Five and counting

Rating: 7/10 (24 November 2012)

Fast Five is the latest in the action-driven, visually stunning, Fast and the Furious series. I would think it's the last installment, but these days I suppose anything is possible. It begins with brother and sister Dom and Mia Toretto (Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster) along with ex-law enforcement officer Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) as wanted fugitives on the move and in need of gainful, thought not legal, employment. Once they find a job and prove unsuccessful in performing it, they are now sought by a drug kingpin and faux philanthropist who contracted them in the first place.
Rather than knuckle under or retreat, the trio decides to bankrupt their unscrupulous foe, and thereby render him powerless. For this they need help and that is the reason they bring any living associates they from the previous films that played a significant role. All the while their nemesis has informed the American authorities as to their location in an effort to spoil their plans. Enter The Rock, playing U.S. Marshal Luke Hobbs, with the unflinching assistance of the Rio police, who are paid agents of the aforementioned kingpin. In addition, Hobbs has a very rigid view of his responsibility for the larger portion of the film.
Fast Five isn't anything its predecessors weren't. Save for a little misdirection at the end. It's about beautiful cars, beautiful women, and the occasional fistfight or shootout. In that regard it's a success.