Fast Five

Fast Five, the latest installment of the The Fast and the Furious, stars a who’s who mash-up of numerous cast members from its previous films. The variety in in the cast draws some appeal because star power sells.

This go-round they're in Rio de Janeiro, a paradise decorated by breath-taking scenery and eye-candy alike. But our crew isn’t there for any of that.   

After a scene of unlikely stunts involving car thievery from a moving train which contains DEA seized evidence and a death-defying jump from a car into an ocean, partners-in-crime, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) are in the clutches of crime boss Hernane Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) and his thugs. Brian and Dom manage to escape Reyes’ underground warehouse with the car, which contains a special microchip.

From the chip, they discover the Brazilian boss is running a money laundering scheme of over $100 million.

On Dom’s heels after the train heist, Diplomatic Security Service Agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) hunts him down at his hideout, along with local officer Elena Neves (Elsa Patasky). But they’re soon intercepted by crossfire from Reyes’ goons who had a similar idea.

Mia (Jordana Brewster), Brian’s girlfriend and Dom’s sister, is pregnant and growing weary of the on-the-run lifestyle for her family and unborn child. With Reyes and the law after them, they promise to quit their thieving ways – but only after this last job.

For reasons only to make the movie more appealing, Dom and Brian ultimately devise a plan to bring a team of specialists together to pull a heist on Reyes’ laundered money. Dom gets little a cocky, making it known that he’s coming after money. So Reyes’ pulls a chess move and transports his drug money into the vault of a police station to avoid any tampering.

The road to breaking the vault doesn’t come without the high-speed adrenaline rushing scenes in suped up cars the Fast series is known for. It’s like Ocean’s Eleven - minus the wardrobe - on illegal wheels.  

The team goes through a run of various trial and error exercises to insure their fully prepared to execute their plan.

This film is a great prelude to the summer blockbusters on the way. The jaw-dropping action may be unrealistic but real automobile enthusiasts and action fanatics will stay entertained. Fans of these films aren’t crowding theaters to see Academy Award winning acting; they want to be awestruck by the action. The acting isn’t bad though, and there are a few good laughs between the action.   

This (in my humble opinion) is the best of all the Fast and Furious movies. When comparing it to the others, what comes to mind is the Daft Punk song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger." 

I’m guessing this might be the last installment of the series – can’t really complain – I like to see titles go out on top. This film earns 3 out 4.