Jason Statham's cameo in Collateral left Transporter fans with a few questions. Collateral is an neo-noir action thriller set in the span of a single night, starring Jamie Foxx as unsuspecting taxi driver Max Durocher and Tom Cruise in one of his most iconic roles as Vincent, a relentless hitman in need of a loyal ride around Los Angeles. The film is directed by Heat director Michael Mann, who led the film to high critical and commercial success in 2004.
Jason Statham starred in the original Transporter trilogy as the methodical Frank Martin, a freelance driver for hire who completes shady deliveries for questionable individuals. He strictly follows three adamant rules in all of his services: never change the deal, no names or any indication of who's involved in the job, and the most essential one — "never open the package." Although he breaks his third rule since the beginning of the first film — when the package is a kidnaped woman — it's his meticulousness on the job, coupled with his almost supernatural driving and martial arts abilities, that makes him the best and most efficient candidate for a transportation job.
In the opening scene of Collateral, Tom Cruise's Vincent is seen walking in the crowd at an airport. Immediately after, Transporter actor Jason Statham appears to be walking somewhere nearby. The film isolates the two of them from the crowd to draw attention to what happens next: they bump into each other and excuse themselves a little too much. They then exchange a knowing look before parting ways. Those who saw the first Transporter film two years before the release of Collateral immediately wondered if Statham was playing Frank Martin delivering another package. However, that may not be the case.
Jason Statham's Collateral Cameo Remains A Mystery
The entirety of The Transporter took place in Nice, France. Frank Martin would be relocated to Miami only until the beginning of Transporter 2, which came out one year after the LA-based and Tom Cruise-led Collateral. Also, Frank only transports his deliveries by vehicle and avoids making any kind of contact with them (except if said package is a damsel in distress). The last exhibit against this theory is that Statham is only credited as "Airport Man," which makes the connection even less likely.
On the other hand, it could be argued that the payment for this particular job is high enough to make the trip from France to Los Angeles worth it. The bag that Vincent exchanges with Frank looks quite full, and Vincent later proves his negotiation skills with Max when he convinces him to be his personal driver. Both Frank and Vincent are similar enough to be part of a bigger criminal network, and Vincent's mission in LA to kill his employer's witnesses and prosecutor Annie (Jada Pinkett-Smith) seems a task worthy of hiring the best transporter in the world. Miami Vice reboot director Michael Mann left the meaning of the cameo up to the viewer's mind, and he has neither confirmed nor denied that Statham's role in Collateral is anything beyond just a nod to his previous character ever since the release of the film, so it's up to each viewer's individual headcanon to see it as such.
Cameos like Jason Statham in Collateral are rewarding to film lovers and fans of the movies they allude to. Characters unexpectedly appearing in different movies are nothing new, and nothing negative would come out of an increase in these kinds of nods to the audience, as long as they're able to understand and enjoy the movie as a whole without the need to know what every reference means. This particular example excels in leaving the viewer free to either see it as a Marvel-type reference that establishes an implicit cinematic universe or to regard it as a fun detail to point out on a rewatch with friends.
The Collateral Screenwriter Has Confirmed A Shared Universe
While nothing has been confirmed or denied about the Jason Statham cameo in Collateral, screenwriter Stuart Beattie says that the two movies are in the same universe. Therefore, Statham's "Airport Man" is technically Transporter character Frank Martin. The screenwriter joked that studios probably would never admit it, but he believes that the Airport Man and Frank Martin are one and the same. During the podcast Collateral Confessions, Beattie was interviewed about the movie and asked about the Jason Statham cameo, he had this to say, "Absolutely Frank Martin of Transporter. I asked Jason about that… Yeah, absolutely. Yes, it’s canon. Same world… the studio will never admit to that, but in my head, absolutely it’s him." Collateral isn't the only movie that Jason Statham's Frank Martin (who was replaced by Ed Skrein in the reboot) will appear in, according to the director of the first two Transporter movies, Lewis Letterrier. As far as Letterrier is concerned not only was it Frank Martin at the airport, but Frank Martin will show up again in other Michael Mann movies. In an interview (via IGN), Letterier said, "He’ll just be a cameo in other people’s movies; in Michael Mann’s movies." So, even though Michael Mann has said nothing about the Jason Statham cameo, most franchise fans agree that Frank Martin in Collateral is canon.