When The Fast and the Furious crashed on to screens in 2001, no one expected that this would be the beginning of a defining action series and a box office smash. Depicting the lives of a street racing gang who are infiltrated by an undercover cop, there was nothing particularly unique about the film which would have set it head and shoulders above anything that was released that year.
But there was something about The Fast and Furious. Sure, everyone had seen fast cars before and women who were more than happy to take their clothes off but the film had a certain charm. There was more care taken with the high speed chases, Vin Diesel was the perfect gang leader, the women were just as fast and furious as the men and boy, did we ever want to own a flashy car.
The second instalment built on the debut, even Tokyo Drift had its charms and Fast and Furious, the fourth in the series brought the film back to its roots. However, Fast Five was a revelation. Lauded by the critics, the fifth was certainly harder, better, faster, stronger. With the addition of the Rock and its over the top action sequences, Fast Five was the strongest piece from the series and certainly worth its weight in gold at the box office.
What had originally seemed like an oversight by hiring Justin Lin was a stroke of genius for the series. Lin was initially involved as director of Tokyo Drift, which was seen as the weak point of the genre but he certainly proved his worth over the last two films. Making a return for 6, Lin has been a revelation as director, the set pieces have only gotten bigger, the chemistry between the cast has been stronger.
6 returns to Dom sometime after he has pulled off the heist from Five. Ridiculously well off, Dom, his sister Mia and her husband Brian are living an idyllic life away from the street racing lives they used to lead. That is until Detective Hobbs seeks out Dom to help him chase down a gang which are beyond his reach, living by the principle of you need a thief to catch a thief. When Dom discovers that Letty is involved with the new gang, he gathers the crew together for their new mission.
Fast & Furious 6 is more fantastical than the last, but the film doesn’t suffer from it. The explosions are bigger, the car chases more extreme in scope, but 6 never loses its audience. There is a plane, a tank and some seriously beautiful cars but the high-speed chases are definitely more adrenalin pumping.
The usual cast put in their dependable performances but the film really benefits from the return of the Rock and the casting of MMA fighter Gina Carano is a stroke of genius. No one should take her on in a fight, although Michelle Rodriguez gives a good stab at it.
Let’s be fair, Fast & Furious does exactly what it says on the tin. Lots of fun and plenty of car chases, they live by the policy of it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
