Review #830: 'Fast Five' (2011)

Usually, the fifth instalment of a long-running franchise is a re-hash of what made the original so popular, becoming increasingly tiresome in the process. 2009's fourth entry, Fast & Furious, which saw the core cast members return from a two film hiatus, was surprisingly fun, being less about flashy cars, nameless gyrators and the underground world of street racing, and focused more on the 'family' of criminals to whom the plot was centred around. Returning director Justin Lin, who has been on board since 2006's Tokyo Drift, continues this idea and makes a movie more exciting and action-packed than the one's that came before.

After rescuing their friend Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) from a lengthy jail term, Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend Mia (Jordana Brewster) flee to Rio de Janeiro to evade capture. Whilst they await the arrival of Dom, they pull a job with old acquaintance Vince (Matt Schulze), from the first movie, capturing a set of cars seized by the D.E.A. on their way, by train, to the U.S. When they discover that two of their crew are only interested in one car, Dom - who arrives mid-heist - gets Mia to steal it herself and the rest barely escape with their lives. The car turns out to be the property of drug lord Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), and contains a microchip detailing the whereabouts of his $100 million fortune.

In an attempt to open the franchise up to a wider audience, Fast Five sees the series change from underground street racing and petty criminality to full-on fisticuff action, bagging a huge ensemble to support it's aspirations to be a heist movie. And it works. This is still stuff of the cheesiest variety, ignoring the laws of physics and asking us to suspend our beliefs far too often, but the idea of these criminals - who evolve into Robin Hood-types - who help each other like a family is nice. Lin brings back familiar faces Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges), Han (Sung Kang), and Gisele (Gal Gadot), but it's a newcomer that steals the show.

As Hobbs, the enormous, baby-oiled D.S.S. agent assigned to capture Dom and his crew, Dwayne Johnson proves to be a great addition. With his ridiculous size, he's a credible threat to the likes of Dom, and their scenes together, including one inevitable smack-down, are laced with testosterone and a bit of humour, two things that Johnson does remarkably well. The main set-piece involves two cars dragging a stolen safe through the city streets, leaving a wave of destruction in their path. It's a gleefully ridiculous climax, and Lin proves himself wise by using minimal CGI. It doesn't break any boundaries or offer anything new to the genre, but it's a satisfying way to spend two hours with your brain on auto pilot mode.


Directed by: Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Elsa Pataky
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie