Fast Money

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2011)

I only seen the first Fast and the Furious and I own it on DVD. I skipped out on the sequels, mostly because of the bad word of mouth. When Fast Five was released, I didn't have intentions on seeing it until I learned that The Rock was in it. However, I wasn't sure if the film would deliver. After some positive word of mouth from several people, I was convinced on seeing it. So on a cold, rainy day and an awful week that had passed me by, I decided to give this movie a spin.
And boy was I surprised!
Fast Five is one exhilarating movie! It didn't start out well. Without seeing the previous installments, and barely remembering the first, I was a little lost in the beginning. Where things picked up was in the train robbery scene where Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (who's best performance is in Running Scared) are having that fight scene. It was pretty awesome, up until the end but I guess that's where the suspension of disbelief comes into play.
The movie doesn't linger onto any dramatic scenes for too long. The filmmakers know that their target audience came for the fast cars and action. Who cares about any subplots and talking? The Rock makes a grand entrance and is provided with enough screen time to make The Rock fans happy. I also like the turn of events with his character near the end. It was handled brilliantly.
Speaking of the end, the climax is probably one of the best climaxes I've seen in a very long time. I think it probably nailed the whole summer movie feel. By the end of the movie, I felt that this is what summer movies are meant to be. I don't know if the director Justin Lin saved the franchise, as I don't even know if the franchise was in trouble in the first place. However, this movie might have introduced more fans. With the series being stagnant for so long, I can honestly say that I'll be looking forward to the sixth installment.