Old pals reteam to take on a Mexican heroin lord in the curiously titled Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the nomenclature riddled series. By far the darkest of the series, but if you’ve stuck with it this far you will find it comfortably familiar.
The most unfortunate thing about the film is that the plot very much revolves around the death of a major character, and this goes unrepresented in promotional material. Relax, it’s not Dom (Vin Diesel), but it isn’t Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker). Since I can assure you of their wellbeing, let me state that it is these two who must go undercover to fight the cartel. This is one bizarre operation these Mexicans are running. They a tunnel through a mountain and need expert street racers to drive at high speeds through the narrow tunnel in order to drop off the goods before our government catches on.
Justin Lin, who helmed The Fast and the & Furious: Tokyo Drift, returns behind the camera. This marks the first time a director resumed work on this franchise. His flair for action is noticeable; providing visually pleasing sequences, which are also easy to follow. Computer work is easy to look past, however there is one heinous offense. At what point did street racing become TRON? That’s exactly what will go through your mind during a GPS guided race between perspective smugglers. Mr. Wizard couldn’t program a GPS device to display what we see on the screen, which is a shocking vector graphics 3D model. It goes as far as including representations of gyrating flag girls which moves me to my next point.
Besides cars, something else this series is noteworthy for is its objectification of women. You can’t but help to roll your eyes at the gratuitous forwardness of Gisele (Gal Gadot). This is also the first in the series to feature the filming of sex tape. The scenes in which mindless degradation occur, are too numerous to list. Maybe that’s where the “furious” side of the title comes from.
Kudos to Paul Walker for not dropping the ball on acting. Despite growing up, his Brian O’Conner still has a little boy gleam in his face as he selects a car. As for Diesel, Dominic Toretto remains his signature role. Supporting roles are a mixed bag, and considering that this takes place before the third entry, it is unfortunate that Han’s (Sung Kang) time with us is nothing but a wink at the fans.
It’s less family friendly, though the series isn’t expected to be for little Johnny. Fans of cars may be a little let down because tuning and racing take a back seat to relationships, and the autos are entirely expendable. The plot doesn’t totally add up since the antagonist should be able to see easier ways to smuggle. The semi, which they used to sneak their cars across, went unchecked by customs; why not load it up for the trip back? If his right-hand man has to lead them through the tunnels, why not just leave the smuggling to him? Gripes aside, it ends on a pleasing note for what may go down as the definitive action series of the 2000’s. For most fans, the ride will prove to be worth it so long as you don’t bring your brain or much of your heart. **½
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