Monday Sequel Spotlight: Fast Five

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Fast Five
Directed by Justin Lin
Released April 29, 2011

The “Fast and the Furious” franchise is a particularly interesting one because it doesn’t follow the logical progression of most series with such a staggering number of installments. The first film, released in 2001, was an adrenaline-fueled hit. “2 Fast 2 Furious” swapped out tough guy Vin Diesel, who opted to make a sequel to “Pitch Black” instead, for funny guy Tyrese, and it served as little more than a guilty pleasure. This reviewer skipped the third film, which was subtitled “Tokyo Drift” and was missing both Diesel and Paul Walker. The fourth entry, which boasted the same title as the first without the definite articles, reunited the entire cast for a fun thrill ride, and then came the fifth film. Its title presumed intimate knowledge of the franchise, and not only were Diesel and Walker still on board, but members of the ensembles from all of the previous films were also on hand. This fifth installment demonstrated that this franchise has grown rather than withered with age, understanding full well how to tell an occasionally over-the-top, action-driven story with superb albeit ridiculous characters. Adding The Rock to the cast as the new lawman was an excellent choice, and having him go head-to-head with Diesel’s character an even better one. The action scenes and twists in this film are magnificent, and it makes the wait for the forthcoming sixth film, slated for release in May 2013, all the more unbearable.

Movie with Abe: Fast Five

Fast Five
Directed by Justin Lin
Released April 29, 2011

There’s a reason that the fifth entry in the “Fast and the Furious” series is getting the best reviews of any of the five films so far. The second and third movies in the franchise shouldn’t be considered since they didn’t include star Vin Diesel, and the fourth was merely a successful reboot that helped bring back the elements that made the first one work so well. “Fast Five” is an entirely different beast, assembling a slew of actors from all four previous films to create a wholly entertaining and enthralling action piece that stretches beyond the world of car racing and delivers far beyond expectations.

In previous films, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) was a cop, and Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) was a criminal. The lines were blurred as early as the first film, and by the fourth, it was clear that Brian’s allegiances were to Dom above anything else. The two men and Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) are on the run at the start of this entry, but they’re not merely trying to stay one step ahead of the law. Brian, Dom, and Mia feel the “need for speed” and can’t hope to resist a good car heist. The same is true of the colorful cast of characters they invite to join them in Rio to rip off a powerful drug kingpin named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) who has put a price on their heads. None of these guys is a hardcore criminal, but there’s something about breaking the law that excites and entices them.

“Fast Five” proves that this franchise has officially evolved from a car movie into a heist movie, wisely relegating its car racing scenes mostly to mid-heist getaway driving, thereby making everything more universally enjoyable. This film manages to follow up on the awesome ending of the fourth film by expanding the scene to make it even more eye-popping and impressive, and then features one of the most awesome action sequences in recent years in its first half hour. The movie doesn’t let up after that, and it’s a blast all the way through. This is one of those rare times where 130 minutes is not too long.

Reuniting cast members from previous films and having them meet each other is a superb idea, and it’s a tribute to the effectiveness of this series that a dozen actors from the past ten years were willing to come back to the project. The result is a blast, and each personality is given just the right amount of room to shine, making this feel a lot like “Ocean’s Eleven,” in the most complimentary sense. It may be hard to place what specific role in which film each character played, but it doesn’t matter since they’re all so much fun together. The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, is a fabulous addition as an adrenaline-addled agent hot on our heroes’ trail, and one of the most energizing parts of the film is to see him and Diesel brawl hand-to-hand and compete to see who can more aggressively jump through windows. Those with less apparent interesting in the actual acting, such as Diesel and Walker, are smartly given few lines and much more body language to work with instead. This is a film that starts out strong and doesn’t let up until after the end credits, when a jaw-dropping scene paves the way for a sixth film that couldn’t come soon enough. This is a definitive action movie that fires on all cylinders and provide preposterously huge levels of entertainment.

B+

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Fast Five

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Fast Five – Opening April 29, 2011



File this under guilty pleasure. It took the fifth installment in ten years of a car racing film franchise for me to reinstitute the Tuesday’s Top Trailer series after sidelining in favor of busy December movie and Oscar coverage. I spotted this trailer on IMDB’s home page and had to watch it right away, not having even known it was scheduled to be made or released. What’s especially significant about this film is that, about nine years ago or so, Vin Diesel had his pick of three sequels to star in after enormous success with “The Fast and the Furious,” “XXX,” and “Pitch Black.” Puzzlingly, he chose the last film, while the other two still got made without their original star. After a third film in the FF series without any of the original players, a fourth installment came out in 2009 with the original stars surprisingly intact, restoring Diesel to the film that really made him famous. Now, he’s back again, along with original cast members Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster, for yet another film. Both Diesel and Walker are on the wrong side of the law here, and I love how enemy commander warns, “Whatever you do, do not let them get into cars.” The Rock, a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson, is a fantastic choice to play the man hunting down the two fugitives, following the awesome, AFT-nominated ending to the most recent film. I don’t know what exactly those two characters will be up to, but I’m in, no question. I’m a bit less thrilled about the film being released in IMAX since I’m not eager to pay the exorbitant surcharge, but at least it’s not as bad as 3-D. Even if this was hastily put together after the success of episode four, I’m sure the action will be superb. And clearly Diesel is going back on a few of his decisions, also appearing in the third XXX movie, slated for release next year as well. I didn’t see number two in that series, but I know I’m excited for “Fast Five.”