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TV show review: CONTINUUM season 4
PHOTOGRAPHY

FAST FIVE (2011)
Movie Review by David Blackwell
 
130 minutes, Rated PG-13
ASPECT RATIO:  2.35:1
STUDIO:  Universal Pictures/ original Films/ One Race Films
Theatrical RELEASE DATE:  4-29-2011
 
STARRING Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordanna Brewster, Gal Gadot
DIRECTED by Justin Lin

Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel), his sister Mia (Jordanna Brewster), and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) are on the run together after breaking Dom out of a prison bus.   They end up in Rio De Janeiro where they help with a car heist from a train.   Stealing the cars go wrong when Mia takes a car and the car theft crew try to kill Dom and Brian.    Dom, Mia, and Brian find their lives in danger once again as they find out that the most powerful criminal Reyes wants a chip in the car that Mia drove away in.  The chip gives locations to all of the places where Reyes has his drug money stashed.   Dom and Brian call in a crew of old friends (from the previous FAST AND FURIOUS films) to help steal all of the $100 million in drug money that Reyes has.   Complicating matters is Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a holier-than-thou federal agent who hunts down federal fugitives who escaped US custody, brought in (with his crew) to apprehend Dom and Brian.

 

FAST FIVE switches gears in the way the story is told.  the last film was Grindhouse-style while this film is a pure heist film.   The FAST AND FURIOUS films have been about family, betrayal, and lots of fast cars at the core of each film.   They use Rio to the advantage of the film along with bringing back old characters from various films (including one from the horrible second film in the FAST AND FURIOUS series).   They shift away from car racing a bit and save it for the heist in the climax which reminds me of an amped up version of the heist chase scene in the original version of THE ITALIAN JOB (not to be confused with the horrible remake).    They even use Gal Gadot's real experience in the Israeli military as part of her sexy character.   Then you have the smackdown scene between the Rock and vin Diesel (it's like watching a human version of Godzilla Vs. King Kong).  I really loved seeing FAST FIVE turn the series into a heist film mode because this is the most fun film of the FAST AND FURIOUS series.

 

Don't forget to catch the extra scene during the credits which shows the only way they can set up for FAST SIX.   FAST FIVE improves on the last film while FAST SIX sets up something that will turn one of the character's world upside down.

this movie review is (c)5-5-2011 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com