“One hundred percent pure adrenaline,” is the line made famous by Patrick Swayze’s character in the awesomely-bad cult classic from 1991, Point Break. Films of that nature are regularly condemned and belittled by critics as mere eye candy, holding little to no redeemable value. But critics do not have the final word on what is and is not considered cinematic gold. The movie-going public has always retained that singular power. And as long as crowds continue to flock to movies with titles like (insert Jason Statham film here), an argument can be made that camouflaging ridiculous plots and weak scripts by utilizing little more than astonishing action sequences, is an art form all its own. It’s time for these films to be given their just due, especially when they expand into incredibly profitable franchises. It appears that time has now come for one of the titans in the adrenaline genre, The Fast and the Furious.
The fifth chapter of the franchise titled Fast Five, joins protagonists Toretto and O’Conner, played once again by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker respectively, as they apparently try to steal the plot from Ocean’s Eleven. The two outlaws assemble an all-star cast of characters from the previous four films, each with their own unique talents, in order to accomplish the heist of a lifetime in Buenos Aires. But instead of suave talk, meticulous planning and a master’s game of mental chess with their target, “Toretto’s Ten” floods the screen with a truck ton of bravado, hand to hand combat, a small army’s amount of guns, a tiny bit of tech and of course oodles and oodles of fast cars.
By the beginning of the second act, Fast Five is easily the most entertaining chapter of the series since the original debuted back in 2001. The action sequences are unsurprisingly over the top and of course completely unrealistic both in theory and in fact, but what does strike a nerve this time around is the increased levels of empathy and concern the audience has for the characters. Granted it required five feature films, but what started out as shallow, two-dimensional figures, have now acquired enough tribulation and back-story to now become anti-heroes.
Like it’s predecessors, Fast Five does not hang it’s proverbial hat on profound dialogue or intense performances from its cast. Figuratively, the plot holes are big enough to fit every car that’s ever been driven throughout the franchise. However for most of the film, the pace, excitement and vested interest in the characters suppress these gaping flaws, a la Bad Boys or Armageddon. Though this is not to say Fast Five is a barren wasteland filled exclusively with chases and explosions, if close attention is paid a few stoic gems can be cultivated, mostly by actors with supporting parts like Matt Schulze reprising his role of Vince from the first film in the series. The vast increase of skill and maturity of Schulze’s acting ability translates very well to the growth of his once short-fused character.
As for the main players, Diesel and Walker perform their modus operandi as limited by both the script and their abilities as actors. Thankfully like a fine wine from the late 1990’s, the natural process of time has enhanced this duo’s on-screen chemistry, portraying an undeniable big/little brother dynamic which infuses some much needed charm into the story.
In addition to all the usual suspects, Fast Five also includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hobbs, a special agent with the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service. Hobbs’ mission is to hunt down and bring Toretto and O’Conner back to the United States to be prosecuted. Johnson impressed many critics with the depth he was able to portray in his early characters from films like The Rundown and Be Cool, but unfortunately this part is nothing short of a major step back for Johnson as a serious actor. The character of Hobbs is straight out of a cartoon or video game, contains zero depth, and constantly spouts short clichés and non sequiturs. The only silver lining to Johnson’s inclusion in this film is that the highly anticipated fight scene between his character and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto categorically lives up to the hype.
After experiencing Fast Five, audiences will not exit the theater pondering an important life lesson, a heightened sense of insight, or even just the satisfaction of watching a great story unfold. Instead they will have the peculiar sensation of parting from a NOS injected theme park ride while flashed a film laced with weak plot devices, lazy writing and wooden performances to which the question will then be asked, “How long until the next one?”
Story: 6.0
Acting: 6.5
Writing: 5.5
Captivation: 8.5
Replay Value: 8.5
Total = 7.0 out of 10
The fifth chapter of the franchise titled Fast Five, joins protagonists Toretto and O’Conner, played once again by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker respectively, as they apparently try to steal the plot from Ocean’s Eleven. The two outlaws assemble an all-star cast of characters from the previous four films, each with their own unique talents, in order to accomplish the heist of a lifetime in Buenos Aires. But instead of suave talk, meticulous planning and a master’s game of mental chess with their target, “Toretto’s Ten” floods the screen with a truck ton of bravado, hand to hand combat, a small army’s amount of guns, a tiny bit of tech and of course oodles and oodles of fast cars.
By the beginning of the second act, Fast Five is easily the most entertaining chapter of the series since the original debuted back in 2001. The action sequences are unsurprisingly over the top and of course completely unrealistic both in theory and in fact, but what does strike a nerve this time around is the increased levels of empathy and concern the audience has for the characters. Granted it required five feature films, but what started out as shallow, two-dimensional figures, have now acquired enough tribulation and back-story to now become anti-heroes.
Like it’s predecessors, Fast Five does not hang it’s proverbial hat on profound dialogue or intense performances from its cast. Figuratively, the plot holes are big enough to fit every car that’s ever been driven throughout the franchise. However for most of the film, the pace, excitement and vested interest in the characters suppress these gaping flaws, a la Bad Boys or Armageddon. Though this is not to say Fast Five is a barren wasteland filled exclusively with chases and explosions, if close attention is paid a few stoic gems can be cultivated, mostly by actors with supporting parts like Matt Schulze reprising his role of Vince from the first film in the series. The vast increase of skill and maturity of Schulze’s acting ability translates very well to the growth of his once short-fused character.
As for the main players, Diesel and Walker perform their modus operandi as limited by both the script and their abilities as actors. Thankfully like a fine wine from the late 1990’s, the natural process of time has enhanced this duo’s on-screen chemistry, portraying an undeniable big/little brother dynamic which infuses some much needed charm into the story.
In addition to all the usual suspects, Fast Five also includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hobbs, a special agent with the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service. Hobbs’ mission is to hunt down and bring Toretto and O’Conner back to the United States to be prosecuted. Johnson impressed many critics with the depth he was able to portray in his early characters from films like The Rundown and Be Cool, but unfortunately this part is nothing short of a major step back for Johnson as a serious actor. The character of Hobbs is straight out of a cartoon or video game, contains zero depth, and constantly spouts short clichés and non sequiturs. The only silver lining to Johnson’s inclusion in this film is that the highly anticipated fight scene between his character and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto categorically lives up to the hype.
After experiencing Fast Five, audiences will not exit the theater pondering an important life lesson, a heightened sense of insight, or even just the satisfaction of watching a great story unfold. Instead they will have the peculiar sensation of parting from a NOS injected theme park ride while flashed a film laced with weak plot devices, lazy writing and wooden performances to which the question will then be asked, “How long until the next one?”
Story: 6.0
Acting: 6.5
Writing: 5.5
Captivation: 8.5
Replay Value: 8.5
Total = 7.0 out of 10
