Fast and Furious

Review by Matthew Rodgers

By removing the definitive article from the title, the moneymen behind this spluttering franchise have attempted to convince audiences that enough bodywork has been done on this latest entry to make it worth a test spin. What you will find under the hood are some familiar components that have been forced to return because of their own stalled careers.

So its welcome back to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), the original bad boy, driven out of hiding by Babylon AD and The Chronicles of Riddick, and for narrative purposes to seek revenge on those responsible for the murder of his beau, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Also returning is tainted FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), getting behind the wheel again after Eight Below and Into the Blue, oh, and for narrative purposes to capture a big time druglord.

Fast and Furious is like going to a club (a location in which 50% of the film seems to be set) at the end of a night out, you would rather be at home tucked up in bed, instead you are experiencing something that’s too loud, utterly incomprehensible, and the decision to endure will be regretted once its all over. There is also that overriding feeling that someplace somewhere you know that someone is actually enjoying it, so maybe it’s just not for you.

It’s clear from the outset that you don’t need a sat-nav to see where this is going. Anyone with a penchant for twin exhausts, hip-hop music, fast editing, and a selection of derrières in extreme close-up will find it comparable to Shakespeare. The truth is that you will find more humour, action, and drama in a single episode of Top Gear.

The returning cast remind you why they haven’t developed since The Fast and The Furious launched their stars in 2001. Vin Diesel is given some corking lines, “get me a Corona” and “we’re along for the ride” are two of many gravel voiced deliveries that explain why his most productive output of recent years has been in pixelated form stomping around computer games. Paul Walker gets the thankless job of reprising exactly the same character as his previous appearances; same motivation and same expressionless face.

But surely the action compensates for the rusty screenplay? Sadly it’s best described as serviceable, with nothing to compare to the drifting technique that dominated Tokyo Drift, and for a film about cars that’s just not good enough.