Movie: Fast Five
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Ludacris
It's ‘On your mark, get set, go!' again as the “Fast and Furious” franchise hits its fifth instalment and it is faster, badder and macho-er than ever before. All the high-octane action, testosterone-charged adventure and loud screeching of rubber, moves to Brazil this time and has fully catered to the need-for-speed of petrol-heads and car-crazy fanatics out there. The plot is much grittier, the stakes are higher and the characters have packed a bigger punch.
Racing in Rio
Ex-con Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and ex-cop O'Connor (Walker) join wheels yet again to pull off a ‘last job' to win back their freedom. So they put together an ensemble team comprising characters from previous movies in the series like Roman (Tyrese), Tej (Ludacris), Han (Sung Kang) and O'Connor's girlfriend, Mia Toretto (Jordana).
At the start, O'Connor and Mia break out the arrested Dominic from custody and shift gears down to Rio de Janeiro where they steal a Ford GT40. This car is important for corrupt businessman and the kingpin of the drug world, Reyes because a chip in the car contains intel on all his illicit activities. On one side, Reyes puts a heavy price on their heads and on the other, formidable US federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) is hot on their trail. And to top it off, Dominic plans a caper which promises a fat payoff and races against time, Luke and Reyes to finish for pole position.
After much gunfire, big crashes, awesome stunts and extreme fuel-injected suicide races, it ends in a spectacular but not-so-original “Oceans' 11” style.
With stunning visuals and screeching audio effects, “Fast Five” has just the right recipe for the series' fan base. The script has been peppered with some light humour and all the action has not been restricted to the road; showing that there is something in it for people outside the young male bastion.
As expected
There is little focus on the crux of the storyline, a lot of disregard for the laws of physics; but that's exactly what you expect out of a “Fast and Furious” movie. The acting and dialogue haven't really been up to snuff for many characters, especially O'Connor and Mia. Towards the end of the credits, there is a wee-bit of a suggestion that might re-ignite this franchise.
Bottomline: Nothing more mouth-watering a “Fast and Furious fan” could have asked for!
NANDAKUMAR GANESH, BITS Pilani – Dubai.
