Today’s quick review: Fast & Furious 6. Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) come out of retirement when Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) recruits them for a special mission. Their task is to hunt down Shaw (Luke Evans), a terrorist close to assembling a device capable of crippling a country’s military for 24 hours. Dom and Brian must reunite their tight-knit crew of drivers, thieves, and friends to scour London for Shaw.
Fast & Furious 6 is an action movie and the sixth entry in the Fast & Furious series. Fast & Furious 6 takes the series one step closer to pure action, with a plot more resembling a spy movie than the series’ roots in street racing. The transition is handled with good humor: the characters make jokes about the shift in scale, and cars remain at the center of the action.
The change in plot allows Fast & Furious 6 to go even farther in terms of action. The car scenes include a few creative conceits that keep the driving fresh. The extra gunfights and hand-to-hand combat are enjoyable, especially with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson providing some muscle. While the plot is not quite as tight as Fast Five’s, it serves up plenty of action both on and off the road.
Like its predecessor, Fast & Furious 6 features an ensemble cast headlined by Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson. Most of the cast from Fast Five returns, bringing their easy banter with them. Fast & Furious 6 plays up the familial aspects of Dom’s crew, and their compatability and loyalty are enough to give the movie a bit of heart without having to include too many character arcs.
Watch Fast & Furious 6 if you are looking for a well-executed action film with a large cast and imaginative stunts. Though a direct sequel to Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 stands well enough on its own that knowledge of the previous films is not necessary to enjoy it. The shift towards generic action may turn off some Fast & Furious fans, but Fast & Furious 6 remains a solid entry into the action genre while retaining its unique focus on cars.
7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for great action, a good cast, and a reasonable plot.