Film / The Transporter

aka: Transporter 2

Rule 1: The deal is the deal. The conditions of the deal will not be changed after it has been confirmed.
Rule 2: No names.
Rule 3: Never look in the package.

The Transporter is a 2002 action film starring Jason Statham as Frank Martin: a gruff, ex-military man who is in the "transporting" business. Give him the money, the measurements, and the time and he'll get your stuff from A to B. Frank has a set of rules, one of which includes: "Never open the package". However, whilst transporting a large bag from a somewhat unsavory client, Frank discovers an Asian woman named Lai (Shu Qi) stuffed inside his cargo. He is visibly bothered by this and allows her the basic opportunities of food and bathroom time (during which she tries to escape) but ultimately ends up delivering her to the Bad Guys anyway. Because he looked in the package the bad guys try to kill him.

The first film was a stylish (it was written by Luc Besson and produced by the latter's EuropaCorp, after all), fast-paced action romp, directed by Louis Letterier and choreographed by another frequent Jet Li collaborator, Cory Yuen who also served as co-director. The second and third movies dispensed with any pretensions of realism and are considerably more over the top. The series is notable for putting Statham on the map, as well as setting the template for pretty much all of his subsequent roles.

A fourth installment titled The Transporter: Refueled was released on September 4th, 2015, with English rapper/actor Ed Skrein replacing Jason Statham as Frank Martin. There's also a television series.

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These movies feature examples of:

The Series as a Whole

• Ambiguously Gay: The director of the second movie has stated that Frank is gay, but it's only written in on the subtext level. Inspector Tarconi's description of his relationship with Frank makes them sound like a gay couple, and Frank turns down the advances of Audrey Billings, but that could just as easily be because she's tipsy, emotionally vulnerable, and married to his employer. (In 3), Frank specifically claims he's not gay, but in circumstances that imply a lie. Though he may just be ace, bi, omni, or pan, and is trying to combat erasure.
• Ambiguously Trained: Frank Martin served under an unspecific branch of the British military.
• Anti-Hero: Frank is less a righteous force for good and more just a guy trying to get by and keep his head low. This more overt in the first film where he took jobs from known criminals and the only reason he comes into conflict with the villains is because they tried to kill him first.
• Bad Cop/Incompetent Cop: The cops of the Transporterverse are not terribly intelligent.
• Badass Driver: Frank's main ability but not his only one.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Frank is one of these. He even keeps a freshly dry-cleaned spare suit in his car, for when his usual one gets too messed up.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The love interests of the Statham films qualify. Lai is a brunette, Audrey is blonde and Valentina is a redhead.
• Bullet Dodge: Frank does this even without Matrix-style superpowers! (in 2 when the Russian biowarfare scientist shoots at him in the corridor).
• Card-Carrying Villain: Half the villains border on this. It's part of the fun.
• Car Chase: What the movies are famous for and provide some of the best in modern filmmaking for.
• Car Fu: Taken to ridiculous levels. He jumps on a ramp, makes a barrel roll so he could have the bomb under his car snatched by a crane's hook.
• Clothing Combat: Frank uses his jacket as weapons in 1 and 3.
• The Coats Are Off: Frank carefully takes off his jacket, folds it, and puts it on the hood of his car (declaring that he'd just had it dry-cleaned), before proceeding to wipe the floor with the teenagers who tried to steal his car. In 3 he uses his coat, tie, and shirt as Improvised Weapons during the garage fight. Fanservice ensues.
• Covers Always Lie: Many of the posters have Frank jump to the side like Max Payne with two hand guns, which never happens in film
  • Lampshaded by a trivia section in IMDB: Valentina holds two guns in the third film's poster, but doesn't kill anyone.
• Deadpan Snarker: If Frank ever displays a sense of humor, he's this. Just look at who he's played by.
• Doesn't Like Guns: Well, more like "Doesn't need guns". Most of the time.
• Dull Surprise: Frank Martin has two basic moods: beating people up while scowling, and driving really fast while scowling. Sometimes, for variety, he does it with his shirt off.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: The various gangs and drug cartels seem very willing to hire people from all sorts of backgrounds.
• Fanservice:
  • Shu Qi in the first film.
  • Amber Valletta in the second film.
  • Natalya Rudakova plus Statham himself in the third.
  • Three beautiful Femme Fatales in the fourth.
  • There's also the Zettai Ryouiki girl who tries carjacking Frank in the opening of 2. And my God — Lola!
  • And the female fans get Frank's Shirtless Scenes. Somewhat lampshaded in the third film, where Valentina gets turned on by Frank getting shirtless in the mechanic shop fight and pointing out later that women also like stripping.
• Friend on the Force: Inspector Tarconi
• Genius Bruiser: Frank is extremely well-versed in the technical aspects of his work, knowing the exact weight he can take in his car and what effects it has on his driving as well as knowing how to use every aspect of the road to his advantage, and has a keen tactical awareness that allows him to plan ahead and make his getaways. That's in addition to being a ridiculously tough and capable fighter.
• Giant Mook: One appears in the first three movies:
  • Downplayed in the first film: One of the villains is an enormous guy complete with Beard of Evil, but is only mildly harder for Frank to defeat than the others.
  • The second movie has a Scary Black Man who's probably the hardest opponent Frank has to contend with.
  • Lampshaded in the third movie.
    Frank Martin: Let me guess. You're the smart one.
    Enormous thug: No. I am the big one.
    [Punches Frank across the room, through a cinder block wall]
• Girl of the Week: Lai Kwai from the first film, Audrey Billings in the second and Valentina Tomilenko in the third
• Guns Akimbo: As noted above, Lola. While the film posters (like the one pictured above) like to portray Frank doing this, he never does so in the films proper.
• Hidden Badass: No one seems to expect a simple smuggler to be a badass former Special Forces operative.
• Improvised Weapon User: Light fixtures, fire hoses, bicycle pedals, sweaters, motor oil — the list goes on and on. One could call Frank the MacGyver of beating people up.
  • Or the British Jackie Chan in movies made specifically to cater to the American market.
• Just a Stupid Accent: Frank is obviously British, being played by the Stath and all, but he was apparently in the U.S. Special Forces.
• Left the Background Music On: Often happens in the film.
• MacGuffin Escort Mission: Franks's job and the underlying plot of the movies.
• Obviously Evil: Several examples. Let's see:
  • Wall Street: A ridiculously hammy Sissy Villain in a dark suit with a Beard of Evil, a Porn Stache, and an ever present smirk, who does everything but feel Frank up during their first encounter. He even does a Kubrick Stare on his driver's license.
  • Lola: A Stripperiffic blonde with smeared mascara, who totes a couple of SMGs, looks perpetually high on drugs, and wears hooker boots and a trenchcoat. Yeah, she can't be good news.
  • Chillini: A situational example-he's an Italian man in a white suit in a movie where the villains are drug dealers. Yep, he's a villain.
  • Kasarov and his Big Bad Ensemble are a bunch of sinister Russian Mafiya types who are always looking high on cocaine, Straw Misogynist types, and oozing menace.
• One-Man Army: If Frank was in the Special Forces before this comparatively easy job, it sends shivers down one's Goddamn spine of just what the hell he had to fight in the actual battlefields of the Transporter universe. Or the very concept that entire squads of warriors who are of Frank Martin's caliber exist in the Transporter universe....
• Painful Adhesive Removal: An implied case. After spending a sizable portion of the early portions of the movie Bound and Gagged, the first thing Lai does once Frank finally cuts loose the ropes binding her while she's at his house is to rip off the duct tape that had been used to gag her. From there, she has just enough time to briefly ask Frank where he's going before she winces, makes a silent 'ow', and places her hand over her mouth to indicate that the removal of her tape gag was fairly painful.
• Product Placement:
  • In The Transporter, we are treated to many loving shots of Frank's BMW — up to two of the characters (Frank and Tarconi) telling us exactly what model it is.
  • In Transporter 2 and Transporter 3, it's an Audi.
  • All the Oranginas Frank drank in the first film.
• Rule of Cool: All of the movies survive on this but the sequels especially.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Frank. Lampshaded in scenes where he beats up a bunch of mooks, then gets a fresh suit out of his car.
• The Stoic with a Heart of Gold: Inspector Tarconi suggests Frank is turning into this in the third film.
• Underestimating Badassery: A lot of the villains do this to Frank, with predictably (and awesomely) unfortunate results.
• World of Ham: Villains AND Heroes too!!

The Transporter

• Abusive Parents: Lai's dad takes this to new levels, what with apparently trying to sell his daughter into slavery. Though he does hold back tears when he believes his last remaining minion shot her per his orders.
• Agent Peacock: Wall Street is flamboyant and bizarre, as well as terrifying.
• All There in the Manual: Wall Street's real name is Darren Bettencourt.
• Artistic License – Physics: Can a set of bicycle pedals strapped to your feet actually allow good footing on a oily/greasy floor? Not really.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Wallstreet is one of these.
• Badass in Distress: Lai is a subtle example; she gets herself into Frank's car despite being Bound and Gagged to a swivel chair, manipulates the situation so he's compelled to help her, then shoots dead the man holding her prisoner in time to save Frank from being killed by her father, whom she also kills.
• Bad Boss: The 4 bank robbers at the beginning of the film are quietly reminded by the Transporter that the conditions to using his car as a getaway car is that there is to be 3 bank robbers due to their weight, which with an added body would counter the shock absorbers he has installed. So, one of the bank robbers shoots another in the head and tosses him out the door. And for added effect reiterates the deal in a desperate manner. They get caught anyway, but only some time after Frank has successfully evaded the police and delivered them to their drop-off point.
• Beard of Evil: Wall Street and one of his thugs (the sort-of Giant Mook) in the first movie.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Wall Street and Lai's father are the heads of the human trafficking organization, although the film never establishes if they're equal partners or the former The Dragon to the latter.
• Blatant Lies: It is subtly implied that Tarconi knows that Frank is actually involved in every thing he interrogates him about, but always chooses to play dumb.
• Blood Knight: Wall Street, who tells Frank to "keep alive" so they can finish their fight.
• Bound and Gagged: Lai, the 'package'.
• Brick Joke: The bank robbers offer Frank more money to take them the rest of the way. Frank refuses because it breaks Rule #1. Later he's watching a news report which shows the robbers were caught after driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
• Cool Car: The BMW 7-series Frank drives in this film was a real life one-of-a-kind vehicle, with the entire powertrain and drivetrain having been replaced to give it souped up performance and manual transmission.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Lai's dad is a gangster and a "well-respected member of the business community". His partner appears to be one as well.
• Curse Cut Short: To be honest, who wouldn't have that reaction when they look through a front door spyhole to see Jason Statham taking a run-up to kick the thing down?
  Wall Street's Henchman: What the fu-..?
• Defiant to the End: Frank, even when staring down Lai's father's gun plainly states he'd "rather see it coming" before turning around to get shot in the back. His would-be killer obliges. Though it turns out Lai shot first and saved Frank.
• Dive Under the Explosion: Frank Martin grabs a Giant Mook and jumps into the water with him to avoid an explosion, using the man's lungs for extra air while doing so.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed. Mr. Kwai is ready to have his own daughter killed by the end, but it's a last resort and he truly does seem regretful at having to do so. Before this he fully expected that he would be able to raise Daddy's Little Villain, when the truth is Lai hates him.
• The Dragon: Wall Street of all people turns out to be The Dragon to Lai's father in the first movie. Points to anyone who saw that coming.
• Driving into a Truck: In the opening sequence, Martin drives off a bridge onto a moving car carrier, landing on a conveniently empty spot, then knocks off the car behind him and backs back off the truck.
• Every Car Is a Pinto:
  • A stationary car is T-boned by a car that's braking heavily and traveling slowly. Both violently explode into flames!
  • And again, when two of the Big Bad's cars run into each other in the finale, and explode for no real reason.
  • Averted by Frank's own car exploding. The briefcase bomb really was that powerful.
• Faking the Dead: After the bad guys blow up his house, Frank tells Lai that the pair of them should just vanish and make whoever's after them think they're dead, rather than look for trouble by hunting them down. Lai unfortunately has her own agenda.
• Getaway Driver: Frank in the opening scene.
• Guile Heroine: Lai tells Frank that she has to save her family, who are refugees being held in a shipping container. Aware that she's not telling the full truth, Frank isn't impressed.
  Frank: You're very good.
  Lai: What do you mean?
  Frank: The moment you saw those pictures in the house you were setting me up to get involved in all this. Breakfast, giving the excuse to the cop to help me, one lie after another.
  Lai: Not everything is a lie.
  Frank: Name one thing that isn't.
  Lai: What happened in the house, between us. That-was-not a lie.
• He Knows Too Much: Once Frank confirms he did in fact "open the package", Wall Street takes it in stride in a joking way, right before offering him another job to transport a briefcase bomb with the intent of dealing with him. The only victims of which were the two unlucky cops still in the car.
• Hidden Badass: Nobody, including Frank, realized Wall Street was the muscle in the enemy gang.
• Human Shield: In the first movie after he's arrested Frank gets out of the police station this way, with the help of his detective friend who plays the hostage.
• Improbable Weapon User: Frank uses bicycle pedals to enhance his kicks.
• Kick the Dog: The Dragon spends most of his screen time kicking dogs in one form or another, starting with murdering one of his men on the off chance that they might talk. And then there's his speech to Frank and Lai in which he calls the latter a lying whore, accuses Frank of being dumb enough to let her trick him, and finishes with the following line about the 400 people they came to save from being smuggled in: "Just for the record, there were 400 people in that container. Only three hundred ninety-five made it here alive."
• Kidnapper's KFC: Once he figures out his "package" is human cargo, Frank buys her an Orangina at a highway convenience store halfway to his destination.
• Man of Wealth and Taste: Wall Street, Mr. Kwai, Chillini (who is also a Villain in a White Suit).
• A Match Made in Stockholm: Frank and Lai. He delivers her to the bad guys in a bag (letting her out at one point, causing her to nearly escape), and goes back to dole out some revenge when they try to blow him up with his car for breaking the agreement. Frank takes Lai with him (while she's bound) after she snuck into his getaway car. She repays him with sexual favors for this, and also to get him to dismantle her father's human transportation operation. Since he's also responsible for rescuing her, it kinda blends with Rescue Romance. However it's also suggested that Lai is manipulating the situation for her own goals.
• Meaningful Name:
  Wall Street: "I tell you, Lai's the perfect name for her."
• Mud Wrestling: The Oil Fight.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Frank was content to simply complete his business with Wall Street and put Lai out of sight and mind. Had Wall Street not tried to kill Frank under the guise of offering him another job, he never would have incurred the transporter's wrath. Frank even says he is ambivalent about whether or not he wants to further deal with Wall Street until the latter's second attempt on his life.
• Offscreen Teleportation: Happens often particularly with Wall Street, his gangs of henchmen and Lai's dad, who all seem to be able to outrun speeding vehicles.
• Out-of-Character Alert: Although Wall Street has never met Frank before, he realizes when Frank pockets the payment without checking it that he's opened the package (and therefore wants to get her off his hands ASAP) even before Frank openly admits to it.
• Punk in the Trunk: Lai, then two cops (both killed when the bomb went off) and for Rule of Three Tarconi after Frank 'escaped' from the police station.
• Shout-Out: Frank pulls a series of kicks in all directions against multiple Mooks on all sides, resembling a famous Bruce Lee maneuver from Fist of Fury.
• Sissy Villain: Wall Street, with his exaggerated gestures, and feeling up of Frank.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Frank's policy is one where he works for anyone with no questions asked. Until he finds out his client is into human trafficking.
• Switch to English: The Chinese father tells his daughter to converse in English with him (even though she speaks perfect Chinese), because language school was expensive.
• Tastes Like Friendship: Frank only opens the 'package' to give a Bound and Gagged Lai something to drink. Later after he reluctantly rescues her, Frank unties her bonds and leaves Lai a microwave meal of noodles, then goes to sleep, making it clear she's free to leave. He's surprised when she's still there to cook breakfast for him the next day. Later Frank calls Lai on trying to manipulate him via this trope.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: What do you do to assassinate someone like Frank Martin? You have his house shot with several thousand rounds of machine gun ammo and multiple friggin' missiles.
• Underestimating Badassery: The bad guys do it to Frank. He does it to Wall Street.
• Villain Has a Point: When Frank confronts Wall Street on why he tried to have him killed, Wall Street points out that Frank broke all of his own rules per his own admission. If he hadn't opened the package and just done his job, none of this would have happened.
• Villainous Valor: Both Wall Street and Lai's father display absolutely no fear when staring down the barrel of Frank and Lai's guns.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: An Elite Mook from the first movie had a distinctive tattoo around his eye, carried a whip and took down Frank in one move. Frank wakes up much later, but what happened to the cool mook?
  • A better example is the second truck. Watch the convoy at the end closely: There are two semi trucks full of prisoners, but only one gets "rescued". Where did the other one go?
    • Stopped off-screen.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Wall Street has Frank beaten, has back-up right around the corner, and then leaves to let his mooks finish the job, instructing them to keep Frank alive. Didn't the trail of bodies this person left convince you to maybe just finish the job yourself? After all, you were the only one who even gave him a challenge!

Transporter 2

• Artistic License – Physics: On several occasions! Most notably how Frank removes the bomb under his car by doing a barrel roll and scraping the bottom of his car with a crane hook.
  • Another example is the climax of the film, where Frank confronts Chillini on board his private jet and the pilot gets shot. Cut to exterior shots of the plane in flight, performing several crazy stunts due to being rocked by the fight within and the pilot's limp body being jostled by the movement. The stunts include a brief moment of flying upside down, several aileron rolls, a tailspin, and finally flying straight up before stalling out and crashing into the ocean.
• Ax-Crazy: Lola.
  "Actually, my problem's not medical. (points gun in medical receptionist's face) It's psychological." (shoots)
• Bait-and-Switch: In the opening of Transporter 2, Frank carves through a gang of carjackers to get to a prior engagement. It looks like another bank job as in the beginning of the first movie only for the doors to open and a horde of schoolkids to run out.
• Between My Legs: Psycho for Hire Lola gives us a good look◊ at her red Combat Stilettos before using Guns Akimbo on the protagonist for the first time.
  • This is also featured on one version◊ of the movie poster and trilogy DVD cover.
• Big Bad: Chillini, with Lola as The Dragon.
• Bottomless Magazines: Averted when the mooks riddle Frank's car with bullets, then rush to get more ammunition which is locked in the garage. Unfortunately, so is Frank. Lola manages to play it straight and avert this trope in the hospital, where she sprays far more bullets from her pistols than could possibly fit even in those extended magazines, but when she makes her way outside, she does a flashy reload before mowing down some cops.
• The Cartel: Chillini's employers.
• Continuity Nod: When Tarconi is confronted by government officials at Frank's house in Transporter 2, he uses the same excuse Lai gave him in the first movie: "I'm the cook!"
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Frank kills Lola in a brief and rather absurd fight by kicking her onto a spiked wall decoration.
• Darker and Edgier: Due to obscene language and bloody violence, this film is considered this and was the first one to received an R rating from the MPAA. And that's in spite of the most common cut of the film featuring several examples of censorship.
• Did Not Get the Girl: A little upsetting, but ultimately predicted in 2. She was married.
• The Dragon: Lola serves as this to Chillini.
• Drop Dead Gorgeous: The film features a ton of sexual tension between Frank and a smug scantily-clad henchwoman named Lola. He eventually kicks her onto a conveniently-placed spiked wall decoration thing and admires her corpse for a few good seconds. There exists an uncensored version of the scene where blood drips over Lola's corpse and the camera moves in to a closeup of her death stare.
• Evilutionary Biologist: Chillini is planning to make use of a virus in a decidedly non-nice manner.
• Fanservice Extra: The woman on the Jet Ski, with a rapid but generous close-up of her derriére and legs, after being transferred by Martin to the passenger seat on the Jet Ski, in an acrobatic maneuver.
• Funny Background Event: Frank hijacks a jetski with a female passenger still on it. They both ride together until Frank lands the jet ski on the road and then climbs up on to the bus after the Russian. When he turns back to look, the woman sheepishly waves goodbye to him.
• Gas-Cylinder Rocket: Frank launches one at Lola.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The Columbian cartels who foot Chillini's bill in the second film.
• How Do You Say
  Gianni: Perhaps I can help you! What part are you a little... how you say, "thick" on?
• I Gave My Word: In 2, Frank has a Rule #4 which is "Never make a promise you can't keep." He promises to protect his young charge; when the boy is kidnapped, the Big Bad informs Frank he's going to have to break that rule. Fat chance.
  Jack: Frank, you promised you wouldn't let anybody hurt me! You promised!
  Chillini: Never make promises you can't keep, my friend.
  Frank: I don't.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Lola is impaled on a wall decoration about ten seconds after engaging Frank.1
• Improvised Weapon User: Weapons include coconuts, fire hoses, and an entire boat being renovated which Frank uses to crush a mook after knocking out the support props (the mook was stuck in the porthole).
• Kingpin in His Gym: The main villain in the second movie is practicing Kendo against multiple opponents in his introductory scene.
• Kiss of Life: Frank steals one from a mook in the second movie.
• Mook Chivalry: At one point Frank avoids being shot at by a multitude of mooks, inadvertently averting Bottomless Magazines, forcing them all to grab melee weapons and... Circle around an unarmed Frank, then attack no more than 2 at a time, instead fo rushing him and hacking him to shreds.
• Mugging the Monster: Transporter 2 opens with a violent gang of carjackers attempting to steal badass courier Frank Martin's car. When they try to beat him into giving them the code to start the car, Frank opens a can of whoopass that leaves the four men on the ground and their female accomplice fleeing in terror.
• Ms. Fanservice: What doesn't Lola cater for? Gun Porn (is dual-wielded, full-auto silenced Glocks with Laser Sights enough for you?), Shameless Fanservice Girl, Excessive Evil Eyeshadow, Intimate Marks on her inner thigh, Combat Stilettos, many a Lingerie Scene (with black garters and Stocking Filler), Sexy Coat Flashing, Hospital Hottie (she's disguised as a medical receptionist), Sexy Soaked Shirt (gets wet in clothes in the fire sprinklers) and Sexy Backless Outfit.
• No, You: We get this exchange from Frank and Gianni:
  Frank: Sorry, flight's been cancelled.
  Gianni: [sighs] I'm sorry to inform you that you have been cancelled. [draws his pistol at Frank]
• Papa Wolf: Transporter 2 is one of the few times you'll ever get to see Jason Statham showing a soft (well, as soft as an unsentimental hardass like Statham can be) and sensitive side; specifically, his kindness towards children.
• Psycho for Hire: Lola is a straight example and Chillini is a variant, being an Evilutionary Biologist For Hire.
• Revealing Reflection: Frank discovers a bomb has been planted on his Audi when he sees it reflected in a puddle.
• Stripperiffic: Lola's "outfit" such as it is.
• Tastes Like Friendship: Inspector Tarconi befriends an entire police precinct by showing off his cooking skill when in their custody.
• Tempting Fate: In the second movie, after Frank, Jack, and Lola have avoided pursuit from cops by jumping their car from the top of a parking garage to another under construction. The car skids to a stop near the edge, Lola's side facing out.
  Lola: (looking back) I think we lost 'em.
  Frank (looking past her as a helicopter rises into view) Think again.
  (Cut to shot from the rear of the helicopter. Automatic-gunfire is heard. The helicopter explodes.)
  Lola: (pulls arm with smoking pistol back into car) Thought completed. Let's go.
  • Played straight when Frank is chasing the Russian (who's hanging onto a bus) by driving up the canal in a jetski. The Russian mocks "The Driver" by shouting that he's no good on water — cue an Oh, Crap! moment as Frank launches the jetski out of the water onto the road behind the bus.
• Trust Me, I'm an X: In 2, the mook that replaces the doctor says this to Frank. He couldn't sound less convincing if he tried.
• Underwater Kiss: The Transporter steals the last breath of the Mook who fell into the water with him in this manner.
• Unholy Matrimony: Lola and Chillini.
• Waif-Fu: The stick-thin Lola tries this on Frank. It's promptly subverted; she gets knocked off her feet. Then she changes tactics.
• Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Chillini does this on three separate occasions despite knowing from the first that Frank is a Hidden Badass.
• You Taste Delicious: In the first sequel, Lola, who is by far the most depraved villain in the movie, licks Frank when he is captured.
• Your Makeup Is Running: Lola suffers a rather bad case of it.

Transporter 3

• Bad Boss Johnson subverts the Affably Evil trope by shooting dead a mook who earlier had failed to 'recruit' Frank by force, and who interrupts his politely 'persuading' Frank to work for him.
  Johnson: Find someone smarter.
• Bait-and-Switch:
  • The 'package' turns out to be the girl who's in the car with Frank, not the bags the villains put in the trunk.
  • It looks like Frank has gone back to his lonely life with only Tarconi for company, but it turns out Valentina is also in the boat (sleeping out of sight).
• Big Bad: Johnson
• Car Chase: Spoofed in the third film with the bicycle chase, played straight with the Ukranian intelligence team.
• Car Skiing: Frank skis between two semi trucks◊ during an escape sequence.
• Casual Kink: Valentina forces Frank to take off his clothes, saying it's not just men who like striptease.
  Frank: You know what I'm going to do to you for making me do this?
  Valentina: Spank me.
  Frank: For starters.
  Valentina: Tie me up?
  Frank: You'd like that, wouldn't you?
  Valentina: I like the rough stuff. (Frank grabs her) Not too rough!
• Diegetic Switch: A stoned Valentina keeps turning on the stereo during the Car Chase.
• Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Valentina threatening to throw the keys to the exploding car off a cliff if Frank doesn't sleep with her.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Valentina is clearly doing this during Frank's fight at Otto's garage.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: Johnson suggests that Frank join his organisation after he thinks he's won. Nothing personal about being strapped to a bomb, ha-ha.
• Explosive Leash: Frank has a bracelet attached to his wrist◊ that will explode if he gets more than 50 feet from the car. This causes problems when he's hunting down the Big Bad at the end; he has to bring the car with him. Even onto a moving train.
• Kick the Dog: The Ukrainian intelligence team shoot dead a police truck driver just to get their hands on the GPS system, even though they could have just threatened him. This is presumably so we don't feel bothered when Frank sends them over the cliff later on.
• Pre-Climax Climax: Valentina figures they're both going to get killed, so why not one last bang? Despite having survived a dangerous Car Chase Frank is definitely not in the mood.
• Shirtless Scene: Valentina keeps a sullen silence towards Frank until he takes off his shirt to fight a gang of hoods. Later she threatens to throw his car keys off the cliff unless he strips for her again. He does.
• Shovel Strike: After a good beating, Frank knocks out the Giant Mook with a shovel to the face.
• Your Makeup Is Running: Valentina suffers a bad case of this.

The Transporter: Refueled

• Alternative Foreign Theme Song: The theme song for the Japanese version of The Transporter: Refueled is "IGNITION" by SHOKICHI of EXILE.
• A Match Made in Stockholm: Maissa has fallen in love with the Big Bad and become his ally against the other girls.
• Big Bad: Arkady Karasov is the villain this time around.
• Bittersweet Ending: Only Anna survives of the thieves but she donates the money to the girl's families and gives our heroes a hefty retirement fund.
• Chivalrous Pervert: Frank Martin Sr. is not shy about his attraction to his kidnappers, especially the girl from the Basque region, and ends up charming her even as he's their hostage.
• Cool Boat: The climax of the movie is on the villain's.
• Disney Villain Death: Karasov after being shot by Anna during his final fight with Martin.
• Due to the Dead: Discussed by Frank Martin Sr., who flat-out tells his son he wants his remains to be burnt and/or buried at sea if and when his time should come.
• Enemy Civil War: What the plan of the girls is to spark.
• Evil Former Friend: Maissa to the other girls.
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: All of the girls appear to be this. They're not, having been hardened to what they have to do to survive. They soften with Frank and his dad's influence.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Subverted by Frank who treats the four thieves as murderous criminals rather than Sympathetic Murderer types like his father. The revelation they were going to kill him and their cruel lie about poisoning his father show him to have been right all along.
• I Have Your Wife: The thieves kidnap Frank's father in order to force him to work with them, using an imaginary poison to add incentive.
• In Love with the Mark: The thieves had intended to kill Frank and his father all along. What Anna had not counted on was falling for Frank.
• Knock Out Gas: The thieves disable an entire nightclub with this, despite the fact it would probably kill most of the occupants. Also, a case of One Dose Fits All.
• The Mafiya: The villains this time around are a bunch of sex trafficker members of this.
• Mook Chivalry: Averted with Frank getting in a tight area in order to make sure three goons don't beat the crap out of him. When driven out, he's almost overwhelmed.
• Ms. Fanservice: All four of the thieves as well as the Big Bad's girlfriend.
• Paid Harem: Maissa takes her place as the Big Bad's personal mistress which affords her less horrible working conditions than the other girl's. It's implied she's come to like it.
• Papa Wolf: Frank Martin Sr. is a very dangerous man when his son's safety is concerned.
• Retired Badass: Frank Martin Sr. is newly one of these at the start of the movie. He's not happy about it.
• Sex Slave: All four of the thieves are this at the start of the movie. Them getting out from under their owners (and getting compensated for their suffering by stealing their fortunes) is the focus of the film.
• The Tease: Anna keeps acting flirty with Frank and needling him after forcing him to help them. He is not amused. It's played as part of their Belligerent Sexual Tension.
• A Threesome Is Hot: After spending a night with Anna, Frank Martin goes into another room to find his father sleeping with two other women. Rather than feel outclassed, Frank just smiles. It's implied his father used to be a spy for British Intelligence.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Anna intends to kill Frank to leave no witnesses, but has fallen for him so can't do it.

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