Justin Lin is back behind the camera for his 4th go round helming the Fast franchise.
Here is a trailer:
Get the idea what you are in for?
Dom and buddies are all on the lam after pulling their big job in Rio. Everyone is enjoying riches and happiness. Except Han. Han is always sad. Hobbs (The Rock) is on the trail of a new group of car driving baddies, led by a former SAS man, Shaw. They are out of Hobbs' league. He needs the help of some professional drivers. Luckily he knows some, and has some leverage to get their help. For one, he can offer them all pardons so they can return to their homes. For two, Letty - Dom's long thought dead girlfriend - is alive and is running with Shaw's crew.
Death defying action ensues. Several times I had to laugh at the physics, or lack thereof being employed by the filmmakers, but you really have to let that go if you want to watch a movie like this. It is number six in the franchise, so it isn't like I didn't know what I was getting into. Still, I wonder what this current generation of action movies is doing to the psyche of young people. I mean, teenagers already think they are invincible, anyway. I am glad they put a big disclaimer, albeit at the end of the movie, that all stunts were performed under controlled conditions on closed roads by professionals.
Now, the characters in the film have little enough care for their own lives, but what really got me was that they didn't seem to care one bit about other people's lives either. Not the villains, sure, but not the heroes either. The idea of family is very important to the characters in this movie, so if you are family they care about your wellbeing. If you are not part of their family: Road kill.
Bad guys these days no longer take hostages. The implication that they might kill an innocent bystander is no longer threat enough. Now they open with a grander gesture. Bad guys today just kill everyone that is in their path. And for the most part heroes don't even stop to mourn the dead. That is, of course, unless the dead was family.
When I am on the road I hate cars that make a lot of noise. I hate drivers that drive ridiculously fast. I mock people that drive expensive, sporty cars, insinuating that they must need to compensate for something. But in movies, I love cars that make a lot of noise. I love drivers that drive too fast. I ogle at the beauty of sports cars. A good car chase is a thing that never gets old. And the Fast franchise does good car chases. Fast & Furious 6 gets ***(*) three and one half stars.
James Wan is set to step in and direct the 7th installment in the series. I couldn't find where he has done anything like this before. After watching the final scene of this movie, I wonder if the next installment of the series might be taking a darker tone.
Before his stint as helmer of the Fast franchise Justin Lin did a great movie called Better Luck Tomorrow. Interestingly the actor that plays Han was in that movie, and in it he played a character named Han. It is even suggested on imdb.com that the Han from that movie is the Han in the Fast movies. Better Luck Tomorrow gets **** 4 stars.
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