Review of Fast Five (2011) by Phil H — 01 Nov 2014

I'm a fan of big action, and usually have no problems suspending my disbelief, but even I found myself scoffing at a lot of the throw-logic-to-the-wind, punch-physics-in-the-face setpieces in this movie. It's not in the same league of cartoonishness as, say, Transporter 2, and it's probably, all things considered, the best F&F so far, but - while I'd never expect or even want realism - I was hoping for plausibility at least. While Justin Lin has done a far better job with this than with part 4, it's still not quite as slick as the first two, or as much so as he seems to think it is.

Where the movie succeeds is in its characters. While Paul Walker remains the liability he has always been to the series (and arguably to cinema in general) and there is a massive, Michelle Rodriguez-shaped hole in the group dynamic, they are partially compensated for by the return of some of the series' most memorable characters and performers, most notably Matt Schulze's Vince, Tyrese Gibson's Roman and Ludacris's Tej. Jordana Brewster, Gal Gadot, Joaquim de Almeida and Sung Kang are all great, too. Elsa Pataky is not bad, but sometimes seems impeded by the English language (though she's a suitable replacement for MR in the "filling out a wifebeater" department). But it's the addition of Dwayne Johnson as new nemesis Hobbs - a combination of The Fugitive's Sam Gerard and Commando's John Matrix - that makes the movie memorable. In fact, the character deserves to be in a better movie than this one turned out to be. Perhaps a Gerard-style spin-off is in order - and NOT the intelligence-insulting sequel hinted at in the post-titles teaser...