There are movies that you already know what you’re getting into before you ever even buy a ticket at the theatre. The same could be said about franchises. When we go to see any of the Mission: Impossible movies, we know we are going to see outlandish and over-the-top action sequences and most of it could never be accomplished in reality. But as fans of the franchise, we choose to accept it because these movies are entertaining as hell and pure fun to watch. This is the precise case for the Fast & Furious franchise and why Fast & Furious 6 is still an exciting and enjoyable experience at the movies. F&F 6 fits in perfectly with the other five installments and while not as energized as Fast Five, it still delivers a high-octane rush of cars, action, and destruction. What you see is what you get with this franchise and F&F 6 is no exception.
The movie picks up right where the last one left off. Dominic (Vin Diesel) and the crew are enjoying life and the money they escaped with during their extravagant heist from Fast Five. Some are blowing through it while others are saving it. Then there is Brian (Paul Walker), who is actually settling down and starting a family with Mia (Jordana Brewster) and their son. And while they are enjoying the relaxation, they still have this craving to go back home to the United States where they are all still wanted men. That’s when Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) returns and pulls them back into the only life they know. This time it is personal.
Hobbs needs Dom, Brian, and the rest of the team to bring down a former Special Ops soldier named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Him and his team specialize in vehicular warfare, and have been causing chaos all over the world. Shaw is a different kind of beast that the F&F guys have never faced before. The crew has no reason to join up with Hobbs and help him out until he shows them a photo of Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), who was believed to be dead. So it is up to Dom and the boys to get Shaw and bring Letty back home where she belongs. All of that is the cake and the icing, but the cherry on top is that Hobbs would pardon all of them and would be able to finally go back to the place they call home. So can they get the job done? Let me answer that with another question: have you seen any of the F&F movies?!
Everyone from practically every Fast & Furious movie is back–Tyrese, Gal Gadot, Ludacris, Sung Kang–and all of them stick to their characters and do not seem to be too challenged by it at this point. The same can be said for Diesel and Walker. They could play Dom and Brian with their eyes closed. They are all having a blast – that’s for sure. And who are we kidding? When have the F&F movies been about performances? What they do have is chemistry and through each installment, it gets bigger, better, and stronger. With Fast & Furious 6, there is more humor added in than in the past. It comes off as if all involved are self-aware of what they are doing is ridiculous and are not taking themselves too seriously. You just cannot ignore the craziness of the Fast and the Furious.
A tremendous amount of credit must go to director Justin Lin for not only keeping Fast & Furious 6, but the franchise itself, on an exhilarating yet steady pace. Lin and company know their fans and what the expectations are when they go see a F&F movie. He first helmed Tokyo Drift and has been behind the camera ever since. How Lin and the writers keep coming up with these insane action sequences while trying to top the one before it, I will never know.
What is almost just as impressive is, somehow, he is able to connect all of the movies together, including Tokyo Drift, which seemed to be the stepchild of the franchise. I believe Lin had a grand plan and gave the stories some thought, and is able to bring all these different elements together in order to take us on one hell of a ride. And word is F&F 6 will be Lin’s last time as director. He may be putting on the brakes, but this franchise is not slowing down one bit. At this point, why should it? It delivers on every promise it makes. What F&F 6 is meant to do, it does really well.
Check out our episode of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast on the Fast and Furious franchise here:
Listen to “Ep. 55: The Fast and the Furious Franchise” on Spreaker.Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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