The Transporter Action Series - Essay Example

The Transporter Action Series In the movie world, the production of movie series results from initial successful action film. The logic in production lies squarely in the completion of a story line in each series by having the same individual as the starring characters. However, the situations in each film within a movie series are not the same, but the story carries along the entire film (Minai and Yaneer 36). In this regard, this essay will focus on The Transporter (2002) action series, by focusing on each in terms of plot design, space of action, and the characters in all the films of the series. Further, this essay will zone in on the similarities and the differences between the themes and ideological presentation in the action series. In essence, The Transporter is a sequential action series created by Luc Besson and Robert Kamen Mark that stars Jason Statham. The initial concept behind the film is French, but also has elements of Canadian influence. Ideally, the film revolves around Frank Martin who is a courier driver with expert freelancing style (Griep and Marjorie 40). Frank Martin is a driver who does not ask questions about the package for delivery, will deliver anything and anywhere as long as the price is good meaning that Frank follows all the rules to the latter. Moreover, Frank is a mercenary with excellent driving skills, combat experience and great survival skills (Ebert 70). Frank also sets few ground rules that include the client should not change the deal, no name exchange, not to make promises that are hard to keep, and never to open the package in question. Frank also adheres strictly to the time schedule set by the client. Plot difference for the series The transporter is a four part action series that began in 2002 with 2013 playing host to the launch of fourth part of the series. The plot summary for the initial part of the series involves Frank transporting a package for an American gangster when he notices an anomaly as he was changing a flat tire (Gross 38). He notices movement in the package, but refuses to open the package as per rule number three. His curiosity makes him to break his rules where he opens the package to find a gagged woman (Minai and Yaneer 44). However, Frank sticks to the initial plan and delvers the package as required by the American gangster that asks him to deliver a briefcase. Frank is adamant to make the delivery, but instead takes the briefcase that becomes a bomb that destroys his customized car (Kiley 69). Furious, Frank returns to the gangster to seek revenge for the loss of his car, where he causes a commotion and makes away with one of the cars belonging to the gangster (Segal 47). Unfortunately, it turns that the gagged woman he was transporting initially was in his getaway vehicle. He feels that it is a safer hideout in his house (Griep and Marjorie 58). Meanwhile, Tarconi a local French law enforcer arrives at Frank’s residence as he had been trailing him due to his suspicions of Frank’s criminal involvement. Therefore, the plot captures a story of illegal shipping of Chinese natives by the American with intent of recruiting them in to modern day slavery (Ebert 78). In the second part of the series, Frank seeks employment as a chauffeur for a USA top brass official in Miami after quitting illegal transportation of packages in France. The transporter (2005) shows Frank going into legitimate chauffeuring as a favor to a friend with his reason being reformation. He chauffeurs Jack Billings where his job involves him taking the child to school and to any place that the child would want (Kiley 80). Ironically, Jack and Frank grow fond of each other to an extent that Frank feels an attachment to the boy. However, when unknown individuals kidnap the boy, Fyrank becomes the immediate suspect to the crime. He fights to bring the boy safely to his family despite the father having trust issues. The risks involved in the recovery include a virus that the kidnappers intend to unleash in order to destroy Miami. According to the plot design of the movie, every part of the series seems to have a sequential reflection of the events involved in the previous one (Gross 45). First, in transporter one, Jason Statham who stars as Frank Martin makes deliveries of a number of packages to people whom he does not ask their names since it is within its three sentimental rules never to ask any questions regarding names or identities of the parties involved. In transporter 2 and 3, the design is still similar to that of one, which makes the whole series a compilation of what appears to be a meditated script (Minai and Yaneer 53). In a number of scenes, the director brings about the flow of events from movie one to movie three of the Transporters series where he uses the French detective Francois Berleand starring as Tarcon to show the relation and relativity between and among the movie’s plot, design, style, and continuation (Kiley 88). Situation Generally, the movie’s situation is a factual template of what seems to be a shocking scenario influenced by horror created by the presiding events. The transporting business that Frank Martin does is simply risky (Ebert 84). As such, he brings forth fear or terror in the eyes of the audience mainly due to the movie’s suspense. Influenced and inspired by The Hire, which was a BMW Film, Luc Besson who wrote the Transporter (2002) acknowledges the situation of the whole series to be a constituent of mixed emotions among the characters and the targeted audience (Griep and Marjorie 65). For instance, as the movie continues, there is a fight that occurs between Frank Martin and one of the goons in a bus where Frank resolves to use a knife appears violent. According to the movie reviewers, such instances including that which Frank Martin fights the so-called Wall Street, pushes him into the where he is crushed by a moving are too violent and depict a situation not suitable for children under the age of thirteen (Hill 60). As such, Parental Guidance agencies within the United Kingdom and the United States decided to edit these situations by cutting such scenes. Nevertheless, it is substantial to understand that, even though the movie is indeed a thrilling action, it does not attain the irresistible notch of that can make it an exception among many other movies (Ebert 97). In fact, it has various scenes that do not actually reflect the desired situation of a movie of this kind except in its trailer where that has an introduction filled with speed/crank-like device of a plot. Agreeably, the scene in which Frank Martin uses a bicycle to fight off Schule’s henchmen is fantastic and sets up a situation glued with suspense and emotion. The over-the-top nature that helps instill a feeling of complete fantasy is a thing to embrace in this film (Minai and Yaneer 61). Similarities and differences in the shifts in themes Different versions and themes of the Transporter (2002) show diversity in their cast. For instance, the Blu-ray region-free of Japan has some scenes cut off from the original version whereas the French version presents them as they are. Systemically, the difference is inevitable as it follows certain filmography protocols that consider movie censorship as crucial in avoiding profanity and other related evils that children under a certain age may emulate (Kiley 97). Looking at the major themes in this movie, it is seeable that there are some similarities. First, the aforementioned scenes seem to be violent at all times. Given Transporter (2002) is an action movie, cases of violence must be rampant and this is one of the similar things that its director and the leading characters have resolved to utilize. In the Transporter series, Frank Martin sets his own rules that he at almost every point ends up breaking them making the whole arena appear perplexed which in turn results to violence (Griep and Marjorie 71). Several scenes that show Frank Martin fighting off other people are a tangible evidence of violence within most scenes in the movie. Romance is yet another theme that directors Corey Yuen and Louis Leterrier dwell along and presides over Frank flirting with some of his packages that include Shu Qi starring as Lai Kwai (Kiley 104). Although this theme lacks close emphasis, it does bring forth a sense of livelihood within the major character in spite of the violent situations that are always surrounding his transporting job. Essentially, the theme of romance is a clear indication that the movie does have similar actions within the same movie (Minai and Yaneer 79). Further, a closer outlook into the synopsis of the movie shows that human trafficking and smuggling of illegal items from one to another is a major issue within many states. Just as the name ‘transporter’ suggests, Frank Martin who is the lead character ships packages from one destination to another without asking any questions (Gross 52). In the whole series, Frank Martin involves himself with transportation of otherwise illegal packages to destinations best stated by his clients. As seen, when he broke one of his rules by opening the package that he was transporting, he found out that he was merely trafficking someone (Lai Kwai) from an unknown destination to a shipping yard where human smuggling business continues (Ebert 101). While the theme of human trafficking gets the largest share of attention from not only the targeted audience, but also the major directors and producers of the movie, it is noticeable that the indifference in presentation is questionable (Griep and Marjorie 88). There are law enforcement units patrolling every street and town every day but they do not seem to have any links or information regarding the whole incidence. Differences in ideological tendency When Frank and Lai cooks a story regarding how they met and manages to send detective Tarconi back without prove of how Frank’s car got destroyed, his house is blazed by fire particularly coming from Schule’s henchmen who sought to kill Frank. There is an ideological difference between Frank, a purported criminal and Tarconi, an officer of the law (Kiley 111). This is so because, while at the police station, Tarconi can sense both Frank and his alleged new girlfriend, Lai, are simply cooking lies, and indirectly averting his questions but he goes ahead to arrange a faux hostage situational escape for Frank. As described, both Frank and Tarconi have different ideological tendencies. At least, that is what the target audience is supposed to understand (Hill 89). Nonetheless, this understanding strays and a criminal forms an association with an officer of the law. Even though their planned faux gets the best out of the situation, this goes without saying that a detective’s work is to arrest criminals and make them pay for their mistakes and at the same time reform to become responsible citizens (Ebert 109). In conclusion, this happens to be the different ideological tendency shared between and among Frank, Tarconi, and Lai. Indeed, the movie is a succulent planning of a deflected myriad simplifying the essence of trust among those fighting for a common goal and cause (Griep and Marjorie 96). The series is a reflection of continuity should be following the fact that some of the starring characters are present in the complete series. Nevertheless, noting that avoiding some scenarios can help reduce the instances of cutting these scenes, which makes a movie lose its initial theorem preferably set herein by the writers and producers (Minai and Yaneer 86). Without a doubt, Transporter (2002) is indeed a thrilling film that deserves massive reviews particularly from all movie-reviewing agencies. It has some areas where if well expounded on, the audience can never tire of watching it. Transporter (2002) is a low budget film rationally scooped marginal profits and as many analysts point out, movies are all about creativity not money in its real essence. Works Cited Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2010. Kansas City, Mo: Andrews McMeel Pub, 2010. Internet resource. Griep, Mark, and Marjorie, Mikasen. Reaction!: Chemistry in the Movies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Gross, Timothy. Gross Movie Reviews, Volume 1. New York: Lulu.com, 2006. Print. Hill, Katrina. Action Movie Freak. Iola, Wis: Krause Publications, 2012. Print. Kiley, David. Driven: Inside Bmw, the Most Admired Car Company in the World. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004. Print. Minai, Ali and Yaneer, Bar-Yam. Unifying Themes in Complex Systems Iv: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Complex Systems. Berlin: Springer, 2008. Internet resource. Segal, Howard. Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Virtual Communities. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print. Read More