Furious entertainment unleashed by cars and stars

Rating: 7/10 (1 June 2013)

You won't queue up for it's first show. You won't gather a group of 10 friends to go watch it on Saturday evening. You won't spend extra on 3D and IMAX ever on this series but you will surely buy some popcorn because 'Fast and Furious' is one of the most entertaining franchises ever. By now, you know what to expect in terms of some sizable destruction of cars and assets, stunts that defy laws of physics and the scorching pace at which you can drive through densely populated cities. None of which is possible in reality but yet, there is something about this group that makes you want it to be real. Justin Lin has directed 3 of the more memorable F&F movies and this time too, he gets the combination accurately with just the right amount of hot women, sexy cars and high octane action. Buckle up for this fun ride.
The opening sequence seems like a James Bond movie with a Dodge Challenger and Nissan Skyline racing along the Spanish coast, reflecting the carefree lives of now millionaires, Dominic and Brian. Shortly thereafter, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) surprises Dominic with a visit and a motive (Letty lives!) to join forces to crackdown on Owen Shaw (Luke Evans)'s mercenaries who have performed a series of audacious heists to assemble a devastating weapon. Hobbs attempts to re-unite the team to take on Shaw on the street level and win full pardons for their past crimes. The action proceeds onto London's streets with Dom and Brian in hot pursuit of Shaw's mercenaries. Thereafter, Dom and his blast from the past, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) scorch the streets of London in an epic race that leads to the revelation that she survived the explosion a few movies ago but lost her memory. Shaw was the one who rescued her and hired her as his top mercenary. Following such an emotionally pleasing scene, we move on to Spain where the components of the Nightshade device are being transported to a secure location but the convoy is brutally attacked by Shaw's forces who also tear through the oncoming traffic in a tank along the highway. The team defy the laws of physics, create more destruction than some Decepticons and save each other in the name of being a family. The climactic action is on a never-ending military runway with the massive bomber aircraft being kept on ground by a handful of super-cars and heroes. The inaneness of the action is jarring but the actors make it all entertaining by giving their best in every ridiculous scene. One can also credit Lin for reviving these characters in 'Fast Five' and adding some richness to their bond to make us feel for them every time they defy physics.
Justin Lin's fourth F&F venture is a super-charged engine aptly titled 'Furious 6' for it takes action, storyline, characterization and vehicular warfare to a higher level. As ridiculous as they may sometimes be, the sequences are bigger and more explosive with actors partaking in most of them. Hundreds of cars are sacrificed in the devastation that follows this team in their pursuit of Shaw and in their journey, we are given a better insight into their characters. When your expectations for a silly engine revving franchise are modest, the cars and humans can provide quite a rush of entertainment.
Dwayne Johnson looks like the Hulk. He can only fit into army grade vehicles including the Hummer now but with G.I.Joe and F&F franchises, he's made his mark in the genre as the massive Rock of action. Vin Diesel's career is all about Dominic Toretto now. With few dialogues and more stunts, his talent is optimized by this franchise. Paul Walker could've been an unknown were it not for his partnership with Diesel in their car chases. With fewer dialogues and subtle emotions of being a father, Walker does justice to his role and no more. Michelle Rodriguez is badass in this film. Apart from some MMA fighting with Gina Carano, Letty also gets to shoot and drive some while her character gets a grasp of her past and present. Tyrese Gibson and Ludicrous are funny but limited in exposure on screen. Luke Evans poses as quite a formidable villain, but we do not get to see much of his ruthless aggression since most of it is manifested in the manner of tanks and flip cars that create the destruction. Oh and please bring Gal Gadot back.... please.
With some crazy car chases in London and physics defying sequences in Spain and the airstrip, Fast & Furious 6 packs quite a few horses to satiate the enthusiast. The plot is typical and is played out in banal fashion with occasionally cheeky dialogues. But that's not the point of this franchise. It's the super-cars, women, action and hip hop music that the protagonists roll out to in the drag race arena that will bring you back for more.... Speaking of which, there's a nice cliff-hanger to F&F 7 after the end so remain seated with the belts still on.

7.853 on a scale of 1-10.