mattresses. After an unsuccessful first try, the stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne with 35 years of experience and credit of 4000 films including six James Bond Films, decided to increase the incline of the springboard a bit and also up the car's running speed. On the second take, the taxi took off faster and higher, landing a few meters further than expected, hitting the 41-year-old cameraman Alain Dutartre, his assistant and a third person. Dutartre died a few hours later in the hospital. The assistant had both of his legs broken. Besson was in Los Angeles at the time and was contacted immediately. He flew to the set, where detectives were already investigating the matter. Filming had to continue, but did so in a somber mood. In June 2002, Luc Besson was summoned to court. Authorities alleged safety was compromised in an effort to cut costs. The stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne was given a one-year suspended jail sentence, and fined €13,000. Luc Besson, Grenet and director Gerard Krawczyk were initially cleared of charges. But the Paris Court of Appeal reversed the ruling in June 2009, and EuropaCorp was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and ordered to pay €100,000. Julienne's jail sentence was reduced to six months, and his fine was reduced from €13,000 to €2,000, but he was required to pay the Dutartre family €50,000 in court costs. Reception Box office The film set an opening record and had 10.3 million admissions in France (the highest for the year) and 5 million in 37 other countries worldwide. It also had good TV ratings with 10 million viewers on TF1. Critical response Neil Smith, reviewing the film for BBC, gave it two stars out of five and writes that it's a "virtual reprise of the 1998 French box-office smash" and while "there's very little of merit in this tongue-in-cheek actioner, it at least delivers the requisite amount of high-octane thrills." Other media Video games Taxi 2 – Based on Taxi 2. Published by Ubisoft and released in France only in 2000 for the PC, Dreamcast (both versions developed by Blue Sphere Games), PlayStation (developed by DC Studios) and Game Boy Color (developed by Visual Impact). References External links 2000 films 2000s action comedy films 2000s crime comedy films 2000 action thriller films 2000s buddy comedy films Films about organized crime in France Films directed by Gérard Krawczyk Films produced by Luc Besson Films