Fast and Furious 6 Review (Kirk Haviland)

 

Fast and Furious 6

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Godot, Jordana Brewster, Gina Carano, Elsa Pataky

Written by Chris Morgan

Directed by Justin Lin

Crashing into theaters this weekend is the latest entry into the billion dollar franchise that has morphed from a gear head fantasy into all out crime caper action/comedy, but still keeping its fair share of vehicular mayhem intact, Fast and Furious 6. Or as the title card on the film suggests, Furious 6, keeping the ever changing moniker of the series intact. This time around the crew is on the right side of the law as the series goes back deep into the past to close any loose ties and connections that still exist, and even resurrect on character from the dead.

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 has 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.  But Dom and Brain`s payment request is a large one, full pardons for all.

Fast 6 is an insanely ridiculous over the top romp that delivers massive thrills and keeps the audience engaged and on the proverbial ‘edge of their seats’ for the entire running time of the time. Never believable as characters perform incredible Superman like feats without a scratch, Fast 6’s script is something that may be best defined as being ‘extremely smart at how dumb it is’. On top of this the film never steps back to rationalize any of the actions that happen, it just pushes forward through amazingly preposterous set piece to set piece, including one with a tank and another with a cargo plane, in the most fantastic way possible.

Most of the gang are back here, minus Tego and Rico last seen blowing all their Fast Five money in a casino in Monte Carlo, and not all of the gang may survive as the bigger the stakes become the group are finally seeing that their actions may have consequences. Slimming down the group is a good move franchise wise as well as constantly adding without subtracting was what made the Ocean’s films, clearly the direction this series is headed, feel bloated and ineffectual by the third installment. Diesel and Walker slip into their sparring twosome act very nicely as Brewster takes a step back this time with the birth of Mia and Brian’s son. Tyrese and Ludacris benefit with the scaling out of Tego and Rico as their bantering become a little more prominent and provide a nice handful of laughs. The Han and Giselle romance of Sung Kang and Gal Godot, already doomed we know because of the actions in Fast 3 which occurs after Fast 4-6 in storyline, takes a big step forward as the pair get very romantically involved at the beginning of the film, only to come crashing down at the end. Dwyane Johnson is excellent as usual, his Hobbs less sweaty that Fast Five yet just as dynamic, and the return of Rodriguez to the fold is a welcome act that also helps tie the film back to the very beginning.

Fast and the Furious 6 is the perfect mix of insane stunt work, ridiculous melodrama and explosive fight effects work that makes a summer blockbuster worth spending your time inside the theater instead out enjoying the sun and fun outside. Never taking itself serious enough to stop and realize whether it has gone too far, Director Justin Lin revels in pushing everything to the limit. And the film leaves you on the amazing final note that lays out Fast 7 right in front of you.

4 ½ out of 5

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