Thrill ride par excellence

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2013)

For motor-heads, the Fast and Furious franchise is pure sin, the sins getting bigger and badder with every sequel. But the franchise is more than just car flicks. They have established an instant connection with today's youth culture gorged in hip hop, street cred and video game violence, spanning continents. While many thought that the previous installment Fast Five was the very pinnacle the series could aim for, out comes Fast and Furious 6, breaking all previous boundaries, and shattering myths that a 6th installment cannot be creative, and is one too many. Before we talk of the movie though, let us take a moment to absorb the legend of the sullen hero- Vin Diesel.
"If you rearrange the letters in Vin Diesel it reveals his credo: "I End Lives."
"Vin Diesel invented black. In fact, he invented the entire spectrum of visible light. Except pink. Tom Cruise invented pink."
"The eternal conundrum "what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object" was finally solved when Vin Diesel punched himself in the face."
Part espionage thriller, and part testosterone fueled race track, the movie starts off in first gear though, with the gang dissipated across the world spending their 100 million heist that they had carried out in Fast Five in their own ways, though a mountain road race between Diesel and Walker portends of things to come. Things shift gears once federal agent Hobbs (The Rock) enlists the help of the Furious gang to bring down a terrorist (Luke Evans) who has skills to match the Furious. An old member of the gang previously presumed dead returns too. The motivations matter little, what matters is that they are loud, ooh-aha inducing and, with the addition of MMA fighter Gina Carano, extremely brutal. And if you thought that the highway mayhem with the tank that is featured in the trailer was the maximum director Justin Lin was attempting, you are so very wrong. He has in store a shattering climax which involves the Furious gang battling the villains in a cargo plane the size of an island, with a dozen supercharged sports cars with harpoons trying to stop it from taking off. What is customary though is the ball of fire in the end, and Diesel walking out of it, unscathed, smiling. Some more homage to the man, then-
"When Vin Diesel goes to donate blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a handgun and a bucket."
"Vin Diesel played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won."
"In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Vin Diesel could use to kill you, including the room itself."
Director Justin Lin has conjured up a movie that makes you forget all other F and F ones. Never mind that there is a plot to boot, most of the films budget and time is aptly dedicated to high speed dueling, massive explosions, inspired stunt-work and creative property damage. The actors don't have too much to act about, but you would expect this to be a Diesel, Rock or a Paul Walker movie. But no, it is an out and out Romano (Tyrese Gibson) movie. Every Romano moment is a LOL moment, and he more than makes up for the forced seriousness of the other cast members. Luke Evans as the villain is a bad choice though- he has absolutely no personality in front of these towering hunks, but he does seem to have x-ray vision when he points at Diesel and says "Look at his face. He is so angry"- meanwhile Diesel remains as impassive as ever. Can't have enough of him?
"The word "lesbian" derives from an old Latin phrase that roughly translates as "She who has not yet been introduced to Vin Diesel."
"There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Vin Diesel allows to live."
"Vin Diesel once ate the entire cake at a bachelor party before anyone could tell him there was a stripper in it."
Love cars or hate cars, critics and reviews be damned, just go and watch Fast and Furious 6, popcorn in hand. This is a shamelessly entertaining, guffaw inducing, and awe-inspiring thrill ride. Wait till the end though, and we are introduced to what will come in part 7. Perhaps the only real competition in Hollywood to Diesel's racing skills. Any guesses? Or you would rather like to be transported somewhere.10/10