“He’s the first gay action hero!” : The Hidden Subtext of The Transformer with Jason Statham

It’s hard to name three openly gay action movie heroes. So the lack of representation in this genre is noteworthy. But some may be hiding in plain sight…

As reported by Espinoff, in 2005, Louis Leterrier, the director of the first two parts of The Transporter saga, who was then interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, specified that he created a subtle gay subtext in the film simply because he could: Frank. Martin is lonely and “half-lost” who avoids the women around him.

I was very afraid of doing a Steven Seagal film – very set and pre-digested. So I had to find an angle. If you watch the movie and know he’s gay, it’s a lot more fun. This is so awesome – the first gay action movie hero!

Then he continued:Action fans in general are quite homophobic. You see those tough guys who say, “Transporter, that’s a great movie!” To know that they are actually encouraging a new type of action hero.“

And to back up his remarks, Louis Leterrier also mentioned a scene from Transporter 2 where the drug lord’s wife, played by Amber Valletta, advances on the transporters. Then Frank Martin pushes him and says:It’s because of who I am.“For Louis Leterrier, this is a recognition of character:”He’s coming out of the closet!“

At the time, the hero star’s interpreter, Jason Statham, denied the director’s allegations.

“Just Lu-Lou trying to be funny– he said using a personal nickname for Letterier. “But he said, “In part 2, you’re going to be a gay icon.”“

The carrier is no longer gay

However, everything changes from Transporter 3: Jason Statham is very clearly seen kissing his co-star Natalia Rudakova (Valentina).

With the film’s release in 2008, the Los Angeles Times again raised the issue with Louis Leterrier to get his opinion on whether director Olivier Megaton was chosen to bring back a heterosexual. character.

“I was sick over the weekend and both my suitors were on TV so I watched them and they’re actually not that gay“- he said at the end. “But it makes for fun movie legends.“

Whether or not Frank Martin is gay doesn’t change the story of the saga, a saga that we absolutely (re)discover on VOD.