Cast: Vin Disel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon and Don Omar
Director: Justin Lin
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language
Genre: Action-Thriller
Running time: 2hrs 10min
Release Date: April 29, 2011
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
By John Delia
The action thriller Fast Five with its hot rod theme leaves the past four episodes in the dust. High on energy, exhilarating plot and amazing chase scenes make this a must see adrenaline pumper. The opening ten minutes are so wild it took my breath away.
This episode of Fast and Furious finds Brian (Paul Walker) and Dom (Vin Diesel) on the run after breaking Dom out from a prison bus on the way to the lock-up. Looking for more action and going into hiding they end up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they set up a new scheme to knock off a corrupt businessman who controls the city. The plan set up by Dom seems foolproof until FBI agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) takes a stab at binging him and his crew down.
The directing by Justin Lin is creative, costly and daring putting his cast and stuntmen in some intricate positions while blowing up a train, toppling a huge bus and destroying a plethora of cars and other vehicles. But that chancy move brings an explosive film to the screen and that’s one of the reasons I highly recommend Fast Five. If he tried to outdo his dynamite enhanced 2009 Fast & Furious, he succeeded.
Although the acting’s nothing to write home about, after all we are dealing with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster who are best known for their looks and not their acting talent, their
presence does make the film worth seeing. But, what saves the talent end however, comes from Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tego Calderon and Don Omar who provide a comical touch and Dwayne Johnson causing a lot of violence with their limited screen time. Add to this the hot chicks in the form of Brewster, Elsa Pataky and Gal Gardot and you have a recipe for high box-office revenue.
Fast Five is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, sexual content and language.
FINAL ANALYSIS: It’s a film made in heaven for thrill seekers and fast car fans. (A-)