Fast and a lot more furious.

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2011)

For anyone who thinks this ten year old franchise might be running out of fuel, have no fear because on the basis of Fast Five, it could run for another decade. This is the longest of the five films and in my opinion, it is the best.
The film contains two of the best action scenes I have seen in the franchise. Fast Five is all that you'd expect and more. However, the cars and the girls aren't quite the major players they are in previous movies but they're there nonetheless, so don't be disappointed.
Fast Five sees a buffed up Dom and a loved up Brian and Mia flee to Rio after they become fugitives of US law. There they decide to do one final heist and invite some old friends back to take part. This is no ordinary heist either and involves getting on the wrong side of some extremely dangerous people.
The old faces are back with Roman and Tej but it is the comedic banter of the two new faces in the team - Don Omar and Tego Calderon - that I enjoyed the most. And Sung Kang and Gal Gadot aren't just making up the numbers. She has a figure to make your eyes pop out !! For me though, the cream of the movie is the much anticipated arrival of Dwayne Johnson as Federal Agent Hobbs. He is superb and I'd be surprised if he doesn't feature strongly in the next film. His role opposite Diesel works a treat and in my opinion, neither one outdoes the other.
There is more effort at plot and character development in Fast Five than previous outings and some people may be surprised at how events unfold. It might not be for the best but we will have to wait and see.
Rio is the perfect setting with the sun drenched streets and alleys of the favelas as well as the constant menace of the omnipotent local drugs lords. These guys are ruthless characters and very well armed, with a stranglehold over the local law enforcement agencies too.
All in all, a welcome return for everyone concerned. Keep your eyes open during the credits for some extras that you won't want to miss. I'm already looking forward to the next film. I just can't think what title they'll come up with !!