Transporter 3

I was going to wait until the end of the year and do a quick one-line review of this one as a part of my end-of-year movie post... but I really, really hated this movie, so I felt the need to spend a little effort.

I liked the first Transporter, and, unlike many, I liked the second one, too.  They were fun brain candy, with some inventive action sequences, and chances for Jason Statham to be a brooding bad-ass.  But this one didn't even get that much of the formula right.  Sure, the premise that Frank has to stay within 75 feet of his car or he'll explode is kind of nifty in a "Speed" sort of way.  And Robert Knepper's performance as the bad guy is pretty cool.  But there's nothing else to recommend about this movie.

The plot is kept mysteriously hidden for so long I assumed it was more interesting than "Ukrainian minister's daughter is kidnapped to extort favorable toxic waste dumping contract."  It wasn't.  I hoped that the aforementioned daughter would be reasonably interesting on screen.  She wasn't.  I hoped that Frank's shenanigans would carry at least a whiff of plausibility.  They didn't.

It's a shame.  I was looking forward to this one.