The Transporter Refueled is a 2015 action-thriller film directed by Camille Delamarre and written by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Luc Besson. It is the fourth film in the Transporter franchise, a prequel to the previous films and soft reboot of the series, and the first film to be distributed by EuropaCorp in North America, but features a new cast, with Ed Skrein replacing Jason Statham as the title role of Frank Martin. It was also the only installment of the franchise that did not feature François Berléand. Filming began on 1 August 2014, in Paris, France. The film was released on 4 September2015 in the United States and 9 September in France. Upon its release, The Transporter Refueled received generally negative reviews from film critics and audiences, who claimed the film's script as lame and absurd, but praised the action sequences, stunts, effects and acting. Despite a negative critical reception, the film was a box office success, grossing $72 million worldwide against production budget of $22 million.
Plot
Former special-operations mercenary Frank Martin is living a less perilous lifestyle than he had previously, transporting classified packages for questionable people. Then he took the contract from Anna following his three rules of no names, no questions and no renegotiations. According to the contract, he should be near the bank for her and her two packages. However, he finds himself thrust into danger again when Anna and her accomplices Gina, Maria, and Qiao orchestrate a bank robbery and kidnap Martin's father to confront and kill Arkady Karasov, a Russian mobster who had victimized Anna years earlier. Anna's whole team robbed Arkady's friends and framed him for it.
Cast
Ed Skrein as Frank Martin Jr., a former mercenary turned contract driver, known mainly as the Transporter.
Ray Stevenson as Frank Martin Sr., a retired secret agent and Frank's father
Loan Chabanol as Anna, one of four runaway sex slaves who wants to take revenge on Karasov for an event 15 years prior to the events of the film.
Gabriella Wright as Gina, Anna's friend and another one of four runaway sex slaves who set out against Karasov
Tatjana Pajković as Maria, Anna's friend and another one of four runaway sex slaves
Yu Wenxia as Qiao, Anna's friend and another one of the four runaway sex slaves
as Arkady Karasov, a powerful Russian mobster who kidnapped Frank's father, as well as Frank's former brother-in-arms and was responsible for the event that occurred 15 years prior to the events of the film, which involved Anna and her friends.
At the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, a new trilogy was announced with EuropaCorp and China's Fundamental Films co-producing and distributing the titles. The films will likely be budgeted between €25 million and €30 million each and at least one will be shot in China. Luc Besson will co-finance, distribute, produce and write all the films. The franchise was rebooted after negotiations with Jason Statham fell through. EuropaCorp wanted Statham to sign a three contract deal, without revealing the script first. English actor Ed Skrein replaced Statham as Frank Martin in the fourth installment of the series. In March 2015, the title was changed from The Transporter Legacy to The Transporter Refueled. Principal photography of the film began on 1 August 2014, in Paris, France.
Release
The film was previously set to be released on 6 March 2015. On 5 November 2014, EuropaCorp moved the film for a 19 June 2015 release. On 1 April 2015, EuropaCorp again moved the film back to a 4 September 2015.
Box office
The Transporter Refueled grossed worldwide, with its largest territory being China with. In its opening weekend in North America, the film grossed $7.4 million, finishing 4th at the box office. It was also 4th on its opening weekend in China, grossing.
Critical response
The Transporter Refueled has received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 16%, based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Transporter Refueled has little to offer beyond a handful of decent action sequences, leaving this reboot's title feeling more like wishful thinking than a restatement of purpose." On Metacritic the film has a score of 32 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B-" on an A+ to F scale. IGN awarded it a score of 7.0 out of 10, saying, "The shadow of Jason Statham loomed large over this reboot, but Ed Skrein nails it, meaning the franchise is in safe hands."
