Then again, neither was Statham, and he did fine. That’s fortunate, because he clearly wasn’t cast for his thespian skills. Acting is de-emphasized in favor of the busting of heads and going vroom vroom in busy French streets. He also looks like he really needs a shave.

Skrein looks good when fighting – he has an erect style with convincing strikes. The plot is more intricate than previous entries like the “Fast and Furious” movies it’s drifting toward, “Refueled” more resembles an “Ocean’s 11” spinoff than the sometimes-grim original trilogy.īut the question on everyone’s lips is whether Skrein can fill Statham’s large and manly shoes. It’s designed to get beautiful women on camera a lot, which happens.

The semblance of story you get free with all the punching is amusing, if nonsensical.

The stunts are as outrageous as required: Frank lets his car roll forward in neutral as he pummels bad guys in front of it, then leaps in through the sunroof and into the driver’s seat. Long, unlikely fights and even more unlikely car chases ensue. Through a series of contrivances, Frank and Dad end up entwined in a complicated scheme by vengeful prostitutes to upend a mean kingpin who happens to know the Transporter from Frank’s military days. Ed Skrein (the original Daario Naharis in “Game of Thrones” and Ajax in the upcoming “Deadpool”) takes the wheel as younger Frank, tooling around Nice, France, with his retired-spy father (Ray Stevenson) for comic relief. Oddly, that’s supposed to be before the first film, released in 2002. “Refueled” dips its toe into “Transporter” Frank Martin’s backstory, taking place in 2010. It’s one of those Hong Kong-style movies in which guys get smashed in the head with lead pipes, but pop back up and get punched in the face for another couple of minutes. But that’s what “Transporter” fans, and apparently there are some, want. Police cars forever flipping and pretty girls unzipping. Does it deliver? Well, the package gets there, but not exactly on time nor in one piece. And this one rolls out of the garage without the series engine, Jason Statham. “The Transporter Refueled” is another “Who was asking for this, again?” reboot – the original trilogy wasn’t particularly well received and only made $238 million, total.

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