Since Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian’s (Paul Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million in Fast Five, Toretto’s motley crew has scattered across the globe.  But their inability to return to the US and living forever on the run have left their lives incomplete.

Meanwhile, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has been following an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose leader (Luke Evans) has a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez).  The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London.  They agree if all of them are granted full pardons so they can return home and make their families whole again.

As a fan of the franchise, I was anxiously awaiting this film and I was not disappointed. Yes the cars are fast, the chase scenes are intense and well executed (no matter how unbelievable) and the fight scenes were brutal. But what I was looking forward to was meeting up with my old friends. You see, this franchise has done something they may have never intended to do. They made movies that are clearly marketed to a specific demographic, young and MALE, and made them completely accessible and captivating to men AND women of all ages and interests. Maybe this was their plan the whole time. Well, it worked. I am hooked. They created a family that I will continue to root for, and this latest film is no different. At the core of these films is the Toretto family and its love, loss and commitment to each other. That’s what makes these films so special.

Also notable is the writers willingness to have a character depart from the story at any point in the film, and this does not just refer to Letty. They show you the grief and pain that you feel when you lose a loved one. the movies are about the cars and chases for sure but they don’t skimp on the emotion. And even though Vin Diesel is not known for his acting abilities, I believe him. He has invested as much into his character as the writer and you can see it.

There is a twist in at the end, so if you haven’t seen the earlier movies, make sure you do or you will not understand the reference. AND you NEED to understand the reference. It seems the Fast & Furious franchise is determined to make every movie up to this date count as part of the storyline.

If you are looking for the next Academy Award winner for Best Picture  from Fast & Furious 6, you are not going to find it. However, if you want a fun, over the top, entertaining couple of hours, then buckle up and go see this movie!

Nicole Curet (1 Posts)

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