'Fast Five' a high-octane guilty pleasure
Fast cars and huge biceps. This is all you need to know about "Fast Five," the fifth and most entertaining installment in "The Fast & the Furious" franchise.
To most, that's probably faint praise. The street racing series hasn't had much success past Part 1. But "Fast Five" isn't afraid to poke fun at its own silly logic, and director Justin Lin (back for his third outing), has worked extra hard to deliver the franchise's most spectacular car chases.
Returning stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster are on the lamb after the events of "Fast & Furious" (honestly, who can remember?). They've made it to Rio de Janeiro, where a corrupt government official (Joaquim de Almeida) tangles them in a disastrous car heist.
Hoping to get revenge on the double-crossing fiend, our heroes assemble an "all-star" team of characters from previous installments, notably Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Sung Kang, as a character that died two movies ago (the last two films have technically been prequels to "Tokyo Drift"). "Fast Five" is more about the heist than racing, even skimming past scenes where the characters earn cars through illegal street races.
As if Diesel's burly presence wasn't enough, "Fast Five" adds Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a ripped, no-nonsense DSS agent tasked with capturing Diesel and his crew. After several lifeless roles, The Rock is finally back in a part that suits him. His muscles are huge, his demeanor is threatening, and the quips are unleashed at a rapid-fire rate. Welcome back, Rock. Oh, how we've missed you.
Of course you can't have Diesel and The Rock in the same movie and not have them duke it out in fisticuffs. They trade thundering punches and barrel through walls in a lengthy fight that doesn't disappoint.
"Fast Five" loses steam in the middle act, especially whenever The Rock is offscreen. The entire movie is also filled with awful dialogue, usually recited alongside a stern arm cross and furrowed brow. After five movies, why change the formula?
Luckily, the film rebounds with a spectacular final chase, where Diesel and Walker navigate a gigantic safe through the streets of Rio.
Like its predecessors, "Fast Five" will be easy to forget. The filmmakers are practically counting on it so they can keep bringing back characters they've killed in previous installments.
Still, for two hours of brainless entertainment, few movies can match the adrenaline rush of "Fast Five." And with the promise of more Diesel vs. The Rock, the next sequel won't have a problem attracting crowds.
Grade: B+
Ticket Stubs is sponsored by the Hayden Cinema 6 Theater. Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].