Stars from previous “The Fast and the Furious” films return for “Fast Five”.
The summer action blockbuster season is officially underway this weekend as Fast Five races into theaters. The latest installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise stars Vin Diesel and other members of the previous four films’ casts, as well as some new faces for more high speed thrills.
The basic story is nothing new: everyone gets back together for one last heist, only this time around the stakes are higher due to the fact that Brian (Paul Walker) and his wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) are expecting. Many themes of family repeatedly come up in this latest installment, which becomes a bit ironic considering how many shootouts take place during the film.
This time around, the gang finds itself in Rio de Janeiro (though filming was actually done in Atlanta) trying to steal millions from a high-powered drug czar, played by veteran actor Joaquim de Almeida, a role he has played before and pulls off well. Chasing them along the way is WWE superstar, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his team of special forces, including a beautiful cop played by Elsa Pataky.
The cinematography is great and I particularly enjoyed the way the subtitles where incorporated, using italics and removing subtitles when characters in the film walk past them. Each character also gets in his one liners (sometimes too many), but the actors play their parts well.
Vin Diesel squares off against Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The film has more of an Ocean’s Eleven feel to it then past Fast and the Furious installments, with lots of character development, information about how to pull off the heist and foreshadowing about future problems, with less visceral action. This explains it’s longer-than-expected run time of 130 minutes. This slight change in formula is not a bad way to continue the series, but people looking for just nonstop car action may be a little turned off . Still, the stunts are incredibly well done, especially the beginning sequences, which are almost breathtaking.
Fast Five is by no means a great film. But there are enough one-liners, action sequences and beautiful women to keep the viewer entertained. With its mix of ’80s action and ’60s heist drama, it is still a great start to the summer movie season, and breathes new life into this ongoing series.