You can’t judge a Fast and the Furious movie like you would a movie like Argo or Lincoln. Generic story? Over the top action? Too bad. This movie’s sole purpose is to let you turn off your brain and watch cars fly by at 200mph. It’s not trying to win an Oscar, it’s just trying to entertain the hell out of you. The only thing the sixth installment in this franchise has to worry about is getting old. Cars exploding is cool and all but is it still entertaining the sixth time around? Absolutely it is. Fast & Furious 6 is a great action film that even after watching the other five films recently, I was still absurdly entertained.
Fast & Furious 6 follows the events of Fast Five but still before the events of Tokyo Drift. Dominic (Vin Diesel) lives with Elena (Elsa Pataky), Brian (Paul Walker) lives with Mia (Jordana Brewster) and their son, Jack, and the rest of the crew are living a life of luxury due to the millions of dollars they scored due to their heist in Rio. Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and his partner Riley (Gina Carano) are investigating a former British Special Forces soldier named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) who destroyed a Russian military convoy. Luke persuades Dom to reassemble his team as Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), an old girlfriend of Dominic’s who was presumed dead, his helping Shaw with his crimes. Dominic and his crew accept the mission only in return for amnesty for their crimes so they can return to the United States.
The story turns into what you would expect. Good guys vs. the bad guys. Nothing too special here. Things are kept a little interesting with Letty back from the dead but there really isn’t anything too interesting involving the story in the movie. This movie entertains you with its action.
The action in Fast 6 is exactly what you would expect. Cars that cost more than your house getting destroyed, planes giving birth to cars, a street race here or there, Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano in a catfight (thank you Jesus) and, of course, a tank are all present in Fast 6. If you like action, then you’ll love this movie. The action can get pretty ridiculous at times (even ridiculous for a franchise where two cars dragged a safe with $100 million inside around Rio de Janeiro) but that just made it more fun. The only gripe I have with some of the action in the film comes from behind the scenes. Director Justin Lin knows how to do action but sometimes the camera is kept too close to the action so it’s difficult to tell what’s going on. Pulling that camera back would make for a more enjoyable ride.
Just the thought of talking about the performances in Fast 6 put a smile on my face. Vin “I don’t know why I sound like Stallone in these movies” Diesel, Paul “thank god they’re still making Fast and Furious films or else I’ll be unemployed” Walker, Dwayne “this is, legit, my fourth action film this year” Johnson, Michelle “I can definitely kick your ass” Rodriguez, and the rest of the cast are exactly what they need to be in this movie. They convey their dialogue perfectly and take things seriously when they need to. Nobody deserves an award (that includes a Razzie).
The people who deserve a lot more credit than they get in these movies are the sound editors. Every explosion, punch, and screech sounds right and when the action is at its most intense, the music, sound effects, and character dialogue are masterfully put together. These movies wouldn’t be as great as they are without an awesome team behind the scenes.
THE VERDICT
Is Fast 6 a masterpiece of cinema? No, not by a longshot. Is Fast 6 a masterpiece of action? Damn straight. Movie goers who don’t care for action or the other films in the franchise should obviously stay far away. For those of us that enjoy both of those things and want to see a fun Summer movie should buy a ticket immediately as Fast 6 is well worth seeing on a big screen with that booming audio.
For reviews and more from me, Petey Oneto, you can check out my blog but be sure to check back with Resident Entertainment for more of my posts in the future.
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