Camille Delamarre directs Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson and Loan Chabanol in this far far too soon reboot of the Jason Statham franchise.

The Europa Corp blend of world weary yet unstoppable lead, cool cars, hot chicks, continental setting and inventive action noticeably fails here. Skrein looks more like Nicholas Hoult after a rough stag party than a force to be reckoned with, even if his Stath voice convinces. The fitted as standard ogling-a-saucy-bird-while-some-exposition-is-spurted-out factor is somewhat diminished by the fact we know they are, to the very last one, all sex slaves since children from the off. This puts a really dampener on all the poolside panties gyrating and Bridgette Nielsen in Beverly Hill Cop 2 lite robberies. And the action feels weakly conceived and half heartedly executed, rationed out too… I can’t remember anything pulse raising occurring in the first half. We are a long fucking way away from Stath’s Frank Martin oiling up for a rumble in a garage slick followed by a car chase followed by another fight glory days when it eventually does get a bit aggro. All in all it doesn’t even match the cheap and cheesy TV spin off, let alone the fun but disposable originals. But there is a incandescently bright flame in all this murky disappointment; Ray Stevenson, camping it up something horrid and having them time of his life, as The Transporter’s dad. I cottoned on to the fact they were going for a Sean Connery in Last Crusade dynamic a few minutes before he started calling Skrein “Junior!” every other scene. Stevenson may never have broke out but he is miles better than this, as evidenced in every single scene he brightens up. Makes you wonder how much fun it would have been if our Jase returned and Ray’s part was redacted to paternal older brother… Or why not just reboot it with his loveable, manly, couldn’t give a flying fuck presence in the lead instead? A palpable wasted opportunity.

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