Fast and Furious: DVD Review

Fast and Furious: DVD Review

Fast And Furious
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster
Rating: M
Universal Home Video
The fourth outing the Fast and the Furious franchise sees the original team which launched this cars and crime saga reunited.
By bringing back the original parts (see what the filmmakers did there) it was hoped that it would ignite the box office - which it duly did.
When a crime brings back fugitive ex con Dom Toretto (the ever monotonic Vin Diesel) finds himself once again pitted against agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker)
But in a twist, the pair have to unite forces to take on a common enemy - and both realize the only way to get revenge is behind the wheel.
It's clear watching Fast and Furious that a new franchise is being relaunched - from the opening scene where Dom and his gang hijack fuel tankers, you're thrown straight into the high octane action - and a series of spectacular stunts (as well as slow mo explosions).
The film itself doesn't really concern itself too much with dialogue - which is just as well as Diesel seems to limit most of his acting to guttural muttering and glowering from time to time. Walker lends himself to sullen and sulky as the agent trying to bring down the bad guys and get Toretto brought to justice - and he just manages to pull off the moral conflict he feels.
But the real star of this film is the stunts.
Coupled with the racing scenes, this has really seen the production values bumped well above what they used to be.
The opening scene is quite a nailbiter and thrusts you slap bang into the middle of Torreto's world - I can understand why this film was such a hit in the States (and its ambiguous ending lends itself perfectly to a potential - and inevitable - sequel)
Fast and Furious will be loved by those who enjoy the high octane world of cars, stunts and girls - it ticks all the right boxes for its core demographic. And the extras are reasonable for a one disc release, covering the usual ground of behind the scenes.
Anyone else outside the genre may be simply dazzled by some of the eye popping stunt racing - but feeling a little hollow when it comes to the actual story.
Extras: Available in a 1 disc or 2 disc set; the 1 disc has commentary from director Justin Lee, Driving school with Vin Diesel, Gag Reel and filming in Mexico

Rating: 6/10