Angela May 7, 2011
I decided to put Thor on hold for next week, and took in a showing of Fast Five instead.
Disclaimer: as mentioned in this thread, I've not seen any of the "The Fast and the Furious" movies up to this point. With no working knowledge of the characters or story lines (I know there are cars involved at least), I was a bit apprehensive going into the fifth film of an already well established franchise. That being said, I came away from Fast Five only slightly bewildered, but for the most part, immensely satisfied. It's been a while since I've watched such a well executed, well paced action movie.
I can't speak for the previous films, but I dig that Fast Five isn't just restricted to car races and vehicle chases. There's ample helpings, of course, but they're balanced out by an almost equal measure of shoot-outs, foot chases, and brutal fisticuffs. As Jay mentioned, the action impresses with its hard hitting impact; CG is used minimally and tastefully, giving way to realistic looking stunts, beat downs, crashes, and explosions. And this being a heist film, there's a healthy dose of stealth and spy surveillance as well. Those elements related to the plotting, rehearsing, and execution of the caper are the most enjoyable of all.
With no preconceptions on the characters or their histories, I was surprised to find myself liking the lot of them. There's more imbued humanity to the proceedings than I would have figured for an action/heist film such as this. Beyond the occasional 'bromance' vibe, there's the feeling that these characters have lived through quite a lot in this series -- enough, at least, to make the whole 'family among thieves' theme credible. I became steadily aware that some of these character dynamics would have played even better had I seen the prior films. Stuff like the romance between O'Conner and Mia, and the longtime friendship between Dom and Vince. Or the ongoing banter sessions between Roman and Tej, and Rico and Tejo. Or the reference to Han's smoking. During the sequence when the team began to assemble, I caught one member of my audience enthusiastically whispering, "Oh, that's Gisele!" as her motorcycle came roaring into the garage. Naturally, the biggest pang of regret came during the cliffhanger tease midway through the credits; while several audible gasps could be heard escaping the lips of the audience, a big "Huh?" came from mine.
Other notes: 1) The Rock was a great addition to the cast. A very cool foil for our band of protagonists. 2) Brian Tyler's music score is, as always, muscular and contextually serviceable, but ultimately forgettable outside the film. 3) I was amused by how they portrayed the subtitles. Is it series tradition to have them come scrolling across the screen a la race cars? 4) What are the odds that I would see two movies based in Rio in the same week? This one tends to show the grittier side of the city, specifically the favelas. I kept thinking of Modern Warfare 2 during these scenes.
Fast Five proves to be as good as the critics and box numbers dictate. It's a bitchin' action-heist film, with excellent chemistry among the cast, and a gratifying story resolution. At the very least, it's now made me want to play catch-up with the rest of the series.
