By Robert Mann.
In 2001 The Fast And The Furious became a massive surprise hit at the box office and kicked off what has become one of Universal Pictures’ longest running and most popular movie franchises. It also made a star out of Vin Diesel and, to a lesser extent, his co-stars Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. When the second film 2 Fast 2 Furious hit cinema screens in 2003, however, only Walker returned and then for the third entry in the franchise The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift released in 2006 all ties to the first two movies were severed (with the exception of a brief cameo by Diesel). Now, following the disappointing box office performance of the third film (which this critic actually preferred to the first two and was really more of a spin-off than a sequel anyway), the fourth film in the series reunited the original four cast members, with this being played on heavily in marketing for the film with the clever tagline “New Model. Original Parts.” being appearing on posters and in trailers. But is this enough to revitalise the franchise following weak box office takings for Tokyo Drift? Judging by the amazing opening weekend it had on its release in the US, where it not only beat the openings for all the other films in the series but set a records for biggest opening ever for a car movie and biggest opening ever in April, the answer appears to a be a resounding yes.
Five years after they first encountered each other fugitive ex-con Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and FBI agent Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) once again find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Dominic and partner Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) have been living in the Dominican Republic, making a living out of hijacking fuel tanks on the highways. However, Dominic feels that it is getting too dangerous for Letty to be around him so he leaves her. When Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) informs him that Letty has been murdered he sets out to find the man responsible and exact vengeance. Meanwhile, Brian is trying to track down a major drug dealer known as Braga who no one knows the true identity of. When Dominic and Brian encounter each other once again they discover that they are both looking for the same man and set about trying to get into his inner circle so that they can each achieve their own goals – Dominic to kill him and Brian to arrest him. But identifying and catching him won’t be easy and Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, these two reluctant allies find the best way to get revenge and achieve justice: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.
To get things started I will point out that if you have no interest in cars and in watching car chases this film will have absolutely nothing to offer you. If this applies to you, though, then clearly you are not in the target audience for this film. For those who are in the target audience, however, this film has lots to offer you. The film literally cuts to the chase straight away with one of the biggest and most elaborate sequences of the entire Fast And Furious series. The opening sequence is the highlight of the film’s many chase sequences, delivering some truly jaw-dropping high octane action that is sure to give you and adrenaline rush, but the other sequences certainly don’t disappoint. All the action sequences in the film deliver the thrills being both well staged and well shot and director Justin Lin’s experience behind the wheel of Tokyo Drift really shows in the quality of the chases which are some of the best of the series. The use of CGI in some sequences may be a bit off-putting to some but it allows for some much bigger sequences than could probably be achieved otherwise and its use appears pretty minimal for the most part, being used out of necessity rather than just for the sake of it.
As you would expect the storyline that binds the action scenes together is hardly writing of the highest calibre but the script is solid, delivering one of the better plots of the series, even if certain elements do seem recycled from 2 Fast 2 Furious and some of the things that happen are a tad predictable. This is pretty much insignificant though as you don’t see a film like this for the plot, you see it for the action. In the same fashion, the film doesn’t exactly offer a master-class in acting either with no one delivering a performance that is quite award-worthy or anything. However, the four leads fit comfortably back into the roles that they have made their own and play them well. It is a shame that Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster don’t have bigger roles to play though. Those of you who enjoyed Tokyo Drift will also enjoy a small role for Sung Kang reprising the part of Han, in a move that creates a definitive link between that film and the other entries in the franchise. Overall, Fast & Furious is understandably not a film that is going to win any awards, or much praise from most critics for that matter, but if you want to see a film that provides plenty of thrills but doesn’t demand too much of you in return you will definitely want to check it out and you will likely leave the cinema wanting more.
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