Film

Bombastic is too mild a word for the ferocious carnage at the heart of this old-world shoot-’em-up, the third in a trilogy that never lets its narrative torpor impede testosterone-triggered mayhem. Gallic pop auteur Luc Besson continues to out-schlock Hollywood’s formulaic teeth-rattlers by writing and producing one bone-cracking installment after the next, all of which star the unflappable Jason Statham as a muscle-toned Mediterranean mercenary expert, trained in delivering dubious packages across international borders with ruthless efficiency, millions in property damage and an extremely high body count.

As with T1 and T2, bad guys throw a wrench into Statham’s mission—in this case, an explosive bracelet electronically tethering his wrist to a pimped-out Audi and primed to detonate anywhere beyond 75 feet of his ride. Weary lip service is given to topical plot points (a shady group called Eco Corp wants to ferry untold tons of toxic waste into an unsuspecting Eurozone), and a shrill Ukrainian kitty (Rudakova) bares her dulled claws during high-speed chases and martial-art throwdowns. But the real tension is in seeing how many times Statham can strip down in a topless fury and turn his suit into a deadly weapon. Who knew a nice blazer could be used as an improvised nunchuck?