Sure it’s dumb and loud, but Fast Five is actually a fun movie. It is certainly light years ahead of the dreary 4th film where Vin spent the whole time being emo. You could drive a hundred cars through the plotholes, but that’s not what the movie is about. Fast Five is just plain dumb fun and a clear departure from the humdrum of the last film. Director Justin Lin did a good job with this one. So, yeah I enjoyed 5 Fast 5 Furious probably the most out of the series.
Fast Five begins literally where the last film left off. The crew decides to break Dominic Toretto out of prison bus. It is a fast opening, but it shows you that the movie is going to be quicker than the last movie. The Toretto crew find themselves involved in a battle with a drug lord in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Like the last movie, it gets personal. However, this time they have the US government hot on their tails in the form of The Rock.
First off, this movie moves away from the underground street racing and into more of the crime/heist stories. I personally think this is a good idea to change the direction in order to keep the franchise fresh. The overall story for F5 isn’t that compelling in any fashion. It is basically a part revenge flick and part heist story. It is the set pieces that make the movie enjoyable to sit through
The movie has two straightens, the long action scenes and The Rock.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is freaking great as the lead agent for the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. (Yes, that is a real agency.) The Rock plays Special Agent Luke Hobbs and he rules every scene he’s in. The Rock does a lot of sweating, running, and punching. While Johnson plays him a bit straight-laced than his other roles, there are certainly enough “The Rock” moments throughout his performance. I laughed at every glance or remark he made in his scenes. Having The Rock join the cast was a good idea. I also believe The Rock bulked up for this role, because he hasn’t been this big in a long time.
Vin Diesel is a block wood throughout the movie and sometimes has some emotional moments on a few occasions. I like his performance here more so than the last movie where he felt sorry for himself. Diesel handles himself well in the action and fight scenes. And, that’s all you can ask of him.
Paul Walker isn’t that bad in this movie. Sure, he’s playing the same bland hero guy he’s played in the rest of the movies. Walker is a little better than Diesel in the acting department, but not by much.
It is the band of outlaws surrounding Walker and Diesel that really shine in the movie. Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang are the ones that really shine in the movie. (However, shouldn’t Han have now reached Tokyo by now?) You can clearly tell that Gibson is having a lot of fun reprising his role.
Oh, did I mention that Joaquim de Almeida plays the main bad guy and that he is playing a drug lord? He’s been playing this type of character for years now. (24 and Clear and Present Danger) Surprisingly, he’s the main villain but isn’t in the movie that much really.
So, how do all the action scenes hold up to the rest of the series?
End of part 1
Vin finally realizes that playing Duck Duck Goose with The Rock is a bit too much.
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Jump: Might as well jump…
Well Fast five surely was a great flick, I for one who had not followed the series religiously...it wasn't hard to put the pieces together...though it was a long movie but nobody gets bored with so much action around.
ReplyDeleteHowever some of the scenes did bring the same old cliche's of hollywood, actress jumping off a high storey building well aware that she is pregnant and what was with the rope during the last action scene (it cuts through everything), the switch in the end was expected something we have seen umpteenth time. rock was good, but what's with the beard (yuck!)
The movie was worth the watch with amazing action sequences and witty jokes.
Oh, yeah the action scenes are pretty much the star of the movies, and the Rock is just great as the badass cop. There are a lot of cliches thrown in for good measure almost too much, like the angry Drug Lord.
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