Vin Diesel has really been working out lately. That much is clear the first time we see him in Fast Five, the fourth sequel to The Fast and the Furious. Mr. Diesel has always been muscular, but there’s a problem now – he’s bulked up too much. It’s thrown off his body proportions, so that in some shots, he looks almost overweight, and in others, he just looks odd.
I like Vin Diesel, have enjoyed his previous films, and I admire his skill as an actor. I’m picking on his physique here because it’s the exact thing that’s wrong with the movie: in trying to bulk itself up, Fast Five drags itself down.
I admit, I haven’t followed this franchise since the first film, which was a good actioner about street racing and car theft. Following that film, most of the characters were replaced or dropped to cameo roles, until 2009′s Fast & Furious, when the original cast returned. (At this rate of name shortening, the inevitable next film will simply be called F6.)
At any rate, Fast Five begins where the previous one ended. Dominic Toretto (Diesel) has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes he may or may not have committed, being a career criminal with family values and a moral streak. He’s broken out of the bus to jail by his friend, former FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), and they all go on the run, eventually ending up in Rio de Janeiro, a city in the iron grip of drug kingpin Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).
In need of money, they take on a job with Reyes’ crew, stealing seized cars from a train using the wildly implausible methods these movies are known for. But a double-cross occurs, and during the theft, several US federal agents are killed, which bumps Toretto and O’Conner up the wanted list, and sets heavy-hitter Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his strike team on their tails. But the fugitives get a hold of some key information that could allow them to take down Reyes and collect enough money to escape the law, if they can pull off this “one last job”.
The heist angle serves as an excuse to welcome even more F&F actors back, including Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang and Gal Gadot. This is a tactic that occurs often in long-running franchises, with the inevitable result that the film loses focus. Writer Chris Morgan spins his wheels with a lot of moments between these characters that feel like wasted time.
No one going to Fast Five is looking for intelligent plotting or dialogue – that much is proven by the full-screen disclaimer at the end, warning the audience not to try any of the car stunts. But Morgan’s script contains some of the most awkward dialogue I’ve heard in some time, and the story is inconsistent. Major elements of the heist are practiced over and over, building excitement, but are then completely missing from the final scenes.
The action is exciting, and the actors are clearly trying, though Diesel looks a little uncomfortable at times. But you have to sit through a lot of excess bulk to get to the good parts of Fast Five.
Tags: movie review
About the author: David Raitt
David Raitt is a writer and lover of pop culture. He lives in Oakville. He has also worked as an actor for The Second City, and has written, produced and performed his own sketch comedy, including the Canadian Comedy Award-nominated ALL THE RAGE. Semi-retired from performing, he still teaches improv and communications skills to students and corporate groups through his association with The Second City. Check out Dave's website at http://davidraitt.com
Follow
Subscribe