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MOVIE:
Fast & Furious
OUR RATING
4/5 Stars
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) reignites his feud with FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker). Heading back to the streets where it all began, Diesel and Walker rejoin Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, and Jordana Brewster as Dom's little sister Mia, to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert as they attempt to thwart notorious drug lord Arturo Braga. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanoeuvre him.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Before giving my honest opinion on Fast & Furious, allow me to catch my breath, stop giggling and say this, "oh-my-word-that-movie-rocked!" Okay, with that out of the way, let's explore just why the fourth installment of this successful franchise is on par with the classic action of the first movie.
If you have a need for speed, suped-up cars packed with fuel injection, nitrous, technological modifications far beyond your financial means, and hot bodies in the form of Dom (Diesel) and O'Conner (Walker), then this will undoubtedly get your engine running at full speed.
It's been eight years (if you can believe it) since the original movie, The Fast and the Furious, but as they say, "perfection takes time" and the wait has been more than worth it. Director Justin Lin doesn’t lose the essence of what made the first movie so compelling, and by reintroducing not only the characters, but the cars from the first movie, he emphasises the love between man and machine.
But every movie needs its purpose, and with the long-gestating feud still festering between our favourite anti-heroes, the ten second cars, impossibly proportioned women and a common purpose to exact revenge on a drug cartel, this movie will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Dom and O'Conner. Diesel and Walker slip back into their most famous roles with ease, conveying in each glance and terse exchange the tortured history between these two – but also the immense respect they have for one another.
Watching them duke it out in Fast & Furious, like an old couple who know each others' sore spots only too well, is like watching the next great movie bromance being born - something both the men and women in the audience can appreciate. The performances themselves aren't really worth commenting on because they don't matter. The requisite car porn, wisecracks, fist fights and scorching romantic scenes are all present and accounted for, and add to the high fantasy factor that makes movies like Fast & Furious such escapist fun.
You don’t have to be lover of drag racing and cars to enjoy this, although the adrenaline rush they offer is more than the ticket price's worth. The white knuckle, balls to the wall action is complemented by the roguish charisma of characters we know so well: The babes, the booty, the music and, of course, those gorgeous rides. You'll leave the cinema with a feeling of feverish exasperation and envy. Just don't go looking under the bonnet.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:
