Taxi series

Taxi 4 (2007)

Taxi 4 (2007)

(In theaters, July 2007) I swear, this series keeps getting dumber with each successive instalment. It wouldn’t be so bad if the action kept up with the plot, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here: The titular taxi gets a very small portion of the action, and most of the film is spent in comedic mode, sadly centred around the increasingly irritating character of Bernard Farcy. While it’s fun to see the characters of Samy Naceri and Frédéric Diefenthal settle in as fathers, the absence of Marion Cotillard is deeply felt and seems to send the film careening without any moral centre. While generally amiable, the film merely plays to a fraction of the first two entries in the Taxi series. The disappointment is palpable, and represents a second strike after the lacklustre Taxi 3.

Taxi (2004)

Taxi (2004)

(In theaters, October 2004) I’m not going to attempt a spirited defence of Luc Besson’s original Taxi because, frankly, it just wasn’t all that good to begin with: But as a French action movie, it wasn’t completely bad, and it had enough action and laughter to make it an amusing diversion. This widely-predicted American remake, on the other hand, is tedious in entirely familiar ways, from flashy nonsensical casting to by-the-number plotting to rampant incoherences. It doesn’t take three minutes for the filmmakers to show their open contempt for the audience by revealing a svelte and athletic bike courier as… waddling hippo Queen Latifah. (OK, on second thoughts that visual simile is going way, way too far — especially considering that I find Latifah attractive.  But she’s not a rail-thin model-shaped bike courier.) It gets better once she’s behind the wheel of her taxi (at least we can believe that she can sit there all day), but as a gravity-defying cyclist, it doesn’t work. But she isn’t the worst casting decision of the film by far; that would be the insufferable Jimmy Fallon, here hired to personify pure annoyance. His character should be a sympathetic doofus, but he plays it as an idiot without any redeemable quality. Oh, the film gets point for some amazing chase cinematography (which doesn’t last very long, unfortunately), and for miscasting sex kitten Jennifer Esposito as a police lieutenant. But it’s a fight every step of the way to enjoy anything in which Fallon doesn’t die a horrible death. You would have thought that a thin excuse for car chases transplanted in New York City would be amazing action movie material, but the sad truth is that, neutered by the American action/comedy film process, Taxi ends up being a pale shadow of even a lacklustre original.

Taxi 3 (2003)

Taxi 3 (2003)

(In theaters, June 2003) If you’ve seen the first two Taxi films, this third entry is almost an obvious choice. Don’t bother if you’re not a fan of the series, though; while there are a few good action sequences, the only thing bigger than the self-indulgence of the production is the indulgence they ask of the audience. Dumb comedy, underwhelming villains and lukewarm action scenes; I’m just about ready to say that writer Luc Besson has run out of ideas. Oh, the actors are cool enough (the opening credit sequence hilariously parodies the Bond series, complete with writhing Santa Clauses) but on most other levels, the film relies on stock situations (pregnancies; oh, ah) and overly dramatic scenes that seem out of place in this context. Some gags (the “torture” and drug jokes) are just lame, and this sentiment escapes from the vignettes to contaminate the entire film. Do we need a Taxi 4? I’m not sure we do.

Taxi 2 (2000)

Taxi 2 (2000)

(In theaters, October 2000) Straight sequel to the hugely entertaining French car-chase/shoot-em-up action/comedy that somehow still hasn’t been re-made by Hollywood. Luc Besson wrote the script, and it shows, what with the simplistic plotting, trite -even juvenile- humor, broad clichés and punchy pacing. It doesn’t matter very much, as we’re there to see car crashes and gunfights. On that level, Taxi 2 works well, and if the film isn’t as good as the first one, it’s as sympathetic and even a bit funnier. The direction is rather good, if at time needlessly hectic. Worth a double-bill with the first one, if you can find it…

(Second viewing, On DVD, February 2003) Dumber than the usual, but maybe a little bit funnier, this is a film that’s best seen right after the original for comparison purposes. (Some slight gags also make more sense.) The “impregnable car” still looks cheaper than anything that deserved to be on-screen. There isn’t much to say about this film, really; it’s slightly offensive in its casual racism and definitely a lot of fun nevertheless. The Region-1 DVD contains the film, the trailer and a too-short making-of featurette that still offers some good behind-the-scenes footage.

Taxi (1998)

Taxi (1998)

(In theaters, November 1998) You probably won’t see this until it’s (inevitably) remade as a big-budget Hollywood production, and you’ll be missing a pretty good compilation of car chases. French action films aren’t too common (two of the last few were remade as Point Of No Return and True Lies), but Taxi has the added pedigree of a script by Luc Besson. Granted, that’s not much of a recommendation in the storytelling department. Still, Besson’s flair for imaginative action set-pieces are obvious, and you haven’t seen a car chase until you’ve seen one through the terrifyingly cluttered French streets. (It’s worse than in Ronin.) It was a treat to see an action movie with the characteristic French rhythms and attitude. Taxi loses points for inane episodic incidents, nonsensical setups, juvenile humour and a gratuitous usage of drugs but does sports a few niiice gun battles and high-speed driving. The last stunt is pretty cool, if unlikely. I’m actually looking forward to the Hollywood remake!

(Second viewing, On DVD, February 2003) There’s a lot of dumb stuff in this film and, upon seeing it again on the small screen, not as much action as I remembered. But it’s still a lot of fun, thanks to the dynamic performances of the leads and some inspired action directing. The script may be dumb, but it’s dumb in a charming way. The fact that it comes from France is a plus in itself, as it offers something different than the usual sunny L.A. backdrops we could expect from such a story. The region-one DVD has the film, the trailer, and not much else.