Homefront movie
7.25 out of 10
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie
8.75 out of 10
Disney's Frozen movie
10.0 out of 10
Delivery Man movie
6.75 out of 10
Thor
8.25 out of 10

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Fast and Furious 6

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Full Throttle

8.5 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of violence, intense sequences of action, language, mayhem throughout and some sexuality
Release Date: May 24, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Chris Morgan, based on the characters by Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Luke Evans, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Elsa Pataky, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges



SYNOPSIS:  Agent Luke Hobbs enlists Dominic Toretto and his team to bring down former Special Ops soldier Owen Shaw, leader of a unit specializing in vehicular warfare.

REVIEW: Justin Lin has been integral with the further development of the Vin Diesel and Paul Walker franchise. He has been with the film series since Tokyo Drift, and with help from writer Chris Morgan, has revitalized the fast car-centric series into a fun, highly anticipated summer series.


Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel, Riddick) is living a life of leisure with his pal Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker, Takers) after their successful $100,000,000 heist. Mia (Jordana Brewster, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) and Brian have just had a baby. Roman (Tyrese Gibson, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) is jet-setting with lovely ladies, a Learjet, and vouchers to Monaco casinos. Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, New Year's Eve) is playing with his gadgets and enjoyed his money down in Rio. Han (Sung Kang, Bullet to the Head) and Gisele (Gal Gadot, Knight and Day) are evading the law in the Pacific Rim. And Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, Snitch) is dealing with a new international threat in the form of a new crew of car driving criminals. Tracking a man named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans, The Raven) across four continents, Hobbs is no closer to apprehending him or his criminal ring. When Shaw slips through his fingers again, Hobbs hunts down Dom and offers him and his crew a deal of full pardons if they joined forces with him and help track down Shaw. Only when Dominic sees a photo of a much alive Lettie (Michelle Rodriguez, Resident Evil: Retribution) does he think to take the job. Shaw seems to be always one step ahead in his pursuit to steal components from military convoys and installations. Shaw is all about precision and Dominic is all about family. The question is which code of conduct will prevail in the end?

The sixth in a series that started on as just drag racing thieves and cops against criminals has turned into a powerhouse franchise. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a returning cast that fans have grown to love and root for. And with the success of Fast Five and the certain success of Fast and Furious 6, Universal has already greenlit the seventh entry into the film series. Director Lin and writer Morgan, both with the franchise for the majority of the films, know what the fans want and know how to keep pushing the characters further and introducing new situations for the crew to get themselves into and out of.

With Diesel back in the driver seat, he leads his crew of misfits against an international threat that may be more than they can handle. They're not going against the cops, the feds, or drug dealers this time. Shaw is a consummate professional with a leash around federal agencies and the best criminals and vehicles money can buy. Dominic, Brian, and the crew may have an edge against everyone they dealt with in the past, but this time they seem to be outmatched at every turn.

All the actors have a great shorthand with their characters and with their interaction with other characters in the film. They seem to slip right back into the skin and the cars that the character love so much. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson returns as Hobbs, the federal agent in hot pursuit of Dominic and Brian in Fast Five. The last thing he wants to do is get in bed with Toretto, but Shaw's exploits have left Hobbs no choice. Evans' portrayal of Shaw is cold and calculating - l
ike a precision timepiece or finely tuned engine. He brings a cool and calculating savvy as the villain, better then the druglords and lowlifes that have come before him. 

If you are going to see a fast and furious film you have an expectation of fast cars, hot women, and a little campiness. Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed. Coming in at 130 minutes, Fast Six spends most of its time burning rubber on the streets of exotic locations and setting up the crew to try and take down their most competent and evil nemesis yet. The drag races and car chases are supercharged, the close combat amped up, and Dom's crew's uphill battle against the antagonist an unsure assurance of victory.

Because there's so much action and speed some of the more tranquil moments seem slow in comparison. That's not to say that those moments are bad,
 only that they seem somewhat out of place after chase scenes in fights that seem to last for 20 minutes. Some the dialogue is silly and campy but it's what we've come to expect from this cast of characters. 

Filled with the adrenaline-fueled chases and sequences that franchise fans will love, and bringing back most of the characters we've come to love, Fast and Furious 6 will be a supercharged good time.

Just like the Fast Five epilogue showing Hobbs staring at a grainy photo of Lettie being alive, be sure to stay for the first part of the credits at the end of the film for a sneak peek of what's in store in Fast and Furious 7.

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