The Fast and the Furious franchise has been experiencing a bit of a rebirth since Fast & Furious was released in 2009. Directed by Justin Lin, Fast & Furious tied together to the first film of the franchise, The Fast and the Furious, and established a continuity for the next sequels to follow. 2011’s Fast Five brought an injection to the franchise that Fast & Furious lacked, bringing in newcomer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a formidable opposite to franchise star Vin Diesel. With a tighter narrative that slowly moved away from the street racing it was known for and towards a more crime-centric, heist focus. The result proved to be one of the year’s most surprising and entertaining films, regaining acclaim and interest in the process.
With Fast & Furious 6, Lin brings the majority of the cast back, along with some new faces, to leave his final stamp on the franchise. However, was it better than the surprisingly good Fast Five? After all, how can you top a car chase through the streets of Rio de Janeiro while dragging along an entire bank vault behind you?
Fast & Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 24, 2013
Taking place days after the events of Fast Five, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) approach Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) about a heist that took place in Europe. Despite the riches Dom and his group gained following the successful Rio heist seen in Fast Five, they’re unable to return to the States due to their criminal records. Luckily, Hobbs offers the crew full pardons on one condition: they capture Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a criminal mastermind intending to steal a computer chip that could cause mass destruction.
Of course, with the amount of money Dom’s crew stole in Fast Five, there’s little incentive for them to assist Hobbs… until he reveals that Shaw’s second-in-command is Dom’s thought-to-be-dead ex-girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Armed with this information, Dom and Brian contact Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris Bridges), Han (Sung Kang), and Gisele (Gal Gadot) to pull off one final job that will bring them both their freedom and reunite their family into one piece.
“Family” serves to be the biggest theme throughout the film. While Lin and series screenwriter Chris Morgan introduced a bit of the family angle in past Fast and Furious films, it’s pushed into the forefront throughout F&F 6. This little nuance helped humanize a film full of superhero-like characters, and to be honest, it was pulled off pretty well. You really can see how tight-knit the circle of friends are, as well as why they would risk their lives unnecessarily. Don’t get me wrong, the film’s plot twists aren’t anything you couldn’t figure out within the first half-hour of the film. However, I feel that F&F 6 is very self-aware of its narrative and rolls with it. There’s a scene where one of the characters points out how Shaw’s crew is almost a direct match for their own, then spins it into a quick joke; this kind of self-aggrandizing is exactly what the film needed.
Another upgrade to the sequel is the film’s pacing. Whereas before, too much time was spent on exposition and backstory in an attempt to legitimize the narrative, F&F 6 sets the premise and gathers the entire crew fairly quickly, resulting in an increase in action and excitement. And who would have thought that Lin and company would be able to up the ante over the ridiculousness in Fast Five? There are more explosions, faster car races (in an attempt to stay true to the series’ roots), and not one, but two amazing third-act chase scenes.
Fast & Furious 6 has been announced as Lin’s final film in the series, so it only makes sense that he leaves with a bang. It’s still not going to garner a great critical response or make audiences re-think action films, but it’s wholly entertaining and the very definition of a Hollywood summer movie. The future of the series will depend on James Wan’s vision for the next film, but if the post-credits scene is any indication, I get the feeling Fast & Furious 7 will help elevate the series to an even higher level.
Score: 7 out of 10