transporter Refueled is far from a fiery wreck, it’s just closer to a Ford Focus than an Audi S8.

Summary: A largely silly and unnecessary reboot, The Transporter Refueled is cinematic junk food, but it is slickly packaged and moves at a decent clip.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong

Big Game

For F*** Magazine

BIG GAME

Director : Jalmari Helander
Cast : Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Felicity Huffman, Victor Garber, Jim Broadbent, Ted Levine, Ray Stevenson, Mehmet Kurtulus
Genre : Action/Thriller
Run Time : 91 mins
Opens : 7 May 2015
Rating : PG13 - Some Violence & Brief Coarse Language

You know what they say: “go big or go home”. In this Finnish action adventure film, 13-year-old Oskari (Tommila) feels the pressure of having to “go big”, seeing as his father Tapio (Jorma Tommila) is the best hunter in the village. While on a coming-of-age hunting mission, Oskari comes across an unexpected quarry: President of the United States William Moore (Jackson). It turns out that Air Force One has been shot down over the Finnish forest and the President’s escape pod has landed in Oskari’s neck of the woods. The President is being pursued by traitorous Secret Service agent Morris (Stevenson), who has partnered up with wealthy psychopath Hazar (Kurtulus) to hunt him down. President Moore must rely on Oskari for guidance and protection in the wilderness, while the Vice President (Garber), CIA Director (Huffman) and counter-terror consultant Herbert (Broadbent) figure out how to deal with the situation back at the Pentagon.

            Big Game is written and directed by Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander, famous for his Christmas horror-comedy flick Rare Exports. This feels every bit like it was made by a foreigner who grew up loving Hollywood action flicks and this element infuses Big Game with an irresistible charm. It homages 80s action movies and has an authentic “boy’s own adventure” vibe to it. This reviewer has a soft spot for adventure flicks in which kids are the heroes, films like E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial, The Goonies, Monster Squad and more recently Super 8. Big Game takes that and mashes it up with Die Hard or Air Force One and the end result is thoroughly grin-inducing.

            With its €8.5 million budget, Big Game is the most expensive Finnish film ever made and it certainly looks it. There is an overabundance of sweeping establishing shots of the Alps, standing in for the Finnish Lapland, and the big visual effects sequences, mostly furnished by Scanline VFX, are very well done. The CGI exterior shots of Air Force One look as good as in any major blockbuster and it’s clear that Helander intends for this movie to be his calling card when he inevitably breaks into Hollywood. While the film has its tongue very firmly planted in its cheek and is peppered with really funny moments, it doesn’t feel like obnoxious self-parody and its acknowledgement of action movie tropes is earnest and affectionate.

            Samuel L. Jackson may have top billing, but it’s Onni Tommila who is the true star of the show. He makes full use of the incredible opportunity to play opposite a prolific Hollywood actor and is excellent as the underdog hunter kid Oskari. Tommila’s real-life father Jorma plays his dad here; Helander previously directed the father-son pair in Rare Exports. There is a great little scene in which Oskari imagines killing and cutting the heart out of a bear. It’s a goofy moment that’s played so wonderfully by Tommila and that very effectively conveys to the audience what this character’s hopes and dreams are. It’s also telling that instead of leaping into an opening action scene, Helander spends a fair bit of time setting up the coming-of-age hunting mission and the relationship between Oskari, his father and the other villagers, as well as the significance of this hunt and what it would mean for the boy if he were to fail.

            Samuel L. Jackson seems to be in pretty much everything and it is a bit of a wonder that he hasn’t played the President of the United States until now. He does have fun with the role and doesn’t phone it in, and it is really amusing to see the guy famous for his portrayal of assorted badasses play a rather wimpy character who has to depend on a kid to get him through a survival situation. He shares good chemistry with Tommila and the scenes in which this odd couple gets to bond are genuinely sweet.

The scenes set in the Pentagon with Victor Garber, Felicity Huffman and Jim Broadbent huddled in the world’s tiniest situation room do have a slight silliness to them but that actors of this calibre are playing supporting roles in a silly action movie is something of a casting coup. There’s the added bonus of them not having to embarrass themselves as “serious actors” have in movies like the Transformers series. As the villains of the piece, Ray Stevenson and Mehmet Kurtulus chomp away at the scenery and bring enough of that crucial “love to hate factor” that the most memorable genre villains have. There’s also the added novelty of seeing Volstagg/The Punisher go after Nick Fury.

             Big Game has its plot holes and contrivances, but the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously while brimming with heart and delivering the goods in the action and comedy departments does make us more than willing to cut it some slack. There is a major plot twist late in the movie that rather frustratingly does not get followed up on, but the rest of the film is satisfying enough to make up for it and we would be all for a sequel.

Summary: With its entertaining homages to old-school action flicks, a terrific lead performance by child actor Onni Tommila and an earnestness evident throughout, Big Game is big on action, big on adventure and big on humour.

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong 

Thor: The Dark World

For F*** Magazine

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Director: Alan Taylor

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano, Renee Russo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Run Time: 112 mins

Opens: 31 October 2013

Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)

   

     The Marvel Cinematic Universe train has been chugging along at a steady pace and with the release of Iron Man 3 earlier this year, Phase II has begun. Now, that film proved divisive, to say the least - it earned an impressive box office take but there was an outcry from fans over some surprise liberties it took with the source material. The thunder meister’s second outing probably will soothe some of those ruffled feathers.

            An ancient evil, the dark elf Malekith the Accursed (Eccelston), has awoken after 5000 years and re-embarks on his mission to send all of the nine realms in existence into utter darkness, using the volatile substance aether. Meanwhile, Loki (Hiddleston) is brought back to Asgard and imprisoned by his father Odin (Hopkins). His mother Frigga (Russo) is understandably saddened by Loki’s actions and Odin is keen for Thor (Hemsworth) to take his rightful place on the throne of Asgard. However, Thor is preoccupied with thoughts of his beloved Jane Foster (Portman), his father disapproving of his interest in the “meagre human”. When she comes into contact with the aether, Thor brings her back to Asgard in order to find a way to extract the deadly entity. As the convergence of the nine realms nears, Malekith is ever closer to his goal, Thor eventually having to work with his disgraced brother to prevent the destruction the dark elf has planned.

            

           It is worth noting that Thor: The Dark World has a different creative team from the first film – different writers, editors, a different costume designer, director of cinematography, production designer and a different director. Taking over from Kenneth Branagh is Alan Taylor, best known for his work directing episodes of Game of Thrones. Patty Jenkins was set to direct the film before leaving the project and it seems Taylor didn’t have the best time working as a part of the big Marvel machine. Still, he has delivered a solid film, drawing on his experience with the fantasy genre. The film is slightly more serious and heavy than its predecessor, but it is justifiably so and the drama of it all is punctuated with well-judged moments of humour, including the obligatory Stan Lee cameo.

            It has been said that sequels are all about the villains; that after establishing the characters and the world is out of the way, the spotlight can shift to a truly spectacular bad guy. Think Heath Ledger’s Joker or Benedict Cumberbatch’s recent turn as “John Harrison”. Well, that’s not the case here. Malekith is a two-dimensional foe whose ultimate goal is as straightforward as they come. He is threatening but never truly compelling – however, this isn’t a bad thing. It seems that the filmmakers’ intention was not to have an antagonist come and steal the show, but to further the dynamic between Thor and Loki against the backdrop of a new threat, a decision that pays off.

 

            Tom Hiddleston has gained recognition, acclaim and much fan love (all of tumblr squeals in delight at the mere mention of his name) for his portrayal of Loki, the god of mischief and Thor’s adoptive brother. After being the main antagonist in both Thor and The Avengers, Hiddleston gets to visit the role a third time – which, if one thinks about it, is a rare privilege for an actor playing a “baddie”. Loki is a figure who is sympathetic in addition to being duplicitous and sometimes nasty, but what really works in this film is the angle of the character as a trickster being played up, that the audience is never sure where he’s headed with whatever he’s doing and whether it is a fatal error or an unexpected boon when Thor has to rely on him.

            It’s evident by the above paragraph that Hiddleston steals the show and there was never any doubt as to whether he would, but the rest of the cast, many returning from the first Thor film, is good as well. Chris Hemsworth has truly settled into Thor’s boots, putting that famous godlike physique on display again. This a Thor who’s less of a fish out of water than in the first film, though he still gets a couple of such moments. Natalie Portman is a talented actress but, as was the case with the first film, doesn’t get a whole lot to do as the love interest. It is nice that Jane gets to visit Asgard and see her big ole boyfriend in his natural habitat. We spend less time on earth, which is good, and Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgård and newcomer Jonathan Howard are efficient comic relief elements while moving the plot forwards.

            Mads Mikkelsen was initially cast as Malekith, but had to drop out due to commitments to his TV show Hannibal. Christopher Eccleston is a fine replacement, covered in prosthetic makeup and doing a lot of scowling. The Warriors Three – well, two, since Hogun (Asano) isn’t in most of this – along with Lady Sif (Alexander) and Heimdall (Elba) do get their chances to shine. This reviewer was particularly entertained by Zachary Levi, nigh unrecognisable with that blonde ‘do, as Fandral the Dashing, replacing Josh Dallas from the first film. There’s also a bit more of Anthony Hopkins and Renee Russo, though Hopkins does seem a little bored at times.

            “Dark” is a word that is getting overused in movie titles and subtitles, but though Thor: The Dark World has its downer moments it doesn’t try to be unnecessarily grim and gritty. The film does focus on character relationships and development and isn’t stuffed to the brim with hyperactive action beats and too much large-scale destruction. It does lapse into “conventional fantasy flick” mode with its use of tried and true genre elements but still feels like it fits into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans of the character will welcome being thunderstruck once more. And yes, stay during the end credits for two stinger scenes.

SUMMARY: Thor: The Dark World isn’t as upbeat as the first go-round but it does satisfyingly expand on the relationship between Thor and Loki, as well as doling out the requisite fantasy-action spectacle.

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong