Running
Time: 2 Hours & 10 Minutes
Cast-
Vin
Diesel-Dominic 'Dom' Toretto
Paul
Walker-Brian O'Conner
Dwayne
Johnson-Lucas 'Luke' Hobbs
Michelle
Rodriguez-Leticia 'Letty' Ortiz
Jordana
Brewster-Mia Toretto
Tyrese
Gibson-Roman Pearce
Chris
'Ludacris' Bridges-Tej Parker
Sung
Kang-Han Seoul-Oh
Gal
Gadot-Gisele Harabo
Gina
Carano-Riley
Elsa
Pataky-Elena Neves
Luke
Evans-Owen Shaw
Clara
Paget-Vegh
David
Ajala-Ivory
Joe
Taslim-Jah
Kim
Kold-Klaus
John
Ortiz-Arturo Braga
 |
| Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson reunite for Justin Lin's "Fast and Furious 6." |
Note: Screened on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at AMC Empire 25.
It
never ceases to amaze me how 'fast' time flies. People grow but Hollywood will
always love sequels. Although I wasn't particularly impressed when I saw Rob
Cohen's "The Fast and the Furious" twelve years ago, the film managed
to turn a profit for Universal Studios and lo and behold, a new franchise was
born! However, the middling box office performance for 2006's "The Fast
and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" served as an indicator that the series was past
its expiration date. With the original cast having moved on to other projects,
fans just weren't interested. Of course, Universal still had one more card to
play. Reuniting Vin Diesel with Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana
Brewster, 2009's "Fast and Furious" proved that there was still
plenty of life left in the franchise despite the negative reception it received
from critics (27% on Rotten Tomatoes). I was ready to write off "Fast
Five" when it raced into theaters two years later…but something strange
happened. The film actually turned out good! Bringing together almost every
cast member from the previous four entries, "Fast Five" grossed over
$600 million worldwide and for once, I was excited to see what director Justin
Lin was planning for the inevitable sixth installment. The lamely titled
"Fast and Furious 6" won't be released until May 24th but yours truly
got to see one of summer's most highly anticipated films almost two months early!
Benefitting from the easy camaraderie of its ensemble cast, "Fast and
Furious 6" proudly continues the series' tradition of absurdly
over-the-top action thrills and you can't help but enjoy the ride thanks to
Lin's enthusiasm behind the wheel.
After walking away with $100 million from
their high-profile heist in Rio de Janeiro, professional criminal/street racer Dominic
'Dom' Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew have scattered across the globe to
enjoy their newfound wealth yet they are unable to return home due to their extensive
criminal records. Despite being fugitives, Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster)
and former FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) have managed to build a new
life together with their baby boy Jack. Meanwhile, Diplomatic Security Service
agents Luke Hobbs (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) and his new partner Riley (Gina
Carano) have been tracking a ruthless criminal named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans)
across twelve countries. Knowing he is outmatched, Hobbs is forced to ask Dom for
help but that's not the only reason he needs him. It turns out that Dom's lover
Leticia 'Letty' Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), who was thought to be dead, is now part
of Shaw's band of mercenary drivers. Reuniting with Brian, Roman Pearce (Tyrese
Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang), and
Gisele Harabo (Gal Gadot), Dom and his elite team assemble in London to meet
with Hobbs. They agree to assist with capturing Shaw on one condition: full
pardons for all of them so that they can finally return home and be a family once
more.
"Fast and Furious 6" embraces two mantras: 'Give the people
what they want' and 'Go big or go home.' This film has no other pretensions besides
being a 'dumb summer action movie' and as such, it doesn't take itself too
seriously. Written by Chris Morgan (now in his fourth outing), the story opens
with Dominic Toretto and his best friend Brian O'Conner racing on a cliff road
but they're not racing against each other, they're racing to the hospital to
witness the birth of Mia's child. It then segues into the opening credits,
which provide a handy recap of the previous films (except "Tokyo
Drift") before jumping ahead six months. Without wasting any time, DSS
agent Luke Hobbs shows up on Dom's doorstep to reveal that not only is Letty
alive, he also needs his help to stop a criminal mastermind from acquiring a
device that can cripple an entire city. A number of old faces return and not
even thirty minutes in, we have our first major action scene where our heroes
are screeching across the streets of London while causing untold amounts of
vehicular and property damage. Make no mistake, Morgan's script (which is less
a heist picture and more a globe-trotting adventure this time) is really just
an excuse to string together a bunch of set-pieces, each more ridiculous than
the last but damn, is it a lot of fun! Sure, speeches are made about the
importance of family sticking together no matter what and while that's all well
and good, it's ultimately little more than window dressing. What the audience
came to see is the action and in that area, you're going to leave the theater
with a huge smile on your face.
The first hour features the requisite car
chases and isn't quite as inventive as you'd hoped it would be but the second
hour is when the film hits its stride. During a hit on a military convoy, Owen
Shaw and his team of mercenaries end up hijacking a tank, resulting in massive amounts
of destruction. However, that's nothing compared to what Justin Lin cooked up
for the climax. Glimpsed in the trailers, it involves a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
aircraft being dragged down across the longest runway by a couple of cars using
only tow cables. Yes, you don't have to be an engineer to know that such a feat
is completely impossible according to the laws of physics but does it look
awesome? You bet it does! Given how well-received the three-minute fight scene
between Dom and Hobbs was in "Fast Five," Lin has elected to include
a lot more brawls. With so many punches and kicks being thrown, it's amazing
the characters don't all end up in the hospital.
There's no doubt that "Fast
and Furious 6" is just as exciting as the previous entry (if not more so)
but that doesn't mean it's flawless. The second act tends to drag with a number
of aimless subplots. Much of the 'drama' is derived from Dom trying to get back
with Letty and in an attempt to address criticisms that the series has moved
too far away from its illegal street racing roots, Lin throws in a perfunctory
race between the two. While it's tightly edited, it feels like it was tossed in
to showcase a whole bunch of scantily-clad women gyrating around. Not to
mention that the film makes it pretty apparent early on that Letty will switch
sides (not a spoiler) so any drama between her and Dom is rendered moot. There
are also times where it's obvious that Lin is trying to pad out the running
time. Was it really necessary for Brian to travel all the way back to Los Angeles
and risk being captured just to learn that Shaw is a 'very dangerous man'? The
answer is no and yes, if offers a nice callback to the fourth film but it feels
pointless in regards to the narrative. Fortunately, none of these issues spoil
the experience, so long as you don't think too hard about what you're watching.
Aware that the franchise has never been known for its great performances, Lin
opts to just let the ensemble cast have fun and crack jokes at each other's
expense, with Tyrese Gibson and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges keeping the tone light
with a constant stream of quips and one-liners. Dwayne Johnson is clearly
enjoying himself, his bulging muscles turning him into real-life action figure.
New to the film is former MMA fighter Gina Carano. Despite her lack of
dialogue, Carano manages to make her mark with two memorable fight scenes with
Michelle Rodriguez. Luke Evans, surprisingly not playing a cookie-cutter drug
lord, finally gives the series a worthy foe for Dom and Brian to battle. As for
the rest of the cast, Vin Diesel is his usual stoic self but Paul Walker isn't
given much to do, partly because there's nowhere for his character to go.
Jordana Brewster is wasted, while Sung Kang looks positively bored.
"Fast
and Furious 6" won't be released until May 24, 2013, which means this is the first review to be posted. Judging
from the audience's enthusiasm, this film is poised to open big at the box
office thanks to people being off from work and school for Memorial Day. It's
competing against "The Hangover Part III" but I don't see that one
doing as well given the negative reviews its predecessor received. "Fast
and Furious 6" is one of those films that's 'so freaking ridiculous its
impossible not to like.' It's corny, silly, and yes, even dumb but there's a
fun energy to Lin's direction. Sit back and enjoy the ride because summer…has
arrived early!
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Make sure to stay after the end credits for a very special cameo that sets up "Fast and Furious 7"!
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