Starring: Jason Statham, Amber Valletta

6 out of 10 stars:

Jason Statham's charm, and his beefy, shock-absorbent physique, spare The Transporter 2 from sinking into Steven Seagal territory; in fact, because of the star's particularly delicious qualities, this might be the most entertaining "antidote" movie ever made. It's also more of a movie for boys, as Statham doesn't take off his shirt nearly as much as he did in the original (hence the lower rating), there are as many stunts 'n' 'splosions as there are fight scenes, and there's a lady (newcomer Katie Nauta, working a tranny meets Samantha Baker crying over Jake Ryan look) in a bikini and high heels with a gun who wants Statham's body, and his blood.

After the events of the first movie, former Special Agent Frank Martin (Statham) has left the French Mediterranean behind for ... Miami. His latest for-hire gig has him driving the son of anti-drug czar Jefferson Billings (Matthew Modine) and his beleaguered wife Audrey (Amber Valetta) to and from school. There's a very sweet scene where Martin asks young Jack Billings (Hunter Clary) to recite the three rules of being in a man's car. It links the sequel to its predecessor, and proves this transporter has softened some, as he's obviously fond of the boy (and his mom). But it doesn't reveal too much of the mystique that makes Martin so damn sexy; his inner self is as locked up as ever.

The exposition is left up to poor Amber Valetta ("It's been great having you around this past month, Frank."), and the movie's puffy bad guy (Alessandro Gassman), who's hatched a plot to kidnap Jack, infect him with a custom-made virus, and bilk the Billings's for an insane ransom. The clock is ticking to save Jack, so director Louis Leterrier doesn't waste much time (aside from the somewhat flat introduction) getting to the ass-kicking. He's not as skilled as Corey Yuen (who directed the first movie, and is back as the martial arts choreographer for part two), but his dedication to creating a beginning, middle, and end should help Statham find the success he deserves.

Statham moves even better here than he did in the original, and the camera placement and editing is always smart. The sequence in which Martin uses a hose to take out a dozen or so men is as good as the t-shirt scene in the original (though, again, not as sexy, as Statham remains clothed). The stunts are completely stupid, but if you've had a couple beers beforehand, watching Martin use a crane hook to knock a bomb off the chassis of his bulletproof Audi, you might just be more than halfway through 88 minutes of heaven.