Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez team up again for some more adrenaline pumping action. This movie takes place after Fast Five. After dealing with being chassed by federal agent Luke Hobbs in the previous movie, Hobbs now finds himself asking Dom and his crew to go to London to help him take down a team of mercenary drivers. Once Dom finds out Letty is still alive he convinces his crew to help Hobbs and help him find Letty on the condition they get full pardons. Once again some of the previous stars through the past Fast and Furious films return, including Tyrese Gibson, (Roman Pearce 2 Fast 2 Furious) Ludacris (Tej 2 Fast 2 Furious), Gal Gadot, (Gisele Fast and Furious) Sung Kang (Han Tokyo Drift), and Elsa Patakay (Elena) all return for a even more packed Fast and Furious movie. When Toretto and his team join forces with Hobbs (The Rock) you know this is going to one heck of an action packed ride your in for. Hobbs knows only the best drivers can help him get the job done of capturing this criminal (Luke Evans). This movie is even more action packed from start to finish than the last one. Sure there are a few over the top moments as the previous one, but it is still one awesome ride. Just like the original film that started it all, this new and second to last will entertain you and keep you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think the movies over they throw in a twist which bring on even more action and drama. I don't want to give away the ending for those who haven't seen it, but be advised to stay for a minute or so after the credits to see what is in store for the next installment, which also ties everything up just perfect and bridging Tokyo Drift to the present day. Also with the addition of Jason S. the next and final Fast and Furious movie is going to be just as good if not better!
Directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, Fast Five), Fast & Furious 6 stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, along with Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner reunited once again when Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) approaches them for help to take down a rival crew, run by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Shaw's crew also includes Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dom's former girlfriend that was allegedly killed while assisting the FBI who has been suffering from amnesia since her supposed fatal car accident. With official pardons being used as collateral to clear their names, Toretto, O'Conner, and the rest of their crew must assist Hobbs in stopping Shaw and his crew from stealing components to assemble a devastating weapon that would have the ability to knock out electronically crash an entire region. Jordana Brewster, Gina Carano, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and Tyrese Gibson also star in supporting roles.
After the conclusion of Tokyo Drift, it would have been hard to imagine the Fast & Furious franchise surviving long enough to make another film but here we are, three sequels later with another on the way in 2014. To be honest, Fast & Furious (2009) didn't have a whole lot going for it other than it reunited the original cast, but it was enough of a commercial success to spawn Fast Five, which is by far and away the best film of the franchise. With that being said, it was always going to be a massive undertaking to exceed the entertainment value of Fast Five. However, Fast & Furious 6 definitely gives Fast Five a run for its money due in large part to the addition of another crew that is just as talented as Toretto's crew, not to mention the return of Michelle Rodriguez.
Fast & Furious 6 is basically split down the center with two different plots coinciding with one another, the first being the crew assisting Hobbs to take down the Shaw gang, and the second to return Michelle Rodriguez's character to her once prominent position as one of the franchise's main characters. The Letty storyline is a bit silly when you really think about it, but then again the whole franchise is pretty silly in itself since basically all of the characters should either be dead or in jail. Still, the storyline works enough to get Rodriguez back in the mix and to be completely honest, the franchise was really lacking the role of a dominant female that Gal Gadot and Elsa Pataky had been desperately trying to fulfill in the past two sequels. Now that Letty is back in full swing, ***SPOILER it should be no surprise to see that Gadot and Pataky were essentially written out of the franchise by the conclusion of Fast Six***
It's not as though the Fast & Furious films are overly impressive with the overall quality of acting or meaningful dramatization (they star Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for cryin' out loud), so it shouldn't be too surprising that these films have taken on a watered-down, soap opera-ish feel to them. Regardless, viewers are obviously invested in these characters, clearly having fallen in love with them and continuing to want to know what happens to them. At the same time, you have to wonder how long these films can keep going at the rate they are progressing because no matter how many times a character says their predicament presents "another level" of difficulty, it still feels the same as the last film. That's not to say these films aren't exciting, because they absolutely are, but the more action these films dish out, the harder it will be to get to the finish line the next time around.
The best part of these films (outside of the cars) is waiting to see in what direction the story will be taken next. Like the popular Marvel films, the Fast & Furious franchise has adopted the "scene after the credits" to help set up the lead-in for the next film. For example, Fast & Furious was a direct lead-in to Fast Five, while Fast Five's ending saw the return of Eva Mendes to drop the bombshell about Letty still being alive and well, Tokyo Drift supposedly taking place out of order is just plain strange (especially since viewers already know the ultimate fate of Han). How does Fast & Furious 6 end? Well, you'll have to go to the theater to get the answer to that question, but let's just say a HUGE A-list actor will be taking the reins in Fast 7 as the main villain. This scene also ties up a MAJOR loose end from Tokyo Drift that wasn't even a loose end at the time. Sound confusing? Well, go watch the film and ask questions after.
Overall, Fast & Furious 6 is a terrific addition to the franchise, featuring no shortage of big engines, big thrills and a rather large tank. Team Torreto continues to hit on all cylinders and will easily cross the finish line at the box office with another victory under their belt paving the way for next year's sequel (which everyone will be clamoring about after the final scene of the film). Feel free to buy your tickets in advance, because Fast & Furious 6 is a MUST SEE.
Overall Grade B
FNDNreview.com(Spoiler free)
All roads have truly led to this latest installment of the Fast and The Furious series, Fast 6. Although it is somewhat lengthy, I didn't mind because the movie kept me entertained throughout the entire thing. Its a must watch for any car fan. The stunts are simply amazing, the cars are sexy as ever, and plus Michelle Rodriquez is back! Fast 7 comes out next summer, so be sure to catch this one in theaters because it brings viewera up to speed with every movie, even Tokyo Drift.It is hard to believe that the 5th entry of a series, any movie series at that, is the best of the group. Fast Five did just that with the Fast and Furious movies. Over-the-top action sequences, a great cast of action stars and recognizable faces from each of the films before, and enough ridiculous dialogue to keep the humor both intentional and unintentional. How could they top themselves? Well, watch Fast & Furious 6, and you'll know how.
From the post-credits scene of Fast Five, we knew that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) would be back in part 6. Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and new partner, Riley (Gina Carano), investigate and find that Letty is a part of a new group of hijackers, similar to the crew we've come to know and love from the Fast & Furious series. The leader and main target of this new group is Owen Shaw (Luke Evans, a name to keep tabs on, he'll be a much bigger star in the next couple years). In order to properly combat this new group, Hobbs goes to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), and has him put together his old team. Following the events of Fast Five, the group is spread out all over the world: Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) has just had a baby boy with Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster); Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) parties with women in his personal jet all over the world; Tej Parker (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) gives back to the poor by rigging ATM machines; Han (Sung Kang) and Gisele (Gal Gadot) are trying to settle down in Tokyo. They all get the call from Vin, and the group comes together to help Hobbs. In return for bringing down Owen Shaw, Hobbs will allow them to figure out what happened to Letty, and give them all pardons so that they can return back to the United States from being fugitives.
From the moment Hobbs is shown on screen, in a scene where he beats up a man as big as him by throwing him around an interrogation room, you know you are in for a ridiculous treat. The action throughout this movies is top notch, from the first sequence where the group meets Owen Shaw and his team, featuring "evil twins" of everyone in Vin and Hobbs group, including a martial arts ass-kicker played by The Raid: Redemption star, Joe Taslim, and a large muscle bound body builder type, played by newcomer, Kim Kold. Shaw and his team enlist the help of 'flip cars', which look like a cross between Indy 500 racing cars and the futuristic cars of Mad Max and The Road Warrior. The chase sequence sees Hobbs jumping out of a car and onto another one from a bridge, and Letty shooting Dominic without knowing who he is. It's ridiculous, but would we have it any other way? This leads to more epic car chases, macho posturing between Hobbs and Dominic, as well as humorous turns by Roman and Tej. A love subplot exists between Han and Gisele, Brian now is a father, and Owen's past of working with Braga (John Ortiz), the villain from the 4th film, are all made known throughout the film.
The action remains the focus, because let's face it, there's only so much ridiculous dialogue that can be said by Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and The Rock. We care about the characters, but only to set up the next action sequence. Highlights are a fight between Rodriguez and Carano (twice!), Joe Taslim showing off his martial arts abilities, and a highway chase sequence featuring a tank destroying everything, including human life, without so much as blinking. At one point in the sequence, you will suddenly suspend disbelief and watch multiple characters fly through the air as if they were non-superhero superheroes. It doesn't matter, the fact remains that it's so much fun to watch, your brain will enjoy anything at this point because of the excellent film-making at hand by director and series takeover writer, Justin Lin. The real treat is the final action sequence that sees the group chasing down a cargo jet on a runway (that might be 10 miles long with the amount of stuff that happens) that features flying cars, fights between everyone in the hero and villain group on top of cars and inside a cargo jet, twists, turns, and deaths of characters, leading to a pulse pounding conclusion so awesome and over-the-top, you'll have to catch your breath afterwards.
How could anything follow this? Stick around to the final scene before the credits, and you'll be in disbelief as the series comes full circle and finally explains the strange Tokyo Drift movie and Han's inclusion in all of this, as well as the next movie's villain. The creators of this series, mainly Justin Lin and Vin Diesel, known exactly which buttons to hit to make the series a who's who of action stars today, while creating a cohesive universe of characters for a movie that just started out as a typical action film back in 2001. It hits all of the points it needs to: HUGE action setpieces, a great cast, macho dialogue, hot women, fist fights and gun fights galore, and plot twists aplenty. I for one love every single one of these movies, and cannot wait to see where they go from here. Fast & Furious 7 is coming next year already, now with James Wan at the helm, I hope he can keep up the energy and fun that Justin Lin has brought with Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6. I also hope Sylvester Stallone is taking notes for his Expendables movies, because the Fast & Furious movies are outdoing him by a long shot in terms of action and star power, and they show no sign of slowing down. I'll be the first one to tell you that this is the best movie of the summer so far, and I'll watch this series until Vin Diesel is an old man flying through the air to save his children from driving a car over the top of a skyscraper.
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