'Fast & Furious' review

Vin Diesel (Credit: Universal)

Photos:

Anyone holding their breath to find out what happened to Dom (Vin Diesel) after 2001's "The Fast and the Furious" has long since passed out. For anyone else still interested in the exploits of this brutish criminal (who appeared only briefly in the second sequel, "Tokyo Drift"), Dom and FBI agent Brian (Paul Walker) return to take down a violent drug lord. Also back are Jordana Brewster as Dom's sister/Brian's ex and Michelle Rodriguez as Dom's best gal.

The buzz: In the last seven years these actors' stocks have fallen like, uh, most actual stocks. The series has likewise trickled downward from the entertaining first installment to 2003's spotty "2 Fast 2 Furious" to 2006's ridiculously cliché, star-free "Tokyo Drift." At least "Fast & Furious" can't be as unnecessary as the latest "Street Fighter" movie. Right?

The verdict: Par for the course: Dumb dialogue and Walker possessing fewer rough edges than pudding. But "Furious" doesn't even emphasize heart-pounding races, the series' bread and butter. It also suffers from the charisma strike that Diesel seems to have launched after shooting the original. (This guy belongs in the dictionary next to the word "uninspired.") Gone is the fun, vicarious thrill of badass guys racing killer cars and rolling with gorgeous girls they actually care about. What remains is the saga of unhappy, amoral and unlikable morons fighting crime. Not the same.

Did you know? Brian's boss claims that the only difference between a cop and a criminal is "one bad judgment call." Interesting he doesn't fire Brian—who constantly acts in his own unprofessional self-interest—after five such incidents in a row.

Video: Watch Matt's review of 'Fast and Furious'

Add a comment