Review of Fast Five (2011) by Mika P — 24 Nov 2017

As far as franchise films go, The Fast and Furious series seem to be hitting the ground at top gear, with this installment not showing signs of slowing down, but prepping a new direction for future films to take, shifting gears from a film showcasing hot bodies (not solely just car chassis) and fast nox-enabled cars into the classic heist genre, given that it had that as its underlying premise from the first film, and now with a growing ensemble, are ready to give Ocean's Eleven a run for its money.

Rio De Janeiro provides the backdrop in which this installment takes place in (quite a popular location for films recently too), with the chief villain being Reyes (Joaquim de Almedia), a mobster with a businessman front, with his tentacles of vice and influence extending toward every part of the city. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and the former's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) hide out in the city as fugitives having broken Dom en route to prison at the end of Fast and Furious, and with the kind of money available for the taking to start a family of their own with Mia found to be pregnant, they decide to assemble a team, not to pass up the opportunity of robbing Reyes blind.

So in comes a whole host of characters whom we have seen in past films, such as Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Gisele (Gal Gadot), and even Han (Sung Kang) whom we know what happened to in Tokyo Drift, hence putting the chronology of the films at 1, 2, 4, 5 and 3, which is now sometime in the not so immediate future. Director Justin Lin takes on his 3rd film of the franchise and together with writer Chris Morgan have managed to introduce new elements to surprise audiences and fans up until this installment, keeping with the usual action laden elements, while bringing on new characters into the franchise, this time with Dwayne Johnson coming in as a no nonsense, dogged and persistent FBI operative Hobbs, with an arsenal of technology and attitude to aid him and his team in tracking down Dom and his crew.

And of course who cannot wait to see two tough guys in Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson go one on one with each other in a fisticuffs, especially since their time with family friendly films have taken a backseat to put them both firmly back into the action genre. It sets up new rivalry, while keeping the old between Dominic and Brian with the latter always keen to prove who's the better driver. And like most ensemble films, it's make or break given the character's appeal, and I'm glad to note they share this incredibly chemistry this bunch of highly skilled cons who each bring their know-how to the table in trying to pull off mission frickin' insanity, and everyone possessing a mean driver's license to power souped up vehicles.

And if it's action you're seeking, it's action you'll get in this film too, putting aside the rather rote and superficial theme of family and trust. There's no lack of races and wheels on the roads although I do note that there's not too much of signature cars to go around this time. Even a would be street race was unceremoniously cut off, although we do get it compensated with a four way race down two traffic lights amongst Roman, Dom, Brian and Han which was more of a fair competition since they were all essentially driving the same model. Then there's the big bang finale that you would have seen in the trailer, with Dom and Brian yanking a bank vault and travelling down the streets of Rio at top speed, in what would be a fittingly noisy last act destroying everything, and I mean everything, along their path, that has to be seen in a cinema to enjoy this guilt trip in sense surround glory.

Needless to say I am a fan of the franchise, and am excited about the direction this film would be going even if it would mean limiting the number of cars on the roads, since the film had already shown the potential of that chemistry between the cast and characters, and I'm eagerly anticipating more. From one fanboy and an action junkie to any other, this of course would be recommended fare.

Stay tuned while the end credits roll, and you'll be treated to a stinger that reaffirms and teases what's to come in the next film, with no less than two surprise appearances. But no, with the timeline, it'll take a while before Lucas Black will be able to link up with the guys. For an adrenalin pumping high octane entertaining film outing, Fast Five is that opener to a very noisy and crowded summer season to come.Well, color me surprised. The Fast and The Furious has not been a series known for it's intelligence. Indeed, it's always been big, loud, and dumb. The original hit the right notes at the time of its release, appealing to many as a street racing film where few films has treaded before it. However, it's lackluster sequels failed to deliver. With the adrenaline rush of the original over and poor writing and acting all around, the sequels were nothing more than a series of poor imitations that could never recapture the thrills of the first film. So, it's with some surprise that Fast Five is arguably the best film in the series.

Fast Five ditches the street racing that made it's name in favor for being a heist film. In this particular case, we pick up right from where we left off, with Dom being busted out of his prison bus. They then flee to Rio where they take on a heist that goes haywire and eventually leads to the penultimate heist of the film. In the meantime, ruthless Agent Hobbs, who specializes in tracking and capturing people, arrives to catch out trio of outlaws. The film does a good job of not wasting any time and most of the serious moments are kept to a minimum in favor of heist scenes or action. And in the action department, the film delivers tenfold. Far bigger, louder, and more exciting than any F&F film before it, action junkies should find themselves thrilled by the impressive set pieces and testosterone-laced mix of car and foot action.

Now, don't get me wrong, this is still a F&F film. This means that the script is still pretty laughable and the acting leaves much to be desired. However, with that said, it's still a bit improved here. Vin Diesel still can't play up emotion very well, making his attempts at the more serious scenes here a bit laughable. Paul Walker doesn't fair much better and, unfortunately, even as a main character takes a back seat to Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. As action stars though, these three do a great job. In particular, the eventual confrontation between Diesel and Johnson is fantastic, with it being a brutal, WWE-esque rumble. The climactic scene alone is worth the price of admission. Though laughable, it's still an exciting, eye-popping scene that will leave you a little stupefied.

Certainly, you have to suspend much of your disbelief with your film. If you can't do that, you'll just find this entire film laughable and of poor entertainment value. For those who can though, this is a very entertaining film. And for fans, you'll certainly enjoy the film, with a well rounded cast from throughout the entire series coming together to pull off the impossible. It's definitely surprising to see that the fifth film in the series is the best, but I suppose that it's merely the evolution of F&F. With enough money, talent, and by pulling out all the stops, the franchise has finally capitalized on the over-the-top aspects that they had always seemed to go for. Suffice to say, action fans with enough suspension of disbelief will enjoy this immenselMaking a sequel to a film is never normally a good thing. They excite all the fans of the previous film(s) and then disappoint them with a production that is not better than the original. The same goes for a remake. Some films turn into a series where each film becomes worse - this has been the case with the Fast and Furious series. However this fifth film is one that outclasses its predecessors, read on to see why. Fast Five continues where Fast and Furious left off, with Dominic sentenced to 25 years in jail and the bus chase that was seen at the end involving Mia and Brian. The aftermath of their interception was that they managed to break Dom out of custody, dodged every authority, and have fled to Rio de Janeiro (where every Brazilian seems to be portrayed as a gun-toting thug). In order to break free, they attempt to pull off a 100 million dollar heist. It isn't long before they all become a few of the most wanted criminals. Their mission that rips through Brazil sees two on their tail - federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who never lets anyone escape and corrupt drug lord Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) who wants them dead. That's not really a witty plot. And there aren't great performances guided by a witty script either so rule out suspenseful conversations and memorable dialogue. A merit goes to the Dwayne Johnson though - he was perfectly cast for his role and shows a lot more of his talky WWE side unlike his last film Faster where he was virtually on mute. But Fast and Furious has never been known for excelling in those aspects of filmmaking. It's known for the action scenes. And what spectacular action scenes there are in Fast Five. It takes it turn to be more of The Expendables instead of the previous films of the series by having a 'men on a mission' plot element and emphasising more on fighting than racing. There's more road rage in here than street racing, and for the record there's even an ex-wrestler versus action hero fight like there was when Stone Cold fist fought Sly Stallone. The first act of the film is fast and furious. It quickly takes the audience on a relentless train ride where we see a train robbery in process. This act quickly builds up a background for the story so the audience knows who, what, when, how and why the team are in Brazil. The second act revolves around the main plot element of the $100 million heist. The film decelerates slightly here when we see the crew plotting. Anyone who would have seen the details of the film beforehand would realise why - this lasts over 2 hours, longer than all of the previous films. The 10 minutes after a full two hours weren't really necessary but show us the aftermath of the third act, the hugely thrilling act. Any who feel frustrated at the pace of the second act - stay for the climactic scene in the third act. Think of Fast Five as the cinematic equivalent of a mindless muscular athlete. Can't talk a good game but can surely play a good game. We have all met that person, that guy who failed his exams but took the football pitch by storm at high school. Fast Five is as absent minded - plain characters and clunky dialogue. But the 'physical' side is where it amazes - the action scenes of course. It's like the men behind the camera decided to perfect the action scenes, the plot was secondary. Looking at this year's earlier films The Mechanic and The Green Hornet, it's safe to say that Fast Five has the best action sequences of the year yet, and is the best action film overall so far. Verdict: Forgive the simplicity of the script and get ready for the fastest and most furious ride yet30 April 2011.

The weather is finally better, people are taking their clothes off all over the place and even though it is still spring time, summer movies are now officially kicking off and ladies and gentleman, we start this summer right with Fast Five. The Fast and Furious franchise is something of an acquired taste, a sort of guilty pleasure that hasn't really been shown the respect it has earned. It isn't known for any of the terms critics love to use when they complain about a movie, like intellectual dialogue, solid characterization or even anything remotely close to a thought provoking plot. No, what it excels in is another term that critics seem to have forgotten about. Popcorn, no that overpriced buttery stuff you get from a concession stand, I'm talking popcorn films! Energetic movies meant to entertain, a good solid waste of time! So what makes a good popcorn film? Well if this question is asked to the future filmmakers of tomorrow one need only to watch Fast Five to see a fine example of how to get it right. Director Justin Lin (who also directed the fast and the furious) makes a huge leap in directorial prowess by showing an incredible eye for action that every other director today should take note at. The man can film ACTION, and you know..In an action movie...that's kind of what you want and with that eye brings together an expendables version of the fast and furious franchise starring everyone's favorite fast and furious stars. Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to deal with a drug lord and a federal agent that's hot on their trail. So , um...back to talking about the action. It is INNNNcredible. Oh man this is my kind of action, I seriously have not seen this kind of solid , non computer generated action in a very very long time and Justin Lins camera work is top notch. Every shot is deliberate and clean. Oh...so good. Aside from the action the other thing that makes this film work is the stars. Everyone from The Rock to Ludicrous play their characters great and have their own moments to shine. While the movie does slow down in the middle to what looks like Ocean's Eleven meets Fast and Furious, the stars are what keep this movie was falling apart. The movie at times felt like a parody of action films, filled with cheesy cliché's that are sometimes so subtle you'll miss it but Linn will toss another scene in there in case you did and often in hilarious ways . The rock is just so great, it's these roles he should be taking, not the flying fairy kind, he's so great in this film I would love to see a spin off with this very character of his, this cocky nonsense guy who just knows everything, and he really does know everything. Frankly, that's the only two things that this movie has going for it. Action and pretty people and in a popcorn film, that's all you need. So this one is easy folks, for those with their noses in the air looking for only citizen Kane caliber films to entertain them, you should know better, you know a fast and furious movie isn't for you. It's a vapid film that would have been unwatchable had it not been for its action and star power. But it pulls off being entertaining. So if you're looking for adrenaline pumping action , seat rumbling roars of the hottest cars , beautiful people looking beautiful even when being shot at then you got yourself the definition of a popcorn film, meant to entertain you in every single way and this is popcorn done right.