The gang is back for another go-around with action, stunts, and fast cars. SIDEWALKS’ J.P. has his take on #6 of the “Fast and the Furious” film series.
FAST & FURIOUS 6
Universal Pictures
Rated: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataky, Gina Carano
Directed By: Justin Lin
Studio Synopsis:
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of all-stars as the global blockbuster franchise built on speed races to its next continent in Fast & Furious 6. Reuniting for their most high-stakes adventure yet, fan favorites Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Elsa Pataky are joined by badass series newcomers Luke Evans and Gina Carano.
Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian’s (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.
Meanwhile, Hobbs (Johnson) has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind (Evans) is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Rodriguez). The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.
Building on the worldwide blockbuster success of Fast Five and taking the action, stunts and narrative to even greater heights, Fast & Furious 6 sees director Justin Lin back behind the camera for the fourth time. He is supported by longtime producers Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel, who welcome producer Clayton Townsend back to the series.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKi5XoeTN0k’]
J.P.’s Take:
“Fast & Furious 6” once again provides the car freaks and race enthusiasts with more super action fodder to blow a head gasket over.
I remember back in 2001 “The Fast and The Furious” was a much smaller car rally and caper film — inspired by the article “Racer X” written by Ken Li – that centered on a gang of slickly adept carjackers whom hide in plane sight. Along with a fair amount of highly crafted car stunts and racing scenes, the first film boosted the careers of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriquez and Paul Walker, among other cast members.
I don’t believe anyone could have predicted its longevity as a film series. Yet, here we are. A “Part 6.” Surprisingly, even with all the vehicular mayhem, sex appeal and exotic locations, the storyline grows in depth. In this chapter that follows the events of “Fast Five,” the team is retired and living as fugitives. Dominic Toretto (Diesel) is contacted by Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to get the old team reunited to stop a major heist by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a former British Special Air Service soldier, and Letty Ortiz, Dom’s former girlfriend and team member who was believed to be dead.
While the latest sequel steps further away from reality and into the arena of hyper action fantasy, writer Chris Morgan (“The Fast and the Furious 3, 4, 5 & 6,” “Wanted”) moves away from the underground racing scenario and more on the crime drama takedown, as well as focusing on the theme of family values within the group. Meanwhile, director Justin Lin, who has helmed the 3rd thru 6th chapters, has for the most part mastered his directing style, while assembling an attractive cast and mixing in legendary high powered automobiles. Then, he choreographs them into some of the most erratic action sequences you’ll see on the big screen, like wild scenes involving a military cargo plane and a tank.
Besides Diesel, Walker, and the return of Rodriguez, cast members from the previous films are carried over, including Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Tej Parker, Sung Kang as Han Seou, Gal Gadot as Gisele Yashar, and Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto (who was on the sideline for most of this film). New to the cast is mixed martial artist and former “American Gladiators'” Crush, Gina Carano, as Riley, an associate of Hobb’s team.
Richard R. Lee, the creator, producer and co-host of “Sidewalks Entertainment,” saw the film with me. While he is not a follower of the film series, but saw the last one, “Fast Five,” he thought it was a good follow-up to the previous outing. While he thought the action was over-the-top in parts (one scene in particular is when Dom saves Letty from falling to her death between two freeway overpasses) and nobody really gets hurt during some intense fist-fighting sequences, he was surprised that the film kept his interest and it wasn’t that hard to follow with all of its already-introduced, “A-Team”-like characters. Lee liked how they brought back Rodriguez and the light-hearted attempt to inject some comedic moments, especially between Gibson and Ludacris.
I admit this franchise is somewhat of a guilty pleasure, which I’ve gotten a kick out of lately. I’ve watched it evolve into modern left field folklore. I’m sure the action junkies will be scrambling to theaters for this one. With this long-running film series, all you have to do is basically sit back and enjoy the ride — figuratively and literally. Plus, stay in your seats during the end credits, because the filmmakers give a sneak peek into the already announced seventh chapter for release next year. I can’t wait.