Film Review: Fast and Furious

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Now this is much more like it from Vin Diesel and his crazy gang of car fanatics! Technically speaking,  Fast and Furious is the fourth instalment in this series of high-speed films that mix top cars, hot women and high adrenaline action with a healthy dollop of shocking acting.

First up was The Fast and the Furious, the suspiciously similarly named classic that came out back in 2001. It’s still a favourite thanks to it’s simplicity and high paced action scenes throughout. Then, predictably, along came 2 Fast 2 Furious. It wasn’t a bad effort and was well worth a watch. Especially considering some of the cars involved (like the souped up Nissan Skyline) were incredible!

Unfortunately, though, the creators didn’t spot this slight trend in decline. So in 2006 we were treated to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, an absolute abortion of a film that slid (drifted?) straight off the scale of acceptability. It had no storyline, none of the same characters, and wasn’t even set on the same continent. I still want those two hours back…

But finally, just eight years later, Fast & Furious is back with a bang! They’ve gone back to basics by drafting in most of the original cast, keeping the focus on the action, and even using the same title minus a couple of pronouns! They’ve reverted back to their tried and trusted formula of Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez, then thrown in a hell of a lot of stupidly fast cars. Fair enough, the acting is still as wooden as an antique gear stick, but if you can let that slip under the radar then the action speaks for itself!

The film opens with one of the most thrilling and dynamic sequences we’ve ever seen, that puts Bond’s recent antics to shame. The basic premise is that Vin Diesel’s carjacker has returned to LA to avenge the murder of a friend. Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) is back to help him infiltrate the gang, easier than you’d think apparently, and the remainder of the film is pretty much as we’ve come to expect! Simply sit back and enjoy the video game-esque graphics on show in race, after chase, after race.

If you want to watch something that requires almost no brain power, but will keep you entertained throughout, then this little beauty will sort your cravings perfectly. However, let’s hope that FOUR films that follow the exact same basic story line is enough!

Overall Rating: 74%