It’s the fifth film of the hugely successful “The Fast and the Furious” film series. Familiar faces return, as well as original leads Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Jordana Brewster, to continue the on-going franchise in “Fast Five.” Does this one lineup to the original or the previous three? SidewalksTV.com’s J.P. Langston gives us his thoughts.
FAST FIVE
Universal Pictures
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Elsa Pataky, Joaquim de Almeida and Dwayne Johnson
Directed by: Justin Lin
Studio Synopsis:
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the explosive franchise built on speed in Fast Five. In this installment, former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Dwayne Johnson joins returning favorites Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon and Don Omar for this ultimate high-stakes race.
Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they’ve blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he’s not the only one on their tail.
Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey…before someone else runs them down first.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcn2GOuZCKI[/youtube]
J.P.’s Take:
What do the films “Bullitt,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds” (1974 and 2000 versions), “Smoky and the Bandit,” “Vanishing Point” and “Gumball Rally” all have in common? They were movies designed for the car culture; mainly car enthusiasts involved in either car clubs or the underground street racing scene.
It’s a theme which inspired director Rob Cohen, with writers Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer, to create the first “The Fast & The Furious” film. Four sequels followed afterward which began to evolve into fast paced thrill machines and quickly caught the attention of a new generation of auto lovers. Not to mention becoming huge box office success stories. Being a car nut myself, I’ve followed the franchise from the beginning, and I can say they’re nothing short of high octane fun. The latest, “Fast Five,” continues with that formula and is no less than a “NOS” (Nitrous Oxide Systems) fueled adrenaline rush.
Not to dig up the history of the franchise, I will say that “FF” picks up where the fourth one left off, as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), now in police custody, is sentenced to do some serious jail time for his crimes. While Dominic is in route to prison, Brian Connor (Paul Walker) and Dominic’s sister Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) spring Dominic from a bus carrying inmates. The trio flees the U.S. to Brazil to escape their past. Little do they know a plot to pull off one last high speed heist awaits them in Rio. In the meantime, they’re faced with ruthless Brazilian gang members, who are ruled by an iron fisted mafia leader Hernan Reyes (Joaquim De Almeida). On top of that Brian, Mia and Dominic are pursued by a hard nosed elite DSS agent named Lucas Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and Officer Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky).
”Fast Five” also serves as a family reunion, with selected cast members from all four movies coming together for the next big job. Carried over from the “The Fast & The Furious” are, of course, Diesel, Walker, Brewster and Matt Shulze (as Vince), while from the sequel, “2 Fast & 2 Furious” (2003), come Tyrese Gibson (as Roman Pearce) and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (as Tej). Next in line, “The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006) — which differs from the original cast — brings Sung Kang (as Han) and from “Fast & Furious” (2009) are Reggaeton artist Tego Calderon (as Tego Leo), Latin crooner Don Omar (as Rico Santos) and Gal Gadot (Gisele Harabo). All the comradery and even animosity that existed between the characters exist here in #5. As the characters begin to work with one another, each of them jokes about having previous lives before joining the team (a wink to the lives they once had in the prequels no doubt); little moments like that will tickle the ribs of fans who know the history.
The driving force behind the series is the fantastic four wheeled choreography. The writers devise some of the most outlandish plots to justify pulling off exciting stunts involving the vehicles. Thanks to the crafty direction of Justin Lin, the cars themselves perform some of the most impossible feats that would make David Copperfield jealous. One fine example is the scene where the team plots to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from Reyes’s safe, located at the Police station. Although the task proves to be a challenge, this mission doesn’t stop the elite team of thieves from bypassing conventional methods. They resort to more extreme tactics, like using an armored Hummer to crash through a concrete wall and powerful Dodge Chargers ~ with tires screeching and engines redlining ~ pulling a huge and heavy object through the streets of Rio De Janeiro. Other highlights include a muscle bound match up between the two gladiators Dominic Toretto and Lucas Hobbs, an electrifying knock down, drag out fight. Viewers may want to sit ring side for this boxing match.
Lastly a ”Fast & Furious“ movie is not complete without eye candy. The franchise is known for showcasing some of the world’s most exotic, expensive and powerful cars, as well as a bevy of sexy ladies to complement the cars and their drivers. Additionally, movie goers may want to stay in their seats after the first-set of credits roll for a shocking sneak peek at the next storyline for a sixth film.
To me, ”Fast Five” is definitely the most exciting out of the line-up, because of its wildly innovative video game like trickery. The story is eventful and the actors are fun to watch as usual. I will be adding this to the four I have in my collection. “Fast Five” is an action flick worth spending the price of admission for, especially if you’re an instant fan like myself.
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