FAST AND FURIOUS 5 (REVIEW)
Rated
M - 130 mins
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson,
Jordana Brewster, Elsa Pataky
Who knew. This high octane car
chase series just keeps getting better and better. Currently in Brazil, the tribe
including former cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), now friends with his former
assailant the slick Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), team up for a heist, deemed
to be their last and most risqué yet. All you need to know is the heist
involves stolen goods and is only an excuse for extreme car chases galore. It's
only a matter of time before the streets of Rio echoes to the sound of burning
rubber. The location may be exotic, but with the turbo chargers under the hood
fully injected and the car stunts have never been so dramatic.
Proving
that this is not a series of films to be taken too seriously, the opening of this
instalment may leave you gasping for air. Brace yourself, an early sequence involves
cars, a bridge and a train, only endorsing my suggestion that cinema seatbelts
should be mandatory. Vin Diesel brings incredible charm as the lynchpin of proceedings,
he is a smooth operator not only behind the wheel, but as Dominic he dominates
every scene. The script may be lame, but his empowering husky dulcet tones calling
the shots of streetwise banter is a role made for him.
However,
it is former rock and roll wrestler, The Rock, now a decent actor in his own right
(see his underrated performances in, 'Be Cool' & 'Southland Tales' to prove
my point), Dwayne Johnson is a perfect fit for the fast franchise. Like the man
of steel he is, the moves and the words will delight any action fan as he tries
to outsmart the rolling bad boys. The man mountain plays Hobbs, a keen law enforcer
called to catch these runaway speedsters at their own game. Unfortunately his
instructions to his team not to let the criminals get into their cars goes largely
unheard. Hobbs has instincts in his mind how to combat the daredevils on the road,
fireworks ensure.
Luckily not a lot of the action relies on
computer graphics or generated effects. These are real cars and real drivers going
nose to tail at break-neck speeds with some sensational aerodynamics that took
my breath away. Home video popularity and history shows the first Fast & the
Furious movie was a surprise hit a decade ago in 2001 before those obligatory
sequels followed.
Throw the plot out the window, simple but
effective, as entertainment they all defied belief. Although continuously improving,
quite frankly I thought the idea was exhausted after the third instalment, Tokyo
Drift. I was obviously wrong as the director Justin Lin also directs this latest
car opus. Successsful rap artist (and now credible actor) Ludacris has a nice
role as back up man Taj, while one of the few original stars Jordana Brewster,
makes her presence known as one of the few females putting pedal to the metal.
Sit
back and enjoy the amazing stunts. Gentleman, start your engines.
Shane
A. Bassett
