When The Fast and the Furious (2001) came out I was in high school and probably the right age to enjoy it. I didn’t have my driver’s license for very long and the thought of stupid people doing stupid things with cars was very appealing. It didn’t take me long to grow out of it, though I’ll always have a soft spot for that film. After all, it has some great racing sequences. There are now four more films in the franchise that likely jumped the shark a long time ago. I’m reminded of that fake trailer in the beginning of Tropic Thunder for Tugg Speedman’s Scorcher films: “no one thought it would happen…THREE-MORE-TIMES.”
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) are back in action once again, driving fast cars and taking big chances. The film opens with Toretto finally getting sentenced for past crimes. He gets a 25 years to life term, which only means his friends will need fast cars and a quick plan to break him free. After making a bus topple end over end where everyone would likely have been killed, we catch up with everyone in South America. O’Conner is with Mia (Jordana Brewster), Toretto is on his way. They meet up with Vince (Matt Schulze) who has a job lined up for “easy money.”
Naturally, something goes wrong and a couple of US federal agents are killed in the process by the hand of local thieves Vince was working with. Toretto and company get blamed and the top dogs from the US federal agencies are sent on a manhunt. This group is led by Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson/The Rock), who appears so beefed up he very well might pop. After a series of unfortunate events, Toretto decides to put together the clichéd “one last job.” Toretto and O’Conner put together a “who’s who” of breaking the law in an Ocean’s-esque round up of professional criminals. Other characters from previous Fast films return such as Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris).
Fast Five (or The Fast and the Furious Five, depending on which trailer you watch) is directed by Justin Lin who has his name on the two worst films in the franchise. After 2 Fast 2 Furious the fun hit a roadblock with the third film. There became a point where “it’s so bad it’s funny” became a common plot summary (actually, this might be the proper summary for all of them after the first film). Of course, the first two are no Citizen Kane but they serve their purpose just like any other fast-paced film focused on cars.
What is good about the last two films in the series is that they got the original cast back together. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough to revive the appeal of the first Fast film. Further, bringing in Dwayne Johnson to add some flavor isn’t enough either (but it’s fun!). The first film worked because it was unique. We got a view into an underworld we knew nothing about; it was new to popular culture. Now, there have been many imitations (films, videogames, etc) and far too many teenagers racing around in their parent’s civic like it’s a Ferrari. Fast Five turned the narrative from street racing to a heist, which isn’t terribly inventive. What remain are fast cars, extravagant establishing shots, high-speed tracking shots, and excess galore. After all, that’s what makes these films fun (even when they are laughably bad).
However, one thing that proves this series has jumped the shark is that the audience in this screening (that was open to the public) was laughing at all the wrong parts. At one point I wondered if this film was meant to be a satire of the previous ones. I wish it was. Each time there was a close up of Diesel’s or Johnson’s “serious face,” the crowd would erupt in laughter. Sure, this made the experience fun but also reinforced some disappointment with the film. While the action is pretty good, Fast Five is just like any other film late in an action franchise that feels unnecessary.
All is not lost, however. Going into a film like this one cannot expect greatness. This entire franchise is based in the tradition of popcorn flicks. Therefore, these films generally deliver what they are supposed to: fast-paced action with minimal substance. There will be plenty of people who will enjoy this film for that very reason. There will also be people like me who have a good time because they can laugh at the overblown, underwritten, yet wonderfully choreographed mess that is Fast Five.
One last note, during the final credits there is a break for an additional scene (so don’t run out so fast!). I won’t give away any spoilers but this is the point where we are given the threat of yet another sequel (“no one thought it would happen….FIVE-MORE-TIMES”).
