Review: Fast & Furious

Fast & Furious

OPENING: 03/12/2009

STUDIO: Universal

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
New Model. Original Parts.

Opening Statement
The fourth installment in the high-speed The Fast and the Furious franchise re-unites all of the original cast members of the first film. So, how well does it compare to the rest? To a certain degree, it’s the most ambitious and interesting of the films. To another degree, it does the poorest job of accomplishing what it sets out to achieve.

Facts of the Case
The film begins in the Dominican Republic, where we find outlaw Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his long-time girlfriend Leticia (Michelle Rodriguez) hijacking an oil tanker. Dom and Letty still enjoy the high-speed lifestyle, but the good times can only last so long. One night, Dom decides he needs to leave. Fast forward a few years and change the setting. We’re now in Los Angeles. Former street racer Brian O’Connell (Paul Walker) has been re-instated as a member of the FBI, and he’s currently in the process of attempting to take down a high-level drug dealer named Braga. Life on the streets is getting worse with Braga around, and things take a particularly tragic turn when one of his men murders Letty, who had returned to the states after Dom left her. Dom vows revenge and determines to do whatever is necessary to infiltrate Braga’s gang. No matter what, he will find out who murdered his girlfriend. This pushes Dom back into the path of Brian, and the two begrudgingly agree to team up in order to accomplish a common goal.

The Evidence
In many ways, Fast & Furious (bye-bye, "the"), feels like two different films. First, it feels like a franchise sequel. All of the elements of previous Fast and Furious films are kept intact and given a rather typical new spin. The film offers up numerous races and car chases, with director Justin Lin (who also helmed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) giving these scenes a slick energy. The usual wide array of colorful and pimped-out vehicles are presented, along with the obligatory scenes of lesbians making out while rubbing themselves all over these hot, shiny cars. There’s a bad guy, some guns, some explosions, and a bit of romance. Like I said, it’s another Fast and Furious movie, delivering familiar elements precisely as you would expect.

However, it also feels much different than any other film in the franchise. In addition to playing the role of formulaic sequel, Fast & Furious also determines to be a moody and semi-noirish revenge drama. The story of Dominic’s attempt to avenge the death of his girlfriend is surprisingly well-developed and engaging, adding a level of human interest to the film that was entirely absent in the earlier installments. This is partially because Vin Diesel has developed as an actor, now possessing a maturity and gravitas he lacked the first time around. Diesel has several terrific scenes where he is given the opportunity to go all Robert Mitchum; waxing eloquent about the woman he has lost and the bad guy he’s going to take down, regardless of cost. So, does that automatically make Fast & Furious the best of the series?

Well, yes and no. I’m afraid Fast & Furious makes the mistake of turning into a good movie on occasion. The first film worked well as a shallow action movie, because it never pretended to be anything other than a shallow action movie. This one, from time to time, actually suggests it could have been pretty good, which makes the slips back into ordinary action movie mode disappointing rather than entertaining. This could have been a good movie, if only it weren’t a Fast and Furious movie. What if the cars had been put aside and a sequel had been made which focused exclusively on the characters rather than the car chases? A former street racer vows to get revenge, and must either work with or be taken down by another former street racer he has a long history with? The elements of a good revenge drama are here, but alas, every time the personal drama starts to heat up and become really engaging, the film seems to grind to a screeching halt, in order to contrive some way to include a car chase. The races in a Fast and Furious movie should be the highlight, instead they feel like a distraction due to the fact that the human subplots aren’t thoroughly ordinary and bland this time around (not to mention the fact the reasons the races occur seem thoroughly preposterous).

The performances are also odd, seeming to exist in two different movies. During the quieter scenes, the characters seem to have gained a maturity and wisdom that they benefit from. They’re not reckless kids anymore, they’re adults leading the lives they have chosen for themselves. But when the film switches into racing mode, suddenly their behavior turns jokey and juvenile once again. Watch Jordanna Brewster during some of her more emotional interactions with Walker, and then watch the thoroughly artificial action movie smirk on her face during the film’s high-energy final scene. Something about that seems very wrong. Walker falls prey to the same traps, remaining a somewhat bland character, despite proving in other films that he can actually act. The new supporting characters are one-dimensional and offer nothing of interest. If the film belongs to anyone, it’s Diesel, who is perhaps the movie’s only consistent and well-defined element.

Closing Statement
It’s a bit difficult determining how to judge Fast & Furious. On the one hand, I was more involved by this film than I have been by any previous films in the franchise. On the other hand, none of the other films left me as exasperated as this one. So, I don’t really have a definitive recommendation one way or the other. You have been informed about the nature of the movie. Ball’s in your court.

The Verdict
6/10

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