Fast & Furious (2009)
It’s rare that one of the highest of high concept films should be one of the year’s most ironic and reflexive movies; of course, this is not to the credit of the film or filmmaker (if you can call them that), but more to the obvious current issues in relation to a “car” movie. The motor excess of Justin Lin’s Fast & Furious (2009) feels a few years out of date, what with a world where no one is talking about the economy and American automakers are not up a creek. But maybe this is the kind of escapism we all need, sort of a real life fantasy? So yeah I was really bored and alone and felt like watching something absolutely crazy (but Crank: High Voltage (2009) had already been reviewed); plus, with a free movie ticket, how could I go wrong? And you know what, I didn’t.
As the forth installment of an OK at best franchise, Fast & Furious aims to get things back on track (semi-intended pun) as well as providing closure to certain elements. It also has the shortest title of the franchise, providing the basic core of all meat and no fat, as if to suggest that this is the definitive F&F movie. And you know what; it just might be (provided they don’t pull a better fifth one, which they certainly could). Why this movie succeeds in the franchise is unarguably thanks to the return of Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto. He was certainly an asset in the original The Fast and the Furious (2001), but his time away from the franchise has only made him more vital. In addition, Diesel’s roles since then have never fully suited him like Dom (Riddick is debatable). Unlike Paul Walker, who has been able to prove himself in other films like the very cool Running Scared (2006), Diesel is truly meant for this role, and is the definitive character in the franchise. It is also nice to have Michelle Rodriguez back as Letty and Walker’s Brian O'Conner, the three of them certainly keep everything a float. Jordana Brewster is back as well as Mia Toretto, but her character doesn’t carry as much weight as the other three.
With the original cast in toe, the story arc is finally able to proceed, with no mention of awful 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) save for a one-line *wink wink* about the latter. The movie begins with an exiled Dom and Letty stealing fuel from moving tanker trucks in the Dominican Republic, you can imagine there is a pretty sweet action sequence attached to that. Because the plot is front loaded, I can reveal no more, but I can say that the rest of the movie involves Dom and O’Conner teaming up yet again to take down the same drug lord. Director Justin Lin, who also helmed Tokyo Drift, certainly knows how to craft an automotive action scene, and he does so on the streets of downtown L.A., in the deserts of Mexico, and of course in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Lin even manages to pull off an enjoyably hilarious end-of-movie underground car race that is strangely reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), crazy but very fun. All in all the film is far from perfect, but nothing really gets to be too much in this, not even the love stories, which is a blessing.
While I will always be a Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) guy – sort of a different type of movie, but whatever –, it’s always impressive to see a franchise resurrect itself after a couple crappy sequels. All in all, it’s still F&F, but it’s pretty much the best one out there, and everyone could use a little auto smash fest once in a while!
2.5/5
S. McSmoke-Smoke
As the forth installment of an OK at best franchise, Fast & Furious aims to get things back on track (semi-intended pun) as well as providing closure to certain elements. It also has the shortest title of the franchise, providing the basic core of all meat and no fat, as if to suggest that this is the definitive F&F movie. And you know what; it just might be (provided they don’t pull a better fifth one, which they certainly could). Why this movie succeeds in the franchise is unarguably thanks to the return of Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto. He was certainly an asset in the original The Fast and the Furious (2001), but his time away from the franchise has only made him more vital. In addition, Diesel’s roles since then have never fully suited him like Dom (Riddick is debatable). Unlike Paul Walker, who has been able to prove himself in other films like the very cool Running Scared (2006), Diesel is truly meant for this role, and is the definitive character in the franchise. It is also nice to have Michelle Rodriguez back as Letty and Walker’s Brian O'Conner, the three of them certainly keep everything a float. Jordana Brewster is back as well as Mia Toretto, but her character doesn’t carry as much weight as the other three.
With the original cast in toe, the story arc is finally able to proceed, with no mention of awful 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) save for a one-line *wink wink* about the latter. The movie begins with an exiled Dom and Letty stealing fuel from moving tanker trucks in the Dominican Republic, you can imagine there is a pretty sweet action sequence attached to that. Because the plot is front loaded, I can reveal no more, but I can say that the rest of the movie involves Dom and O’Conner teaming up yet again to take down the same drug lord. Director Justin Lin, who also helmed Tokyo Drift, certainly knows how to craft an automotive action scene, and he does so on the streets of downtown L.A., in the deserts of Mexico, and of course in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. Lin even manages to pull off an enjoyably hilarious end-of-movie underground car race that is strangely reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), crazy but very fun. All in all the film is far from perfect, but nothing really gets to be too much in this, not even the love stories, which is a blessing.
While I will always be a Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) guy – sort of a different type of movie, but whatever –, it’s always impressive to see a franchise resurrect itself after a couple crappy sequels. All in all, it’s still F&F, but it’s pretty much the best one out there, and everyone could use a little auto smash fest once in a while!
2.5/5
S. McSmoke-Smoke
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