Fast and Furious 6 Review

Going In:

I haven’t seen a Fast and Furious movie since Tokyo Drift, and I’m exciting to jump back in.

Review:

I was a really big fan of the original The Fast and The Furious film.  And why not?  It was built from the blueprint of one of my favorite action flicks,Point Break.  It was as much about the cars as it was about the crew, and it was far more grounded in reality than anything that has come since.  I’m not entirely sure where the series jumped from live-action to cartoon, but the tone was set very early in this one.  I knew what to expect when The Rock, doing his best Hulk impression, completely demolished an interrogation room (and I mean COMPLETELY) trying to get some information from a criminal (yes, he gets it).  This was an important scene early in the film, because it let me know what I was in for, allowing me to suspend my disbelief at the start and enjoy the ride.  And enjoy it I did!

Let me get this out of the way now:  The script is bad, the setup is ridiculous, the acting is adequate, and the action is completely devoid of any gravity or realistic physics.  That being said, Furious 6 is undeniably fun!  Easily the most action-packed over-the-top fun time I’ve had at the movies this Summer.  I don’t care if you’re a huge fan of the series or a complete newcomer, there is fun to be had if your expectations are in line with reality.

I’m honestly not clear on the exact plot of the film.  Our villain, Shaw (Luke Evans), is trying to capture some microchip that allows him to do something really awful to a bunch of really good people (I think).  It really doesn’t matter.  This paper-thin setup is just a platform to allow The Rock to recruit Dom’s (Vin Diesel) crew (who are apparently now millionaire international criminals) to help him track down Shaw’s crew and capture them to earn full pardons.  If that’s confusing, I swear it doesn’t matter.

Don’t go for the plot (or lack thereof), go for the amazing set pieces, the blow-your-mind ridiculous stunts, and the TANK!  I hesitate to complement the “acting”, but the cast definitely has a lot of fun.  Tyrese Gibson gets the best lines as he often injects humor into the situation.  Chris Bridges gets some pretty Ludacris lines as well (see what I did there?).  The only real sore spot is (I’m sure you see this coming) the stale nature of Paul Walker’s acting.  He isn’t horrible, but he just can’t hold a candle to the extreme charisma of his costars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock, duh).  And it KILLS me to see Paul Walker standing next to Vin Diesel knowing that Walker is the one cast as Agent 47 in the next Hitman film.  Seriously Hollywood?!?

I’m also thrilled to see the continuing evolution of Gina Carano’s career as an actress.  She’s a believable action star because she’s an action star in real life!  A successful MMA fighter, Carano has successfully made the jump into acting and I think her future is very bright.  (Of course, I said that about Cole Hauser as well).

Conclusion:

With a plot like swiss cheese and a script as dumb as a bag of rocks, Fast and Furious 6 won me over with its action and humor.  If you’re an action fan, let’s face it, you’ve gotta see it!  And stay for the credits.  One of my favorite scenes in the entire film plays during the ending credits.  Seriously!

Rated PG-13 for mindlessly crushing countless innocents with a tank on a freeway.