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Fast & Furious 5
| Released |
22 April 2011 |
| Director |
Justin Lin |
Starring
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Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris |
| Writer(s) |
Chris Morgan |
Producer(s)
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Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell, |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
130 minutes |
| Genre |
Action |
| Rating |
12A |
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Battle of the beefcakes.
I’m not entirely sure what Fast & Furious 5 (or “Fast Five” as no-one is calling it despite the re-branding) was about. There’s a sinister Brazilian drug lord, some on the run car thieves and a bunch of American special services dudes all chasing each other back and forth on the streets of Rio with scant consideration for either public property or innocent bystanders. The gist is that it involves our heroes being blamed for the deaths of three U.S. agents during a botched car theft and instead of leaving Rio as quickly as possible, they decide to stick around and mount a complicated heist. Foolhardy behaviour really.
The fact that the plot could be described at best as threadbare is really beside the point though; what Fast & Furious 5 really boils down to is the battle of the bald beefcakes. Yes, this time Vin Diesel is pitting his inconsiderable wits against those of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a no-nonsense Special Services Agent. And thank god! Johnson is the highlight of the film and is fast becoming my favourite muscle bound, quipping action hero. While Diesel and Paul Walker brood and manhandle their gear shifts, Johnson wrestles the silly script into submission and chews the scenery like a pro. Make no mistake though, this is indeed a silly film; but also strangely lovable. Most of the cast understand that the material works best as tongue in cheek and those that don’t provide a wealth of unintentional humour; the exchanges between Diesel and love interest Elsa Pataky are particularly cringeworthy.
Technically it’s a mixed bag. The action sequences are undeniably impressive and gratifyingly, director Justin Lin doesn’t go for the overly frenetic Bourne approach- which in the wrong hands can render a sequence unintelligible. The sound mixing on the other hand is abysmal; during action scenes it becomes almost impossible to hear any dialogue, especially from Diesel, who delivers lines like his gums have been shot full of novocaine. Still, this one must go down under the category of guilty pleasure- ideal if you want to switch off your brain for an hour and a half.
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Linda O’Brien |
