May. 04, 2011 - Issue #811: On being a John
Fast Five
At best, action scenes are slick, but the throttling dialogue (cue pounding music, beginning of action scene, and the actors still having to say: "Ready?" "I'm ready."), long hard looks, and heist clichés skid on for blocks. (Cars 2 now has the summer's pole position.)
All Rio's police are corrupt save one cutie, and only America's super hi-tech, gun-strapped top cops, led by Hobbs (Johnson), can stop fugitives Dominic, Brian (Paul Walker), his pregnant beau Mia (Jordana Brewster), and the rest of this Rio's Eleven. They're ripping off a crimelord controlling a slum, robbing him to save the 'hood. Except they destroy a parking-lot worth of cars and kilometres of Rio streets to do it before taking off with the $100 million. Maybe Fast Five's really a sly metaphor for US hit-and-run wars abroad, where Americans come in, condescend to the natives, destroy much of the place in the name of "freedom," then screech out of there.
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Fast FiveOpens Now playing
Directed by: Justin Lin
Written by: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson
Featuring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster
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