Wow. Where does one begin? The insipid dialogue? Paul Walker’s non-presence? A plot that makes almost no sense? Stunts that defy the laws of physics?
Nah. Let’s start here: I can’t believe how much fun I had watching Fast & Furious 6. Don’t get me wrong. It’s so absurd and stupid that it doesn’t really deserve to exist. On the other hand, it reaches such heights of absurdity and stupidity, I kind of admire its willingness to be nothing more or less than a big, brash, loud, dumb action movie.
Anyway, it’s summer movie time, right? Why shouldn’t we kick back, relax, and enjoy this impossible feat: One character flies at highway speed (and then some) through the air, wraps his arms around another character hurtling toward him at highway speed, and the two of them fall, unharmed, onto a car. Who am I to grouse over a silly stunt that, frankly, looks pretty cool despite its obvious CG-ness?
Sometime between 2001, when The Fast and the Furious was released, and now, the series acquired a sense of humor about itself and about action movies in general. Does director Justin Lin know his movie is silly? Sure, and he’s willing to be silly in order to thrill and excite.
For those of us who don’t know the film series well, but know that Michelle Rodriguez’s character, Letty, died in Fast & Furious (which is the fourth film in the series), you may have one question: How is she in this movie, alive, and with the same character name?
As my uncle would say: “Because it’s in the script.” And also because, as another critic informed me, at the end of Fast Five, the sequel to Fast & Furious, it’s revealed by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) Letty may have survived.
Don’t kid yourself: None of that matters. It’s about the cars, fights, and explosions. And, thanks to Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), it’s sometimes about a decent quip.
The story: Dom (Vin Diesel, who should thank whomever he thanks each day for this film series) and Brian (Walker, ditto) and the gang are coaxed out of retirement by Hobbs to stop Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) from stealing a McGuffin. The carrot: full pardons for the entire crew. And maybe they can find out what happened to Letty. Boom, crash, you get the idea.
A welcome surprise is the existence of a ragged and brutal fight between Riley (Gina Carano, who works for Hobbs) and Letty in a London Tube station. The editing is a little too quick but there are a few moments in which we can see Carano’s fighter’s physique putting the hurt on Rodriguez. Sure, they get up and walk away, but the choreography is something to see.
And finally, bonus points to Rodriguez. Whatever it is critics say about her or her film roles or her personal life, here’s something: She commits to a part and plays the hell out of it. I’m already looking forward to Fast & Furious 7.
Fast & Furious PG-13, 130 minutes Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
Playing this week:
42
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
At Any Price
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
The Croods 3D
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
Disconnect
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
Epic
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
Escape From Planet Earth
Carmike Cinema 6
The Great Gatsby
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
The Hangover Part III
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Carmike Cinema 6
Iron Man 3
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
Mud
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
Oblivion
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
Oz The Great
and Powerful
Carmike Cinema 6
The Place Beyond
the Pines
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
Renoir
Vinegar Hill Theatre
Spring Breakers
Carmike Cinema 6
Star Trek Into Darkness
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
Tyler Perry’s Temptation
Carmike Cinema 6
Movie houses:
Carmike Cinema 6
973-4294
Regal Downtown Mall
Cinema 6
979-7669
Regal Stonefield 14
and IMAX
244-3213
Vinegar Hill Theatre
977-4911