You see, Johnson needs to get the kidnapped girl from Marseilles to Odessa, without being directly involved (why? that is never explained), and in order to do that he needs the best driver that money can buy. That driver just happens to be Frank Martin.
Martin is unwilling to take the gig, but winds up not having a choice in the matter. To ensure he is going to do the job, his wrist is equipped with a bracelet that will explode if he gets more than 75 feet away from his car. The same stipulation is in place for his passenger, a Ukrainian girl named Valentina (the impossibly freckled Natalya Rudakova), who is obviously the "package" to be delivered, despite Martin's initially making no connection.
What else need be said of the plot? Probably nothing. Fortunately, it is enough to keep me interested as we move from one action sequence to the next. Transporter 3 delivers on the action side of things, although it strikes me as not being quite as action packed as the second film. I also want to say this is not quite as over the top and preposterous as the second film, but who am I kidding (and as soon as the bridge sequence rolled around those thoughts were completely dismissed)?
The film survives on the back of Jason Statham, an actor I love in action roles. This series reminds me of the '80s era of such past action heroes as Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Simple plot, plenty of bad guys, and a high number of flying fists, feet, and bullets. What helps up the ante is that I think Statham is a good actor; he does not need to employ high grade thespian skills for a role such as this, but there is something about the way he approaches the role that makes it work exceptionally well. Like the Saw films are for some, I could watch a new Transporter adventure every year.
What helps this third film work is the unbelievable relationship that develops between Martin and Valentina. It is ridiculous, to say the least, but it works in this context. Martin, with his rules, beliefs, and frequent cause for breaking them, and Valentina with her party-girl ways, pouting, sulking, and those freckles. Natalya Rudakova, in her first acting performance, does a fine job of holding the attention in a role that does not require much.
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