TS Review 3: Fast Five

TYLER STEVENS REVIEW

FAST FIVE

DIRECTED BY: JUSTIN LIN

WRITTEN BY: CHRIS MORGAN

STARRING: VIN DIESEL, PAUL WALKER, DWAYNE JOHNSON

 I hadn’t seen any of the Fast & Furious movies before this. I guess I just never really cared. That being said, I never really cared about seeing Fast Five either. It all just seemed too much out of a generally simple concept. Some guy in 2001 probably said, “I want to make a movie with hot girls.” Next guy said, “Hey! I want to make a movie with awesome cars.” And for some reason they agreed those two things went together to make an awesome movie. Guess what? They were right. Fast Five continues the story of Brian O’Conner and Dom Torreto as they assemble a team to bring down the biggest drug lord in Rio in order to get $100 million. But things get tricky when they find a new FBI buff, Hobbs, on their tail and the drug shoot-outs get nasty. The cast in this movie is for the most part okay. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris all pull off likable characters. But Dwayne Johnson really bombs it. He fails every line reading he has. It doesn’t matter that much in a movie about car chases and explosions but he should definitely stick to that so his line readings can’t be heard through the explosions. The script is mediocre at best. I noticed a few inconsistencies in characters saying this and that and they rely so much on subtitles but you’ll live. I mean, it’s good to read sometimes, right? Anyways, few lines elicit non-wanted chuckles and some lines elicit purposeful chuckles but the film doesn’t rely on it’s script. The action takes front seat. And it is just amazing. From the opening heist in which Vin Diesel literally drives off a cliff to the big heist where they drag a huge vault across the streets of Rio, wrecking them, Fast Five features top-notch, edge-of-your seat action sequences worth the price of admission alone. The film is clever and sleek, while at points over-the top, but you never lose the fun in Fast Five. I’ve never seen any others in the franchise so I can’t compare but with a cliffhanger post-credits scene and a overall fun time had by me, I’d be willing to see Fast Six sometime soon. Summer, even though it’s April 29, really did start out with an awesome bang.

FINAL GRADE: B+

FINAL SAY: While it doesn’t boast a revolutionary script, Fast Five is an excellent, edge-of-your-seat heist film that will leave you ready for more.