Review: "Furious 6"

I understand if you don't like the Fast & Furious franchise. They're easy to dismiss as loud, dumb car flicks for an image-obsessed MTV generation. The cast looks hand-picked out of Muscle and Fitness magazine and the Victoria's Secret catalogue. You're not wrong. But, what could be considered "stupid" has evolved into "silly" fun, thanks to Justin Lin, who directed the last four installments, and his writer, Chris Morgan. Through sly reinvention and subtle refinement, they've managed to turn this niche franchise into blockbuster entertainment, going bigger and improving the formula with each new chapter.

What I really admire about these films, and I'm going to assume it is the direct influence of Lin and Morgan, is the feeling that this is all one big story. Yes, the franchise has stumbled. Mistakes were made. But none of the films are disregarded. Even 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift, which feature little-to-no involvement from the big name players are considered canon. As new characters are folded into the universe -- such as the popular addition of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Agent Luke Hobbs in Fast Five -- Lin and Morgan consistently find ways to include characters from the past (even if they were thought to be dead), tying all the films together, and making every installment essential viewing for fans. Yes, it's macho soap opera, but one that changes gears and ups the stakes, while also embracing its roots and remembering to have fun. That's no small feat, considering how many action franchises continue plugging away with sequels that fail to be anything but pale imitations of their original. (Looking at you, Die Hard!)

For Furious 6, Agent Hobbs approaches Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) for help in taking down a notorious group of criminals who use military tactics and fast cars in their heists. Operating out of London, one of the group's members is of special interest to Dom: his former lover, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), who was supposedly killed at the beginning of the fourth film. It doesn't take long for Dom to assemble his crew, which includes Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang), Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot), and Tej Parker (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) who will work alongside of Hobbs and Agent Riley (Gina Carano). Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and Elena Neves (Elsa Pataky) make appearances in the film, but are sidelined for much of the action.

Once in London, it doesn't take long for Dom's crew to see firsthand how slippery and dangerous this criminal team is. Led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) they seem to be two steps ahead of the authorities in a game of "vehicular warfare" that even has Dom's experienced crew at a severe disadvantage. Shaw's team is intent on stealing something very important that has no real bearing on the plot at all -- a classic macguffin -- but let's call it a doohickey that will complete their whatchamacallit which could be used by terrorists to hurt lots of people. Got it? Right. It's an excuse for lots of chases.

Action-wise, the film features some of the largest, most complex set pieces of the entire series. That first scene in London, with Shaw racing around in what looks like a modified Formula-1 car has great stunt work and cool gadgets, but the highlight is probably a freeway chase involving a tank that puts our heroes in serious jeopardy. Fair warning, there are a few death-defying stunts that disregard physics to the point of super-heroics, which will either make you cheer or groan. I think if you're into the movie by that point, however, it's going to be the former. If hand-to-hand combat is more your thing, there's a tag-team match featuring Diesel and Johnson versus Evans and one of his nameless goons (the guy is freakishly HUGE though); a hilarious fight with Tyrese and Sung Kang taking on Joe Taslim from The Raid: Redemption; plus two knock-down-drag-out fights between Michelle Rodriquez and Gina Carano.

While it's not all cherries and cream -- there's a pointless subplot involving Brian turning himself in to get information from a prison inmate that yields nothing at all, and the incessant use of the term "family" (we get it!)-- I'm not sure what more you could want from a Fast & Furious movie. Maybe realism, but that's just not their style.