Frank has always been a mercenary transporter and an ex-special force operative, but he good into big mess when his target was the the daughter of a Chinese crime lord.
The chases and explosions get a little (well, more than a little) ludicrous, but the cool premise is still very cool.
Observer (UK)
April 16, 2008
Chases and choreographed fights set to rock music take up most of the running time and the movie is like To Catch a Thief remade by a hack follower of John Woo.
More than a decade later, no action series has quite managed to capture its blend of silky smooth action thanks to Statham's turn as the debonair hero for the new generation.
The acting might be shoddy, the plot nonsense and the dialogue clunky, but the fighting is exquisitely done. Inventive, athletic, fun, stylish and tight, it's everything the rest of the film isn't.
Every bit the over-the-top action extravaganza it appears to be, and the glee of its knowing preposterousness makes it easy to overlook its general mindlessness.