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* [[Kate Nauta]]
* [[Kate Nauta]]
* [[François Berléand]]
* [[François Berléand]]
* [[Keith David]]
* Hunter Cleary
* [[Shannon Briggs]]
* [[Matthew Modine]]
* [[Matthew Modine]]
* [[Jason Flemyng]]
* [[Jason Flemyng]]
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* [[TF1|TF1 Films Production]]
* [[TF1|TF1 Films Production]]
* Current Entertainment
* Current Entertainment
* [[Canal+]]
* [[Groupe Canal+|Canal+]]
* [[TPS Star]]
* [[TPS Star]]
}}
}}
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}}
}}
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2005|08|03|France|2005|09|02|United States}}
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2005|08|03|France|2005|09|02|United States}}
| runtime = 88 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 87:30--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/transporter-2-film | title=''Transporter 2'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=1 September 2005 | access-date=24 December 2016}}</ref>
| runtime = 88 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 87:30--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/transporter-2-film | title=''Transporter 2'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=1 September 2005 | access-date=24 December 2016 | archive-date=25 December 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225145526/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/transporter-2-film | url-status=live }}</ref>
| country = France<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unifrance.org/film/25882/le-transporteur-2|title=Le Transporteur 2 (2005)|website=www.unifrance.org}}</ref>
| country = France<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unifrance.org/film/25882/le-transporteur-2|title=Le Transporteur 2 (2005)|website=www.unifrance.org|access-date=11 January 2018|archive-date=14 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191114034750/https://www.unifrance.org/film/25882/le-transporteur-2|url-status=live}}</ref>
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = $32 million<ref name="jpbo">{{cite web|url=http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=736|title=The Transporter II (2005)|work=JP's Box-Office|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transporter2.htm | work= Box Office Mojo | title=Transporter 2 | access-date=16 March 2008}}</ref><br>
| budget = $32 million<ref name="jpbo">{{cite web|url=http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=736|title=The Transporter II (2005)|work=JP's Box-Office|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-date=15 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315003811/http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=736|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mojo">{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transporter2.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |title=Transporter 2 |access-date=16 March 2008 |archive-date=7 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707090351/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transporter2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><br>
| gross = $89.1 million
| gross = $89.1 million<ref name="mojo"/>
<ref name="mojo"/>
}}
}}


'''''Transporter 2''''' (French: '''''Le Transporteur 2''''') is a 2005 French [[action film]] directed by [[Louis Leterrier]] and written by [[Luc Besson]]-[[Robert Mark Kamen]]. It is the sequel to ''[[The Transporter]]'' (2002) and the second installment in the [[Transporter (film series)|''Transporter'' franchise]]. It stars [[Jason Statham]] as [[Transporter (franchise)|Frank Martin]], with [[Alessandro Gassmann]], [[Amber Valletta]], [[Kate Nauta]], [[François Berléand]], [[Matthew Modine]], and [[Jason Flemyng]]. In the film, Frank Martin (Statham) is tasked with protecting the young son of politician Jefferson Billings (Modine) from an international drugs cartel.
'''''Transporter 2''''' (French: '''''Le Transporteur 2''''') is a 2005 English-language French [[action film]] directed by [[Louis Leterrier]] and written by [[Luc Besson]] & [[Robert Mark Kamen]]. It is the sequel to ''[[The Transporter]]'' (2002) and the second installment in the [[Transporter (franchise)|''Transporter'' franchise]], followed by ''[[Transporter 3]]'' (2008) and ''[[The Transporter Refueled]]'', also called Transporter 4 (2015). It stars [[Jason Statham]] as [[Transporter (franchise)|Frank Martin]], with [[Alessandro Gassmann]], [[Amber Valletta]], [[Kate Nauta]], [[François Berléand]], [[Matthew Modine]], and [[Jason Flemyng]]. In the film, Frank Martin (Statham) is tasked with protecting the young son of politician Jefferson Billings (Modine) from an international drugs cartel.


''Transporter 2'' was theatrically released in France on 3 August 2005, by [[EuropaCorp]], and was released in the United States on 2 September by [[20th Century Fox]]. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for Statham's performance, action sequences and direction, but criticism for its screenwriting. It grossed $89.1 million worldwide and was followed by the sequel ''[[Transporter 3]]'' (2008).
''Transporter 2'' was theatrically released in France on 3 August 2005, by [[EuropaCorp]], and was released in the United States on 2 September by [[20th Century Fox]]. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for Statham's performance, action sequences and direction, but criticism for its screenwriting. It grossed $89.1 million worldwide and was followed by the sequel ''[[Transporter 3]]'' (2008).


==Plot==
==Plot==
Frank Martin has relocated from southern France to [[Miami, Florida]]. As a favor to a friend, he becomes a temporary chauffeur for the wealthy Billings family. Frank bonds with their son, Jack, whom he drives to and from elementary school in his new [[Audi A8#Innovations|Audi A8 W12]]. The marriage of Jefferson and Audrey Billings is under great strain due to the demands of his high-profile government job.
[[Transporter (franchise)|Frank Martin]] has relocated from southern France to [[Miami, Florida]] where, as a favor to a friend, he becomes the temporary chauffeur for wealthy Audrey and Jefferson Billings. Frank bonds with their son Jack, picking him up from elementary school after subduing a gang of carjackers who try to steal his new [[Audi A8#Innovations|Audi A8 W12]]. Preparing for a visit from his friend Inspector Tarconi, Frank rebuffs the drunken advances of Audrey, whose marriage has become strained.


Frank prepares for the arrival of Inspector Tarconi, his detective friend from France, who has come to spend his holiday in Florida with Frank. When Frank takes Jack for a medical checkup, he realizes that impostors have killed, and masqueraded as, the doctor and receptionist. A lengthy fight erupts between thugs led by Lola; Frank manages to escape with Jack. Just as they arrive at Jack's house, he receives a phone call, informing him that he and Jack are in the sights of a sniper capable of penetrating the car's bulletproof glass. Forced at gunpoint to let Lola into the car, Frank speeds away with Jack, evading many pursuing police cars.
When Frank takes Jack for a medical checkup, he realizes that impostors have killed the real doctor and receptionist. A lengthy fight erupts with the imposters, led by the trigger-happy Lola, but Frank escapes with Jack. Returning to the Billings' house, Frank receives a phone call explaining that he and Jack are in the sights of a sniper capable of penetrating the car's bulletproof glass. Forced at gunpoint to let Lola in the car and evade the police, Frank is taken to Gianni Chellini, the operation's ringleader, who demands a $5 million ransom from the Billings. The kidnappers leave with Jack, while Frank succeeds in removing an explosive from his car a split-second before detonation.


Assuring Audrey of his innocence, Frank recovers a syringe left by the kidnappers at the doctor's office, while Jack is found seemingly unharmed. With Tarconi's help, Frank tracks down one of the kidnappers, Dimitri, and pretends to inject him with the syringe. He follows Dimitri to a makeshift lab, where he fights off another henchman and discovers the kidnappers have manufactured a deadly and highly contagious virus; Jack has been infected, passing the virus to his parents. Frank is forced to kill Dimitri, while Chellini's scientist hurls the antidote out of the window. Retrieving one dose intact, Frank sneaks into the Billings' home, warning Audrey and using the antidote on Jack.
They arrive at a warehouse, where Frank meets Gianni Chellini, the ringleader of the operation. Frank is ordered to leave without Jack. He discovers an explosive attached to the car and succeeds in removing it a split-second prior to detonation. Jack is returned to his family after the payment of a ransom, but unknown to them and Frank, Jack has been injected with a deadly virus that will eventually kill anyone whom the child breathes on.


Jefferson, head of the [[Office of National Drug Control Policy]], addresses a conference of heads of anti-drug organizations from around the world, unknowingly infecting them all. Frank races to Chellini's home, defeating his henchmen but discovering that Chellini has injected himself with the remaining supply of antidote. Chellini explains that the [[Illegal drug trade in Colombia|Colombian drug cartels]] hired him to eliminate their enemies, and that Frank cannot kill him and risk losing the antidote. Chellini leaves Lola to deal with Frank, who fatally impales her on a wine rack.
Suspected by everyone except Audrey of being one of the kidnappers, Frank tracks down the remaining fake doctor, Dimitri, with Tarconi's assistance. Frank pretends to infect Dimitri with the same virus (having failed to retrieve the injector from the doctor's office), then lets him escape. Dimitri panics and hurries to a lab to get the cure, with Frank following behind. In his panic, Dimitri kills Tipov, another of Gianni's men, in his attempt to force the scientist in charge of the lab to give him the cure. Frank arrives and kills first another henchman, then informs Dimitri that he was never infected before killing him. However, when Frank refuses to bargain with him, the scientist hurls the only two vials containing the antidote out of the window into traffic. Frank manages to retrieve only one vial intact.


⚫
Chellini escapes by helicopter to a waiting jet to Colombia, while Frank steals his [[Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster]] and speeds to the airport, climbing into the jet's nose gear as it takes off. Killing the co-pilot, Frank confronts Chellini, who holds him at gunpoint. In the ensuing scuffle, the pilot is killed and the plane crash-lands in the ocean. Frank incapacitates Chellini while preserving the antidote in his bloodstream, pulling them out of the sinking plane as the police arrive.
Frank sneaks back into the Billings home and uses the antidote on Jack. Meanwhile, Jefferson, the director of National Drug Control Policy, addresses the heads of many anti-drug organizations from around the world at a conference; unknowingly infecting all of them in the process.


At the hospital, the Billings are given the antidote and Jack has made a full recovery. After visiting the Billings in the hospital along with Jack, Frank drives Tarconi to the airport. Having dropped off Tarconi at the airport, Frank receives an unexpected call from someone who is looking for a transporter, to which he responds: "I'm listening".
Frank drives to Gianni's home and finds that Gianni has decided to inject himself with the remaining supply of antidote as a precaution. After dispatching Gianni's many henchmen, Frank has Gianni at gunpoint. Gianni explains that the Colombian drug cartels are paying him to get rid of their enemies; and that Frank cannot risk killing him, for his death would render the antidote unusable. An armed Lola shows up, leading to a standoff. Gianni leaves Lola to deal with Frank; which results in Frank killing her by impaling her on a [[wine rack]] with sharp metal points.

⚫
Frank tracks Gianni, who is making an escape in his helicopter to a waiting jet. Using a [[Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster]] from Gianni's garage, Frank speeds to the airport and boards Gianni's jet by driving onto the runway and climbing onto the jet's nose gear. After killing the co-pilot, Frank gets into the interior of the plane and confronts Gianni, who pulls a gun on him. When they wrestle for it, a wild shot kills the pilot and the plane crash-lands in the ocean. Frank incapacitates Gianni, rendering him immobile while preserving the antidote in his system, then pushes his captive and himself out of the sinking plane just as the police converge to pick them up.

The Billings are given the antidote. When Frank visits them in the hospital, before entering their room, he sees them with Jack, who is joking with them. He silently walks back to his car, where Tarconi is waiting. He drops his friend at the airport. Then, Frank receives a call from a man who needs a transporter, to which he replies: "I'm listening."


==Cast==
==Cast==
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==Reception==
==Reception==
{{Anchor|Box office}}
''Transporter 2'' opened in the United States on 2 September 2005. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $16 million in the U.S. In total, it earned $43 million in the U.S. and $85 million worldwide.<ref name="mojo"/>
''Transporter 2'' opened in the United States on 2 September 2005. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $16.5 million in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 6, 2005 |author=Brandon Gray |title='Transporter 2' Drives to Labor Day Record |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed3128361988/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] }}</ref> In total, it earned $43 million in the U.S. and $85 million worldwide.<ref name="mojo"/>


{{Anchor|Critical response}}
The film received mixed reviews. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a score of 52% based on reviews from 122 critics and reports a rating average of 5.41/10, with the reported consensus: "A stylish and more focused sequel to ''The Transporter'', the movie is over-the-top fun for fans of the first movie."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transporter_2/|title=Transporter 2|date=2 September 2005 |access-date=25 March 2020|publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[weighted average]] score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 56 based on 29 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|title=Transporter 2|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/transporter-2|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=[[CinemaScore]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a score of 52% based on reviews from 122 critics and an average rating of 5.4/10, with the reported consensus: "A stylish and more focused sequel to ''The Transporter'', the movie is over-the-top fun for fans of the first movie."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transporter_2/ |title=Transporter 2 |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502232449/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transporter_2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted average]] score 56 out of 100, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|title=Transporter 2 |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/transporter-2 |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=1 January 2024 |archive-date=24 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224233259/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/transporter-2|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-02-27 |website=[[CinemaScore]] |archive-date=13 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413083139/https://www.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' awarded the film 3 stars out of 4 and said it was better than the original.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 1, 2005 |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |author1-link=Roger Ebert |title=Silly sequel is quite transporting |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/transporter-2-2005 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] }}</ref> Stephen Hunter
⚫
[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' awarded the film 3 stars out of 4 and called it better than the original. In a special to ''The [[Los Angeles Times]]'' on the same day as the film's US release, director Louis Leterrier stated that Frank Martin was "the first gay action movie hero", suggesting that the character comes out when he refuses a woman's advances by saying, "It's because of who I am."<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news|author=Lee, Chris|title=An action hero angle|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/02/entertainment/et-leterrier2|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=2 September 2005|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref> This is contradicted by the plot of ''[[Transporter 3]]'' where Frank Martin has sex with the female character he is transporting, and they end up together in what seems a permanent relationship. Three days after the US theatrical release of ''Transporter 3'', in which Frank Martin develops a heterosexual relationship, the writer of Leterrier's 2005 interview with the Times e-mailed Leterrier about his opinion of the third film, which he did not direct. Leterrier seemed to backtrack, stating that after re-watching his first two films, "they aren't ''that'' gay".<ref>{{cite news|author=Lee, Chris|title='The Transporter,' gay action hero?|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2008/11/29/the-transporter/|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=29 November 2008|access-date=28 April 2012}}</ref>
of the [[Washington Post]] gave it a negative review and wrote: "Statham isn't the best thing in Transporter 2; he's essentially the only thing."<ref>{{cite news |date=2 September 2005 |last1=Hunter |first1=Stephen |title='Transporter 2': Jason Statham's Going Places |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090101981.html |work=[[Washington Post]] }}</ref>

⚫
Director Louis Leterrier stated that Martin was "the first gay action movie hero", suggesting that the character comes out when he refuses a woman's advances by saying, "It's because of who I am."<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Chris |title=An action hero angle|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-sep-02-et-leterrier2-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=13 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013015947/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/02/entertainment/et-leterrier2 |url-status=live }}</ref> This is contradicted by the first film in the series, in which Martin sleeps with a woman, and ''[[Transporter 3]]'', which Leterrier did not direct, in which Martin develops a heterosexual relationship. Asked his opinion of the third film, Leterrier stated that after re-watching his first two films "they aren't ''that'' gay".<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Chris |title='The Transporter,' gay action hero?|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2008/11/29/the-transporter/ |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=29 November 2008|access-date=1 January 2024 |archive-date=8 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208081725/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2008/11/29/the-transporter/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>


==Music==
==Music==
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}}
}}
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
{{Album reviews
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
|rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic"/>
|rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic"/>
| rev2 = [[IGN]]
| rev2 = [[IGN]]
|rev2Score = {{rating|6|10}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2005/09/02/transporter-2-original-motion-picture-soundtrack |title=Transporter 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - IGN |publisher=Au.ign.com |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=5 October 2013}}</ref>
|rev2Score = {{rating|6|10}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://au.ign.com/articles/2005/09/02/transporter-2-original-motion-picture-soundtrack |title=Transporter 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - IGN |publisher=Au.ign.com |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=5 October 2013 |archive-date=16 February 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216055224/http://au.ign.com/articles/2005/09/02/transporter-2-original-motion-picture-soundtrack |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
}}
The soundtrack album for ''Transporter 2'' was released in the United States on 6 September 2005 by [[TVT Records]]. It features sixteen tracks recorded by various artists, including the film score composed by [[Alexandre Azaria]]. James Christopher Monger from [[Allmusic]] rated the album three stars out of five, citing [[Grand National (band)|Grand National]]'s "Talk Amongst Yourselves", [[Anggun]]'s "[[Saviour (Anggun song)|Saviour]]" and [[Mylo]]'s "Paris Four Hundred" as the highlights of the soundtrack.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|author=James Christopher Monger |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/transporter-2-mw0000348024 |title=Original Soundtrack Transporter 2 |publisher=Allmusic.com |date=6 September 2005 |access-date=5 October 2013}}</ref>
The soundtrack album for ''Transporter 2'' was released in the United States on 6 September 2005 by [[TVT Records]]. It features sixteen tracks recorded by various artists, including the film score composed by [[Alexandre Azaria]]. James Christopher Monger from [[Allmusic]] rated the album three stars out of five, citing [[Grand National (band)|Grand National]]'s "Talk Amongst Yourselves", [[Anggun]]'s "[[Saviour (Anggun song)|Saviour]]" and [[Mylo]]'s "Paris Four Hundred" as the highlights of the soundtrack.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |author=James Christopher Monger |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/transporter-2-mw0000348024 |title=Original Soundtrack Transporter 2 |publisher=Allmusic.com |date=6 September 2005 |access-date=5 October 2013 |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004054402/http://www.allmusic.com/album/transporter-2-mw0000348024 |url-status=live }}</ref>


===Soundtrack===
===Soundtrack===
Line 155: Line 158:
| writer4 = Brunello
| writer4 = Brunello
| note4 = Morphium Mix
| note4 = Morphium Mix
| extra4 = [[Sin (band)|Sin]]
| extra4 = Sin
| length4 = 4:00
| length4 = 4:00
| title5 = Main Theme
| title5 = Main Theme
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| length9 = 1:20
| length9 = 1:20
| title10 = [[Saviour (Anggun song)|Saviour]]
| title10 = [[Saviour (Anggun song)|Saviour]]
| writer10 = [[Anggun]], Evelyne Kral, Frederic Jaffre
| writer10 = Anggun C. Sasmi, Evelyne Kral, Frederic Jaffre
| extra10 = [[Anggun]]
| extra10 = [[Anggun]]
| length10 = 3:44
| length10 = 3:44
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| length16 = 2:19
| length16 = 2:19
}}
}}

==Home media==
In 2006, Louis Leterrier re-released an uncensored version of ''Transporter 2'' on DVD. The uncensored release is roughly 25 seconds longer than the theatrical cut, and contains improved CGI, particularly during the car chase from the hospital as well as the private jet scene. This release also contains more violent footage and blood during the fight scenes, and contains more nudity in certain scenes with Lola. It is available in Japan (R2 NTSC), France and the UK (both R2 PAL), as well as Thailand (R3 NTSC). It is also available on Blu-ray Disc in France and Japan (both releases are region-free). The Blu-ray was temporarily banned in North America for legal reasons, but has since been re-released. The uncensored fight footage as well as a longer car chase scene was only featured as deleted scenes on the US DVD release. Also the deleted footage included the killing of the doctor.


==Sequel==
==Sequel==
{{Main|Transporter 3}}
{{Main|Transporter 3}}
A 2008 sequel, entitled ''Transporter 3'', was released in the U.S. on 26 November 2008. The film follows Frank Martin as he returns to France. It is the only film in the ''Transporter'' [[trilogy]] to be distributed by [[Lionsgate]] in the US.
A 2008 sequel, entitled ''Transporter 3'', was released in the U.S. on 26 November 2008. It is the only film in the ''Transporter'' [[trilogy]] to be distributed by [[Lionsgate]] in the US.


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0388482}}
* {{IMDb title|0388482}}
* {{Amg movie|307520}}
* {{TCMDb title|615402}}
* {{tcmdb title|615402}}
* {{AFI film|id=63638|title=Transporter 2}}
* {{AFI film|id=63638|title=Transporter 2}}


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[[Category:Films set in Miami]]
[[Category:Films set in Miami]]
[[Category:Films shot in Miami]]
[[Category:Films shot in Miami]]
[[Category:Foreign films set in the United States]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Luc Besson]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Luc Besson]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Robert Mark Kamen]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Robert Mark Kamen]]
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[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s French films]]
[[Category:2000s French films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Alexandre Azaria]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]

Latest revision as of 13:23, 22 December 2024

Transporter 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLouis Leterrier
Written by
Based onCharacters
by Luc Besson
Robert Mark Kamen
Produced by
  • Luc Besson
  • Steve Chasman
Starring
CinematographyMitchell Amundsen
Edited by
Music byAlexandre Azaria
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 3 August 2005 (2005-08-03) (France)
  • 2 September 2005 (2005-09-02) (United States)
Running time
88 minutes[3]
CountryFrance[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$32 million[4][2]
Box office$89.1 million[2]

Transporter 2 (French: Le Transporteur 2) is a 2005 English-language French action film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen. It is the sequel to The Transporter (2002) and the second installment in the Transporter franchise, followed by Transporter 3 (2008) and The Transporter Refueled, also called Transporter 4 (2015). It stars Jason Statham as Frank Martin, with Alessandro Gassmann, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, François Berléand, Matthew Modine, and Jason Flemyng. In the film, Frank Martin (Statham) is tasked with protecting the young son of politician Jefferson Billings (Modine) from an international drugs cartel.

Transporter 2 was theatrically released in France on 3 August 2005, by EuropaCorp, and was released in the United States on 2 September by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for Statham's performance, action sequences and direction, but criticism for its screenwriting. It grossed $89.1 million worldwide and was followed by the sequel Transporter 3 (2008).

Plot

[edit]

Frank Martin has relocated from southern France to Miami, Florida where, as a favor to a friend, he becomes the temporary chauffeur for wealthy Audrey and Jefferson Billings. Frank bonds with their son Jack, picking him up from elementary school after subduing a gang of carjackers who try to steal his new Audi A8 W12. Preparing for a visit from his friend Inspector Tarconi, Frank rebuffs the drunken advances of Audrey, whose marriage has become strained.

When Frank takes Jack for a medical checkup, he realizes that impostors have killed the real doctor and receptionist. A lengthy fight erupts with the imposters, led by the trigger-happy Lola, but Frank escapes with Jack. Returning to the Billings' house, Frank receives a phone call explaining that he and Jack are in the sights of a sniper capable of penetrating the car's bulletproof glass. Forced at gunpoint to let Lola in the car and evade the police, Frank is taken to Gianni Chellini, the operation's ringleader, who demands a $5 million ransom from the Billings. The kidnappers leave with Jack, while Frank succeeds in removing an explosive from his car a split-second before detonation.

Assuring Audrey of his innocence, Frank recovers a syringe left by the kidnappers at the doctor's office, while Jack is found seemingly unharmed. With Tarconi's help, Frank tracks down one of the kidnappers, Dimitri, and pretends to inject him with the syringe. He follows Dimitri to a makeshift lab, where he fights off another henchman and discovers the kidnappers have manufactured a deadly and highly contagious virus; Jack has been infected, passing the virus to his parents. Frank is forced to kill Dimitri, while Chellini's scientist hurls the antidote out of the window. Retrieving one dose intact, Frank sneaks into the Billings' home, warning Audrey and using the antidote on Jack.

Jefferson, head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, addresses a conference of heads of anti-drug organizations from around the world, unknowingly infecting them all. Frank races to Chellini's home, defeating his henchmen but discovering that Chellini has injected himself with the remaining supply of antidote. Chellini explains that the Colombian drug cartels hired him to eliminate their enemies, and that Frank cannot kill him and risk losing the antidote. Chellini leaves Lola to deal with Frank, who fatally impales her on a wine rack.

Chellini escapes by helicopter to a waiting jet to Colombia, while Frank steals his Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster and speeds to the airport, climbing into the jet's nose gear as it takes off. Killing the co-pilot, Frank confronts Chellini, who holds him at gunpoint. In the ensuing scuffle, the pilot is killed and the plane crash-lands in the ocean. Frank incapacitates Chellini while preserving the antidote in his bloodstream, pulling them out of the sinking plane as the police arrive.

At the hospital, the Billings are given the antidote and Jack has made a full recovery. After visiting the Billings in the hospital along with Jack, Frank drives Tarconi to the airport. Having dropped off Tarconi at the airport, Frank receives an unexpected call from someone who is looking for a transporter, to which he responds: "I'm listening".

Cast

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Reception

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Transporter 2 opened in the United States on 2 September 2005. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $16.5 million in the U.S.[5] In total, it earned $43 million in the U.S. and $85 million worldwide.[2]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 52% based on reviews from 122 critics and an average rating of 5.4/10, with the reported consensus: "A stylish and more focused sequel to The Transporter, the movie is over-the-top fun for fans of the first movie."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score 56 out of 100, based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[8]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 stars out of 4 and said it was better than the original.[9] Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post gave it a negative review and wrote: "Statham isn't the best thing in Transporter 2; he's essentially the only thing."[10]

Director Louis Leterrier stated that Martin was "the first gay action movie hero", suggesting that the character comes out when he refuses a woman's advances by saying, "It's because of who I am."[11] This is contradicted by the first film in the series, in which Martin sleeps with a woman, and Transporter 3, which Leterrier did not direct, in which Martin develops a heterosexual relationship. Asked his opinion of the third film, Leterrier stated that after re-watching his first two films "they aren't that gay".[12]

Music

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Transporter 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released6 September 2005 (2005-09-06)
GenrePop, rock
Length57:05
LabelTVT Records
ProducerVarious Artists
Singles from Transporter 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
  1. "Saviour"
    Released: 2005
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
IGN[14]

The soundtrack album for Transporter 2 was released in the United States on 6 September 2005 by TVT Records. It features sixteen tracks recorded by various artists, including the film score composed by Alexandre Azaria. James Christopher Monger from Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five, citing Grand National's "Talk Amongst Yourselves", Anggun's "Saviour" and Mylo's "Paris Four Hundred" as the highlights of the soundtrack.[13]

Soundtrack

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No.TitleWriter(s)ArtistLength
1."Naughty Girl"Alexandre AzariaAlexandre Azaria1:28
2."Cells"Dan BlackThe Servant4:50
3."Icarus"Amen BirdmenAmen Birdmen5:02
4."Painful" (Morphium Mix)BrunelloSin4:00
5."Main Theme"Alexandre AzariaAlexandre Azaria4:09
6."Life Support"Dave Cobb, Dimitris Koutsiouris, Toby MarriottThe Strays2:56
7."Body"Dan BlackThe Servant4:46
8."Talk Amongst Yourselves"Lawrence RuddGrand National4:31
9."Kendo"Alexandre AzariaAlexandre Azaria1:20
10."Saviour"Anggun C. Sasmi, Evelyne Kral, Frederic JaffreAnggun3:44
11."Revolution"Camus Mare CelliKate Nauta3:41
12."Paris Four Hundred"Myles MacinnesMylo3:36
13."Can You Handle It?"Sebo K.Shakedown4:04
14."Chase"Ross Bonney, Adam Goemans, Ramsay Miller, Scott RinningCinematics3:52
15."Voodoo Child"Laurent DaumailAfu-Ra, DJ Cam3:13
16."Jet Boxing"Alexandre AzariaAlexandre Azaria2:19
Total length:50:05

Sequel

[edit]
Main article: Transporter 3

A 2008 sequel, entitled Transporter 3, was released in the U.S. on 26 November 2008. It is the only film in the Transporter trilogy to be distributed by Lionsgate in the US.

References

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  1. ^ "Le Transporteur 2 (2005)". www.unifrance.org. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Transporter 2". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  3. ^ "Transporter 2 (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1 September 2005. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  4. ^ "The Transporter II (2005)". JP's Box-Office. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. ^ Brandon Gray (6 September 2005). "'Transporter 2' Drives to Labor Day Record". Box Office Mojo.
  6. ^ "Transporter 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. 2 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Transporter 2". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Home". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  9. ^ Ebert, Roger (1 September 2005). "Silly sequel is quite transporting". Chicago Sun-Times.
  10. ^ Hunter, Stephen (2 September 2005). "'Transporter 2': Jason Statham's Going Places". Washington Post.
  11. ^ Lee, Chris (2 September 2005). "An action hero angle". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  12. ^ Lee, Chris (29 November 2008). "'The Transporter,' gay action hero?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  13. ^ a b James Christopher Monger (6 September 2005). "Original Soundtrack Transporter 2". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Transporter 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - IGN". Au.ign.com. 2 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
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