Movie Review: Fast and Furious (2009)
Like it or leave it, it's everything you would expect
Photo: Universal Pictures
I had a lot of fun with Universal's Fast and Furious despite the fact the storyline is so god-awful I am not even sure I could break it down without stopping every moment just to reinforce how stupid each turn in the plot actually is. However, when it boils down to it Fast and Furious is hardly about plot. The story is only there in an effort to make sure we get fast cars, nearly-naked women, explosions, gun fire and rap music on screen in a film that does its best to never slow down making it hard to find flaws while you are watching, which leaves the second guessing for the ride home.
For fans of the franchise (and if you aren't a fan why do you even care about this movie?) you are already excited as Vin Diesel returns as Dom Toretto and Paul Walker returns as Brian O'Conner. Dom is still a fugitive on the run and Brian is still an FBI agent, their paths cross as Dom looks to settle a score and Brian looks to bring down a major drug trafficking ring. Along with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster as well as Sung Kang who played Han in Tokyo Drift, the film gets its nostalgic moments over early and gets right into being oh-so-fast and oh-so-furious.
The film opens with an extremely impressive chase sequence bringing back memories of 2001's The Fast and the Furious as Dom and Letty (Rodriguez) lead a train of four cars closing in on a lone gas truck carrying four separate loads of valuable petrol. The goal is gas for that night's street racing and I will say some nifty camera work — including an impressive rising camera shot over a steep hill — and a finale that makes me say, "Finally the characters watched the explosion they helped create instead of turning away all cool-like." It was a perfect way to make sure the audience gave the film a chance from the get go and it also lets you in on what to expect: crazy ridiculous stunts at high speeds.
Walking into the theater be sure to turn your brain completely off as there is no denying moments in this film are absolutely ludicrous. Most especially, the worst of the bunch is a pair of mountain tunnel sequences that can only be compared to the pod-race in Star Wars: Phantom Menace, and I don't think any of these guys are rolling deep with The Force. Outside of that, and a split-second sex scene that is so out of place it would have been more useful to the story had they played a commercial, I had few problems with this film. Sure, the cops only seem to be around when the story requires it and the dialogue is limited to catchphrases when the characters aren't staring one another down, but all you need to do is sit back and cheer for the "good" guys as they take on the bad guys. The film doesn't ask you to think beyond "Wow, that was fast!" and "Damn, that girl is hot!" Objectify women much? Yeah, if you are a feminist you may want to stay away.
This is a testosterone filled feature that delivers on expectations and if you are even slightly interested you should already be in line and if you aren't then you probably weren't reading this review anyway. This film is in now way a masterpiece, but it sure was a lot of fun.
For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis click here.
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