Fast & Furious: Movie Review

Fast & Furious: Movie Review

Rating: 6/10

Cast: Vin Diesel - and his muscles, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster

Director: Justin Lin

Make no mistake - The Fast and the Furious has not been re-released. This is indeed the fourth instalment in a franchise that seems to share Police Academy's predilection for sequels (yes there is another one on the way).
Fast & Furious is a high-octaned muscle fest with all the elements to make a boy racer salivate: shiny toys, nos, gadgets, car races through populated streets and tunnels. Muscle cars race Japanese imports and there's plenty of lesbian action too.
The original crew signed on for the film, though one of the core cast is dispatched early in the piece. This character's demise sets the wheels in motion (pardon the pun) for the inevitable reunion between estranged mates Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker).
Dom is still pretty miffed that Brian turned out to be an undercover cop, while Brian feels pretty guilty about deceiving Dom, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and true love Mia (Jordana Brewster) about his true background.
Dom and Brian go head to head in a street race that would leave Tauranga residents seething. They arrive at the finish line to realise they share a common enemy and both are determined to bring the man down, no matter what the cost.
The franchise has been criticised for the blatant and at times comical use of CGI. Fast & Furious manages to dodge this issue through the use of fast cuts and editing. The action is so fast that at times it's dizzying.
The car chases are impressive, particularly one where the boys race across the Mexican desert and through a maze of tunnels with drug barons in hot pursuit. Hell, Dom didn't even break a sweat.
The acting is uneven but hey, the cast almost play second fiddle to the cars. As the tortured and conflicted Dom, Vin Diesel seems happy to let his forehead do the acting.

Diesel has been keeping a low profile of late and I can tell you exactly where he's been - at the gym, buffing up to fill in the cable knit sweaters in this film. His muscles are so big they are almost a distraction - and he makes the pretty buff Paul Walker look weedy in comparison.

But Fast & Furious ticks all the boxes, it's fast, it's bloody, it's shiny like a new coin. And if it's not your gig think of it this way - it'll keep those boy racers off the streets for a couple of hours.