FAST & FURIOUS review by Gary Dean Murray

The first Fast and the Furious was the film that turned Vin Diesel into a movie star. This fast moving, action paced thrill ride was just the kind of a fun time movie needed at the theaters. Well, it's now more than a few years later and Mr. Diesel's star is not shining as bright as it once did. When the new stuff isn't working, you go back to the tried and true.

So, we have a forth installment of the franchise but in what is finally a sequel to the first film, the new Fast & Furious.

Vin Diesel is Dom Toretto, still the bad guy speed demon. It what is on par with the best James Bond stunt sequences, we see Dom and his crew hijack a truck load of fuel. Along on this turbo ride is Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) the girlfriend who still can car jack with the rest of the pack. With the law on his heels, Dom leaves his love to take a solo path.

It is some time later and Dom gets a phone call from his sister (Jordana Brewster) . Major Spoiler alert here--it seems that Letty has been killed in a car crash. Dom hightails it back to LA, risking his freedom just to say good-bye. The sister is just worried that the authorities will take away her brother.

On the other side of the plot, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is still working with the FBI. His investigation group has been working to bring down a drug lord and stop his trafficking of heroin across the border. They have been using informants and moles to get deep inside the organization. But Brian is also upset with the death of Letty and feels that there may be a connection. He also still has apprehensions for how he treated both Dom and his sister.

Very soon Dom realizes that Letty was not the victim of a racing accident, but the victim of a murder. He begins his own investigation to who and why his beloved was taken down. This crosses paths with Brian O'Conner almost immediately.

Now the two must work together to confront and defeat a common enemy, the drug king pin who uses fast cars go get across the border. They both enter a very illegal street race to show how well they can maneuver against any chasing body. The entire plot is just an excuse to make some super fast racing and action sequences.



This movie is more of a ride than a motion picture. It is an overtime experience for the second unit. And do these guys deliver. The opening set piece is thrilling with a solid mixture of explosions and chases. It builds to a giant ending with a car going right under an bouncing fuel trailer. The blending of live action and CGI is stunning. The second action set piece is just what you would expect from Fast & Furious, screaming autos and breathtaking chases. Then there is a chase in the catacombs of a mountain that would make a great video game, which is what it looks like. Like I said, this is a thrill ride, not truly a film.

But there are some major problems with the work. Except for a few lead performances, all of the women are just dancing hotties with a super lesbian tendency It almost becomes a 13 year old boy, Playboy fueled fantasy, more of a wet dream than anything based in reality. Even though Michelle Rodriquez is an 'above the title' performer, her screen time is along the lines of being a cameo. She a terrific actress who is used sparing little here. The same can be said for the wonderful Jordana Brewster, a stunning young woman who is used less than arm candy in Fast & Furious. I know that this is supposed to be a testosterone driven fantasy but it could have used some fresh female interactions.

On the plus side, the cars are massively slick.

I think that Vin Diesel still has that certain something that screams movie star. The camera just loves his shaved mug. Even when he spouts some of the most banal lines of 2009, he looks super cool doing it. This is a performance that should turn his career around. He needs to stick to action flicks and stop all the Disney family comedies. Paul Walker is just there, not making much of an impression.


If you are looking for some fun, thrilling drive-by flash, then Fast & Furious should deliver the goods. While it sags whenever there is no action, the sequences are enough to keep it above the scant offerings that is in theaters for adrenalin junkies.

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