Transporter 3

Plot

A ship at sea is supposedly carrying alcohol. Two crew-members accidentally discover the cargo is actually toxic waste, and are killed. Their bodies are thrown overboard.

Meanwhile, Frank Martin (Jason Statham) has been pressured into transporting a package, together with Valentina (Natalya Rudakova). Both have a device attached to their wrists which is wired to explode if the person concerned strays more than 75 feet (22.86 metres) away from the car. It is soon revealed that the objective is to deliver Valentina; She is the daughter of Leonid Vasilev (Jeroen Krabbé), head of Ukraine's Environmental Protection Agency. Vasilev refused to do business with an environmentally irresponsible company, so they arranged for an employee called Johnson (Robert Knepper) to kidnap her. Valentina is being used as leverage, to get Vasilev to sign a contract with the organization.

Frank travels from Marseille through Munich and Budapest until he ends up in Odessa on the Black Sea. With the help of Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand), Frank contends with the people who strong-armed him into taking the job, agents sent by Ukrainiangovernment to intercept him, and the general non-cooperation of his passenger.

Valentina thinks she is going to die, so consumes drugs and alcohol to feel better and have some fun for the last time. Frank is not happy with this, because both have to remain sharp. However, Frank and Valentina fall for each other, while escaping from one life-threatening situation after another.

Eventually Valentina is kidnapped by Johnson, leaving on a passenger train. Frank drives his car off a bridge to land on the moving train, then fights all the thugs inside. Johnson and Valentina end up in a carriage near the front of the train, which is then decoupled from the rest of the carriages. Returning to his car, Frank jumps the widening gap, crashing into the carriage. After a struggle, Frank transfers the explosive device from his wrist to Johnson's, then launches the vehicle from the train. The explosive device kills Johnson.

Tarconi rescues them and calls Vasilev, telling him that his daughter is safe. Vasilev rips up the contract, and the ship from the beginning is raided by the police and the crews are arrested who are trying to escape. Frank, Tarconi and Valentina are shown fishing in the ocean.

Cast

• Jason Statham as Frank Martin
• François Berléand as Inspector Tarconi
• Natalya Rudakova as Valentina Vasileva
• Robert Knepper as Johnson
• Jeroen Krabbé as Leonid Vasilev
• David Atrakchi as Malcom Manvill
• Gillie McKenzie stunt driver double
• Eriq Ebouaney as Ice
• Yann Sundberg as Flag

Production

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. The film holds a score of 37%, based on 104 reviews, and an average rating of 4.8 out of 10 on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus stated that the film is a "middling installment in the Transporter franchise that is a few steps down from its predecessors, featuring generic stunts and a lack of energy." On Metacritic, the film currently has a score of 51%, based on 26 reviews.

It was released by Lionsgate in the United States. On its opening weekend, the film opened at number 7 with $12 million.  As of September 11, 2009, the film has grossed $31.7 million in the United States and in Canada and $74.6 million in foreign countries, with a total gross of $106,288,215 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Transporter trilogy.