Taxi 2 review

Girard Krawczyk's high-velocity sequel accelerates into selected UK cinemas after a record-breaking stint at the French box office. Although Taxi 2 may lack some of the bonhomie of its predecessor, the film is a tour de force of breakneck action sequences and Gallic charm.

Cab driver Daniel (Naceri) is still breaking the speed limit, ferrying beleaguered passengers around his hometown of Marseilles.

When a Japanese ambassador is abducted by Oriental thugs, Daniel helps his hapless police pal Emilien (Diefenthal) save the day with statuesque blonde cop Petra (Sjvberg). Volunteering his services a police driver, Daniel's expertise behind the wheel ensures the authorities are never more than one step behind the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, there's trouble for Daniel when the in-laws come to visit to meet their prospective son-in-law for the first time. His girlfriend Lilly (Cotillard) has lied to her authoritarian father, General Bertineau (Bouvet), saying that Daniel is a doctor, a tale that soon unravels.

Taxi 2 is a boy racer's dream, orchestrating non-stop edge-of-seat thrills from a wafer-thin and intentionally preposterous plot. You get a real sense of speed as Daniel's taxi swoops back and forth through the Marseilles traffic, with Krawczyk's camera close behind.

Some of the stunts are a little over-the-top, especially one sequence which heavily recalls the Jan de Bont thriller Speed. Comedy helps to dissipate the rising tension and performances are serviceable, given the lack of character development.

But someone at the film company ought to arrest the person responsible for the English subtitles. My French may not have progressed much past GCSE level, but even I know that the English for trois is three, not two. Quelle horreur!