Fast and Furious (12A)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez,
Directed by: Justin Lin
Released: 10/04/09

The tagline reads…” New Model, Original Parts”. Essentially the original cast has remerged with a structurally (un)sound plot which is basically about women, fast cars and what makes their engines rev. So no changes there, though this one involves more emotion and a revenge plot. Then again do you actually expect anything different from the fourth in this franchise?

Ex-con, Dom (Vin Diesel) and F.B.I Agent, O’Conner (Paul Walker) find themselves attempting to take down a drug lord with a grudge. Both have their own agenda and will have to work together to achieve it. The film engages with a brief flirtation of asking its audience to take it seriously by using subtitles and exotic locations, it even requires you to use your brain in some scenes…

The first film was like getting behind the wheel of a car when you first turn seventeen… a new and exciting feeling. The second recreated the emotion you feel upon passing your driving test (relief and anticipation) and the third...sadly the third is when you crash a car and it becomes a write off… the fourth, I am happy to inform you, is a mixture of the first two with a few new illegal mod cons built in.

Since I first saw Herbie as a child I have been fascinated by cars and what they can do… my secret dream is to be a street racer, a dream sadly hindered by the fact that I only possess a provisional driving licence! This film is not and never will be as good as classic car films such as The Italian Job (the original, not the remake), Gone in 60 Seconds (the remake, not the original) or even Pixars’ Cars. But, for a rough and ready high speed chase or two and an adrenalin injection or three, this ticks all the boxes.


Amy V Gathercole