When we last saw Chev Chelios (Statham), it appeared as though the assassin had met his maker. Wrong. As his story continues, Chelios hunts down the mobster who stole his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Just two movies in, and the Neveldine/Taylor filmmaking duo have a legion of fans who appreciate their hyper-visualized sensibilities. Clearly they have more detractors, but with Jason Statham in your pocket, who cares about critics? Returning alongside Statham and Amy Smart in the sequel are Dwight Yoakam and Efren Ramirez; climbing aboard for the first time is an inspired cast of supporters, including Corey Haim and Bai Ling, who, let’s face it, should have been the primary villain.

Rated R for frenetic strong bloody violence throughout, crude and graphic sexual content, nudity and pervasive language.

Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr.
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 17 April 2009 (USA)
Genre: Action

Frank Martin puts the driving gloves on to deliver Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of a Ukranian government official, from Marseilles to Odessa on the Black Sea. En route, he has to contend with thugs who want to intercept Valentina’s safe delivery and not let his personal feelings get in the way of his dangerous objective.

Looks like a much leaner (as in: 0% body fat) Jason Statham has punched in for a third-and-final? installment of the franchise that helped him break big in America. But do me a favor: Watch the teaser trailer and let me know if you think it’s kind of embarrassing that the production — which is still being steered by writer/producer Luc Besson, but is in the hands of graffiti-artist-turned-director Olivier Megaton — lifted a story convention from Statham’s Crank 2: High Voltage? In C2, Statham has a rejiggered heart that needs electrical jolts to keep ticking, here in T3, he’s been outfitted with a silver bangle that will detonate if removed. Is this a metaphor for what might happen to Statham if he ever decides to transition out of action-anti-hero mode and into, say, a romantic leading man?

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, some sexual content and drug material.