Frank Martin (character)

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Frank Martin
Jason Statham as Frank Martin in The Transporter. Taiwanese actress Shu Qi also pictured.
First appearance	The Transporter
Last appearance	Transporter 3
Cause/reason	Latest Appearance so far.
Portrayed by	Jason Statham
Information
Aliases	Driver The Transporter
Gender	Male
Occupation	Transporting & Wheelman
Title	The Transporter

Frank Martin is a fictional character portrayed by Jason Statham, primarily in The Transporter film franchise. Martin is portrayed as a professional freelance courier or driver, available for hire by wealthy clients or the criminal fraternity, who earns an evidently wealthy living from "transporting" things.

Jason Statham is himself an accomplished martial artist, allowing him to do all the combat scenes involving Frank Martin himself, allowing realistic uncut fight scenes.

1 Character background
2 Appearances
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Character background

Martin is portrayed as a former military helicopter pilot and SAS trooper. His military background includes operations "in and out of" Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. He retires from this after becoming angered with his superior officers downplaying his performance, and puts his skills to use as a black market courier. Entering the film franchise, Martin has already established a good reputation in his line of work. Although maintaining an apparently legitimate life, he has also attracted the suspicions of the police in France where he first lived.

[edit] Combat Background

Possibly through his military background, Martin is portrayed as having an expertise with explosives, surveillance, hand to hand combat, and evasive driving. Emphasis is given to his skills as an accomplished driver, able to conduct seemingly impossible maneuvers while retaining perfect control of his vehicle. Martin often engages in hand-to-hand combat, having to improvise using unconventional weapons against his opponents. Martin is also an accomplished sharpshooter.

[edit] Rules

Martin carries out his business according to strict rules, which he is loathe to break, and expects his clients to adhere to or face a breach of contract. His rules are:

"Never change the deal"
"No names"
"Never open the package"

While at first these rules seem unnecessarily strict, their importance is illustrated when performing as a getaway driver, an extra gang member is introduced. Explaining to the leader that the precise number of passengers had been agreed so that Martin could properly set-up the car's suspension, the gang leader is forced to shoot the extra gang member, or face being left behind for breaking the rules. Martin's breaking of his own rule about not opening the package is the central theme in The Transporter.

[edit] Appearance

Martin maintains a uniform of sorts, consisting of a black suit, white shirt, and a black tie. Martin also puts great emphasis on precise timing and punctuality. He regularly maintains anonymity from his clients, going by the aliases Transporter, or more simply Driver.

[edit] Cars

Martin seems to prefer German cars, using a BMW 735i E38 and Mercedes-Benz W140 in The Transporter, and an Audi A8 6.0 W12 in Transporter 2.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] The Transporter

Main article: The Transporter

In the first movie, Frank is hired to deliver a package to an American gangster known only as "Wall Street". Breaking one of his rules, Frank opens the package, it is revealed to be a young tied up and gagged woman, by the name of Lai. Initially, Frank simply delivers the package, however when "Wall Street" attempts to kill Frank, Frank returns to the delivery site. Frank injures many of "Wall Street"'s henchmen and takes Lai back to his house, where she explains that there is a large delivery crate full of smuggled immigrants. Frank succeeds in an attempt to retrieve a truck full of immigrants.

[edit] Collateral

Main article: Collateral (film)

Although not specifically credited, Martin is thought to feature in the Michael Mann film, Collateral.

In a cameo appearance, Jason Statham as Airport Man features at the start of the film. The main character Vincent (Tom Cruise), a hitman, receives his 'work up' material, (the background information on his targets), in a briefcase exchange with Airport Man in an airport building. The exchange takes place as a seemingly innocuous collision between Vincent and Statham's character, with the pair exchanging a possible sequence of code words, with each man taking away the other's briefcase.

The fact that Airport Man is meant to be Martin is reinforced in the fact that Statham's appearance is in the distinctive uniform of Martin, and speaks with the same accent. The director of The Transporter, Louis Leterrier, had commented that had the initial movie not been a success, Statham's character would perhaps had continued with cameos in other films, such as his appearance here.^[1]

There are parallels in the characters in that both Martin and Vincent are ex-special forces now working for the underworld, and insisting on anonymity in their dealings. Martin however is portrayed as more human to Vincent's sociopathic persona.

[edit] Transporter 2

Main article: Transporter 2

Frank is working as the driver/chauffeur for a wealthy family, in the United States. Martin bonds with their young son, whom he drives to school every day. When the boy is kidnapped, Frank must again take action in order to protect his young "package" and his family.

[edit] Transporter 3

Main article: Transporter 3

Transporter 2 is seen as ending with Martin seemingly retired, although the final scene depicts Martin taking a call:

Unknown caller: "I'm looking for a transporter."

Frank: "... I'm listening."

This leaves open a sequel, which was planned to start filming in 2008.^[2] It is set to be released in 2009.^[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

^ IGN.com Interview with Louis Leterrier, 31 August 2005
^ ""Transporter 3" to Shoot Next Year", RT-News, March 12, 2007.
^ Statham revs up 'Transporter 3' Variety (magazine). February 25, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2008.