This Time They're in London

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2016)

It seems as if these movies are getting better and better as time goes on (though not so good that they warrant anything more than a seven – they are mindless actions movies. In a way it seems like ages since I watched the first couple of movies and also, in a way, they simply seem to be nothing like the ones that are being churned out now. In fact, it seems that ever since Justin Lin took the helm the movies have simply gone from being rather dull cop movies to being a full blown, fully intense, action movie. Mind you, with this one having a tank roaring down a motorway it does make me wander how Lin is going to top the previous editions in numbers 8 and 9 (IMDB suggested that after number 8 there are another three movies but I suspect that this is a typo).
Anyway, after striking it rich in Rio by stealing a hundred million dollars off of a drug lord, the crew have all gone their separate ways. However Hobbs as been tipped off that Vincent's girlfriend isn't actually dead, and in fact involved with some rather despicable characters that make Toretto, O'Conner and their team look like angels (and since they are the heroes of the film you could suggest that they are, but they are more like anti-heroes than anything else). Anyway Hobbs gets in contact them because he realises that the best way to catch a crook is with a crook, and of course Toretto is the first that comes to mind.
Number six is set in London, which is a good thing because I have been to London – three times. Okay, I can hardly call myself an expert on the city, but I do have this attachment to the place, and do enjoy watching movies set there, even if they do stupid things, like having a drag race through the centre of the city, pass Picadilly Circus and finishing up at Battersea when it is impossible it escape the stop start traffic unless it is 6:00 am on a Sunday morning (okay, it isn't that bad, but try driving along Euston road and see how long it takes you to get from Islington and out of the city).
In a way this film seems to deal more with a collection of anti-heroes, and sort of exposes Vin Diesel's roleplaying past – having people with different talents working together as part of a team is something that is central to most, if not all, roleplaying games, and they tend to work a lot better if you aren't constrained by a government organisation. Okay, Diesel and Walker are still the major characters, and also the precision drivers, and they still have a single drag race in the film (though there are plenty of car chases, including one with a tank), but we are now moving on to much bigger things – in fact no more drug lords because now we are up against mercenaries who are doing things that your average drug-lord isn't getting involved in. In the end, expect a pretty wild ride, but nothing incredibly deep.