Walker's Last Hurrah

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2016)

I have to admit that there was something of a dark cloud hanging over this film, especially with the closing shot that was in effect saying goodbye to the late Paul Walker, who died in a rather tragic car accident. I guess the death did impact the film, and the cast and crew, especially since it happened halfway through the filming. Mind you, with the technology that we have now the fact that Walker wasn't able to complete the movie doesn't really stand out unlike other films such as The Crow, and Peter Sellers (where the entire second half of the film had to be rewritten due to his death).
Anyway, this film follows directly on from the previous film, and a few lose ends up have been tied up as well. First of all Han, who was a major character in the last four films had to meet his end, especially since we know that he died in Tokyo Drift. So, what happens at the end of the previous film, and the beginning of this one, is a more detailed explanation of his death,.It turns out that the bad guy from the previous film – Owen Shaw – has a brother, Deckard Shaw, who is none too happy that his brother has met a rather bad end, so he decides to hunt down the team that killed him. As it turns out Deckard is an incredibly nasty piece of work, and with Jason Stratham playing him certainly adds a lot of punch to the character.
Actually, it was when I found out that Stratham was playing the bad guy in this film that I suddenly decided that I wanted to watch the series, and while the first lot were pretty forgettable, by the time we get here the films are becoming pretty intense action wise. In fact in this one we have drones flying about Los Angeles launching missiles here, there, and all over the place. Mind you, the film doesn't take place entirely in Los Angeles because we travel to Dubai and the Caucauses to have some pretty intense action, and car racing, shots there.
Actually, one of the things that they have managed to do well (or Lim at least), is to merge what originally was a film about car racing into a full blown action movie with some pretty intense car chases. The thing is that car chases have been a staple of pretty much most action films, however what we have in the Fast and Furious series are precision drivers who add another dimension to the car chases. In a way by making them full blown action films, and taking them away from the race tracks and putting them on city streets where they are being chased and hounded by bad guys, mercenaries, and special ops forces give is a pretty decent edge.
Mind you, as I mentioned, the film is stained somewhat with the passing of Paul Walker – in a way you know that he won't be appearing in any more of the films, and it is going to feel different without him. Sure, Vin Diesel and The Rock certainly stand out, and in some ways Diesel is the centerpiece of the film, however since Walker has been in all of them except for number three (and the fact that Johnson seems to sit most of this film out, with his character being consigned to a hospital bed), the series just isn't going to feel the same.