The moment the taxi deploys its wings to "glide" over a traffic jam or clear an impossible jump remains one of the most iconic images in French cinema. It pushed the film from a grounded street racer into the realm of "urban superhero" cinema, a niche Luc Besson would continue to exploit for years. Why It Worked
The film was shot on location in Marseille, Paris, and Tokyo. The film's production team chose these locations to showcase the beauty and excitement of these cities. taxi 2 -2000-
The film is famous for a sequence where the "super-taxi" (a modified Peugeot 406) is dropped from a plane via parachute into the streets of Paris. Cast & Characters Role Description Samy Naceri Daniel Morales The skilled, unlicensed taxi driver. Frédéric Diefenthal The accident-prone police inspector. Marion Cotillard Lilly Bertineau Daniel's girlfriend. Emma Wiklund A high-ranking officer and Émilien's partner. Bernard Farcy Commissaire Gibert The eccentric and bumbling police commissioner. Critical & Audience Reception Films - review - Taxi 2 - BBC The moment the taxi deploys its wings to
Upon its release, Taxi 2 was a commercial juggernaut. In France, it outperformed major American imports, proving that the French film industry could produce homegrown blockbusters that rivaled Hollywood. It solidified the Taxi franchise as a cultural institution. The film's production team chose these locations to
Before CGI dominated the industry, Taxi 2 relied on practical stunt driving. The car chases are visceral, featuring narrow European streets, massive pile-ups, and precision drifting that still holds up today.
The stakes are higher this time. The Japanese Minister of Defense is visiting Marseille to inspect the city’s anti-gang tactics before heading to Paris to sign a massive contract. However, a Yakuza gang with high-tech gadgets kidnaps the Minister to derail the deal. Daniel and Émilien must chase the kidnappers across the country, eventually leading to a spectacular showdown in the streets of Paris. The Real Star: The Peugeot 406