Fast & Furious 6 Review

Faster, furious-er
Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman

It’s not often that I give a film as poorly acted, shoddily scripted and ostensibly cheesy as high a score as I’ll give Fast & Furious 6. It’s also not often that a film as poorly acted, shoddily scripted and ostensibly cheesy as Fast & Furious 6 manages to be as wildly entertaining as Fast 6 is. Ultimately, the film is exactly what one would expect out of it going in, based on both the title and the series’ history. That the film fulfills its vision is almost undeniable; all one needs to ask him or herself before seeing Fast 6 is whether that vision interests them in the slightest.

As per the series usual, the narrative of Fast 6 hinges almost entirely on its ensemble cast. The film forgoes the entertaining heist setup of 2011’s Fast Five, and as such the central story conflict in 6 is not nearly as interesting as it was in Five. That’s a somewhat disappointing departure, as the heist-centric narrative of Fast Five was one of the reasons the film was received so positively, especially in contrast to the series’ prior installments.

6’s central story thread is incredibly forgettable; when a super-criminal named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) gains the attention of military muscle-man and Fast Five-antagonist Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), Hobbs decides that the only way to counter Shaw’s style of “vehicular warfare” is to call for the assistance of Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his highly specialized team of drivers, which includes the likes of series vets Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) among others.

If this doesn't look appealing to you, you won't enjoy Fast 6.

Unsurprisingly, performances run the gambit from functional (Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel) to downright horrendous (Gina Carano is the obvious example, whose line delivery is awkward to the point of being uncomfortable to watch). The subpar performances are inexcusable, and an issue that one would think would be remedied by now, after most of the actors have had several previous installments to grow accustomed to their roles. However, to say that the less-than-stellar performances seriously harm the intended product would be an untruth. The worst performers aren’t given enough lines to become truly grating, leaving most of the heavy-lifting to those who are, at the very least, acceptable.

But most in the theater for Furious 6 won’t care in the slightest about the quality of the performances. The film aims to give its audience spectacularly choreographed, high-velocity action spectacle, and on this front it delivers in spades. A few scenes in particular up the ante considerably for a series that is already known for its big-budget thrills, with set-pieces that are bound to impress even those most skeptical of the venerable franchise. And, in an era where CGI-centric extravaganzas litter the blockbusters landscape, it’s nice to see Furious 6 come out of the gate with a few genuinely impressive homegrown stunts.

The film’s breakneck pace doesn’t always work in its favor, though -- sometimes things are moving along at such a brisk speed that important character deaths are glossed over, or narrative points are left by the wayside to make room for more action. Though narrative is quite obviously not the priority of Furious 6, the film does manage to, against all odds, stir up a few genuinely touching scenes. Its brand of melodrama can be almost unbearable at times, though, with the especially-hard-to-watch opening sequence being the highlight of the film’s embarrassing, over-the-top follies.

Diesel and Johnson are a fun collective onscreen presence.

On a purely superficial level, which is probably the correct level on which to judge Furious 6, little in the film warrants complaint. The cinematography is consistently mesmerizing, effectively showcasing the beautiful vistas and landscapes on which the crew participates in all sorts of vehicular mayhem. The backdrops of the Fast franchise have always been pretty to look at, but the production values for Furious 6 have obviously been taken up a notch -- helicopter shots abound, as do exciting rampages through stunning landscapes.

At its close, the film leaves series fans with a drool-inducing cliffhanger ending that almost undoubtedly points towards an exciting addition to next summer’s Fast 7; the peek towards the future of the franchise simply promises more of the same, but on a crazier scale. That’s likely all that series fans are looking for, so the tease should prove tantalizing to any entertained by the antics of Fast 6.

Around every corner, Fast & Furious 6 comes up with yet another reason to get pumped, or yet another reason to stare in awe at a gorgeous action set-piece, or yet another reason to cheer for goateed Dwayne Johnson. And despite all of its glaring flaws, I can’t help but sit back and enjoy 6 as exactly the film it sets out to be. After all, is it truly possible to have too many reasons to cheer for a goateed Dwayne Johnson? Many will be utterly dumbfounded by the film’s many stupidities. To those looking for a mindless, great time: good luck finding better than Fast & Furious 6.