DVD Movie Review - Fast & Furious 6

It's alright if you're looking at the title and thinking: "There can't possibly be any way the sixth movie in a series is good."  Well…for fans and veterans of the Fast & Furious franchise this film delivers exactly what the audience wants: more adrenaline fueled car stunts and more outrageous action.

"Listen, I appreciate the book, but you know I can't read...right?"

STORY:

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is living the life of a millionaire with a beautiful Spanish girlfriend named Elena (Elsa Pataky).  He's decided that nothing will bring him back into the world of stealing, murder, and reckless nitrous driving—except maybe a picture of his not-so-dead, manly ex-girlfriend.  When Dom realizes there could be a chance Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is alive, he instantly sacrifices sex with his beautiful blonde and decides to get his merry band of misfits back together to help Hobbs (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) stop another crew of evil drivers.  Can Shaw (Luke Evans), the leader the evil driving team, steal enough military grade hardware to create a powerful bomb?  Not if Toretto's crew has anything to say about it.  Exotic cars, bikini asses, tanks, chick fights, harpoons, and 90 mile an hour mid-air catches ensue.

"Plus free buffalo wings for a year..."

"With sauce on the side."

"...with the sauce on the side.  That's the deal Hobbs, take it or leave it."

THOUGHTS:

The Fast & Furious franchise has been around so long, it's become a magical beast that cannot be stopped or killed by anyone.  But is that a terrible thing?  Not to its fans.  This film delivers on every note they're looking for and provides even more.  But probably the best part of the movie is its use of humor.  When you have a series of movies stick around long enough, they tend to become aware of themselves, relying on more humor than drama, and F&F6 is better for it.

THE CAST:

Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker exceed the acting quota for the film, leaving the rest of the cast to just enjoy being in front of a camera.  Dwayne Johnson, aside from making Diesel look like a puny pimple, adds sarcasm, extreme size, and great facial expressions.  As if there wasn't enough testosterone already, Michelle Rodriguez is thrown back into the mix, just to fight the series newcomer Gina Carano (Riley) and beef up female brooding.  Carano, who could kick just about anybody's ass in real life, plays out more like a smiling wooden pole, fortunately she's used sparingly and her dialogue and scenes utilize her strengths.  And then there's the rest of the gang that fit into their characters perfectly, mainly using funny one-liners to progress the over-the-top plot.

"All I'm trying to say is your testosterone might be making me, and the rest of the guys look bad." 

SIXTH TIME’S A CHARM?

So why return?  Why give the Fast & Furious franchise anymore of your hard earned free-time and money?  One word: action.  You may think these movies have outstayed their welcome, but somehow those silly writers in Hollywood figured out a way to make the conflicts still fascinating.  Besides the ridiculous driving stunts and car chases with added flair, the fight scenes have stepped up to a new level that hadn't existed before. 

If you've ever wanted to watch two girls kick each other's asses, brutally, then look no further.  Carano and Rodriguez go head to head in a subway scene that just borders impolite.  Hair ripping, elbow punching, joint locks, and throwing each other into hard objects like brick walls and cement staircases is only a few of the things you'll be privy too.  Tyrese Gibson (Roman) and Sung Kang (Han) also have their fill during the same subway scene with a martial artist.  Basically, the two of them get their asses beat, packaged, and delivered right back to them.  But the humor that's dropped along the way is priceless.  (Speaking of Gibson, he and Ludacris have some of the best back and forth sarcastic remarks the film has to offer.)  Also, the Rock gets to fight a man-monster with a size almost matching his abnormality, and Vin Diesel gets to make a perfect Rodriguez touchdown catch.  A Tank makes an appearance to swallow on-coming traffic and cargo planes get taken down by harpoons and fast cars.

"Grrrr...rhawww!"

"Um, Miss Rodriguez, let's try that again, but maybe this time with a little less growling?"

"But how's the plot?"  You mean aside from the crazy premise of extreme drivers being able to take down a military convoy?  It's not that bad.  Is it Oscar worthy?  No.  But for the franchise, it tugs on all the right strings to keep the fans yearning for more.  Love story segments are sprinkled in between the action and humor, and each character's storyline progresses just enough to push the plot into the next movie.  "Wait...there's going to be another one?" But of course!

 

"I'm here to swallow your head.  Om nom nom nom."

"Can you please stop that?  It's getting old."

WHERE DOES THE SEVENTH MOVIE GO FROM HERE?

Into the depths of the sea, where car chases appear stagnant and Hobbs finally finds love with a mermaid; or perhaps into the sky, where Vin Diesel will meet an aging, but lovable Tom Cruise reprising his role as Maverick.  And now the whole team (plus Cruise) has to stop a missile headed for Metropolis, because Superman is nowhere to be found.  What?  It could happen.  Towards the end of F&F6, you won't know exactly where the series is headed, but you'll see who they added to the roster this time around.  And really, in Hollywood, he's the only guy after the credits role that'll make you say, "Makes sense." 

UPDATE: due to the tragic loss of Paul Walker, the filming of the seventh movie is currently on hiatus.

"Gina, like this.  How do you expect a career in movies if you can't walk with attitude?"

CONCLUSION:

As long as the Fast & Furious franchise keeps upping the stakes, people will continue to return.  The sixth installment adds witty dialogue, a few fresh faces, and a bigger Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.  What else can you ask for?  Fast & Furious 6 shows that a tiny bit of acting here, a little dab of humor there, with a sprinkle of fast exotic cars on top—BAM—creates a whole new movie.  Will this installment bring new viewers to the series?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But it sure does a fantastic job of keeping the old ones.

3.5 out of 5 stars (minus a star and a half for being repeated six times)