The Transporter (PG-13) ★★½

An Ex-Special Forces operator hires himself out as a mercenary ''transporter,'' moving goods--and people--no questions asked.

Story

Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is a former Special Forces operator who, fed up with military bureaucracy, retires from the army to lead a quiet life in the south of France, or so one would think. Frank actually makes a living hiring himself out as a transporter, carrying packages in his spiffy BMW. He manages to keep his nose clean by adhering to three simple rules: never change the terms of the deal, never exchange names, and never look at what's inside the package. But when Frank notices that one of his packages is moving, curiosity and concern get the better of him and he takes a peek. A beautiful woman named Lai (Shu Qi) emerges from the duffel bag in his trunk, and it's love at first sight. (We know this because of the overpowering instrumental love theme that goes along with the scene.) Breaking rule No. 3 gets Frank into a whole lot of trouble, especially when he discovers the kind of mess Lai is involved in: she is trying to stop a ring of human smugglers led by her father.

Acting

Statham (John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars) carries this film with complete ease. There is an intelligence in his work that comes through here, in the same manner it did with his character Turkish in Snatch. In Frank, Statham creates such an identifiable character--stylish, brawny and brainy--that audiences will want to revisit him in a few years just to see what he's been up to. The gorgeous Qi (Millennium Mambo) plays his love interest, but her character has a piece of duct tape over her mouth for most of the film. It's not to say she is not a good actress, but her lack of lines makes her character--whose loyalties are a bit confusing from the start--seem a little dimwitted. Worth mentioning is French actor Francois Berleand (Alive), who plays the role of Detective Tarconi, a cop who knows Statham is up to something but lets him do his thing as long as he keeps it under the radar. The two actors have good chemistry on screen, although their relationship could have been explored more. The same can be said of Matt Schulze (Blade II), who plays the main villain--nicknamed ''Wall Street.'' Compelling bad guys are hard to find these days, and it would have been interesting to see more done with this character.

Direction

Slick action scenes and artfully choreographed fight sequences are director Cory Yuen's specialty: he was martial arts choreographer for Kiss of the Dragon and The One and martial arts supervisor for Romeo Must Die. His extensive background in the genre shows in this film, but while the The Transporter is visually exciting and technically well done, it loses points for adding some really tacky elements to an otherwise action-packed flick. For someone as professional and calculating as Frank, for example, to break one of his long-standing rules at the sight of a pretty woman seems out of character. Writers Robert Kamen and Luc Besson have a great hook with the Frank Martin character, but they introduce too many cheesy elements. I mean, Asian families being shipped in containers and sold into slavery? Call me a cynic, but human-interest stories simply don't belong in action movies.

Bottom Line

The Transporter is a slick and stylized action pic packed with great fight scenes and car chases. While Jason Statham is perfectly cast as the lead here, action movie fans may have a hard time swallowing some of the film's melodramatic angles.