Director: James Wan
Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham
Certificate: 12a
Running Time: 137 minutes
Synopsis: Following the explosive action of FAST SIX, Dom (Diesel), Brian (Walker) and the rest of the crew find themselves stalked by Owen Shaw’s older, meaner brother, Deckard Shaw (Statham).
The FAST AND THE FURIOUS films have evolved greatly over the years, starting out with their humble beginnings in 2001 with a POINT BREAK in cars plot, it has since gone on to become something much more. From five onwards, and the addition of action star Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, there’s been less driving more fighting, and SEVEN ramps that up another notch. The latest petrol fuelled venture upgrades the usual racing with elements of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and a revenge flick.
Statham’s inclusion is a fanboys wet dream and the Brit muscle does not disappoint. Deckard lives up to his shadow nickname appearing out of nowhere in a rather Terminator-like way. Having such a high profile action hero in the villain role will leave some questioning their allegiances, but his inclusion, leading to a smashing smackdown with Johnson, and an epic almost gladiatorial finale battle with Diesel, is something action junkies have been dreaming about forever.
At the heart of the film, as always, is Paul Walker and his alter-ego Brian O’Conner; the whole proceedings a touching and fitting tribute to the actor who was tragically taken a little over a year ago. The closing sequence of FAST 7 is so moving, poignant and beautifully crafted that there will not be a dry eye in the house.
James Wan has a strong back catalogue of horror and some might be dubious about the decision to let him take the mantle, especially when Justin Lin (who has directed the last four) has done such good work. Wan though shows that he has more than darkness and anguish in him, deftly crafting a true all-out action thrill ride. Each set piece gets bigger than the last, and just when you think there’s nothing that can be done to top it, the next one ups the ante even more. We’ve all seen the car parachute jump in the trailer, that is followed by Brain escaping a bus toppling off of a cliff and it all rounds of with The Rock wasting half of Los Angeles with a mini gun – Arnold Schwarzenegger eat your heart out. These set pieces of course would be nothing without the fantastic work of the stunt team, the stuff that these people can do is incredible.
Its greatest strength is also the biggest weakest for FAST 7, there’s a point where the stunts get almost too big, the film coming dangerously close to unforgivable farce territory. Fortunately it swings back around at just the right moment and the end result is a fitting love letter to those of us in the generation raised by this franchise.
FAST 7 is fast, furious, fiendishly fun and packs one hell of an emotional punch. Don’t forget the tissues.
[usr=4]FAST AND FURIOUS 7 races into cinemas from Friday 3rd April.
