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Fast and The Furious with a new cast!
Aaron Paul (fresh from the success of TV show Breaking Bad) plays Tobey Marshall in this flick who hangs out with a gang of like-minded (read: mechanic) friends – Scott Mescudi, (Benny), Ramon Rodriguez (Joe Peck) and Harrison Gibertson (Little Pete) – and loves to race when not fixing cars. A chance encounter with ‘old rival’ Dino (Dominic Cooper) makes him race again but tragedy strikes enroute the finish line, and Tobey ends up in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. He returns after serving his time and takes revenge on the antagonist just the way he knows – racing. Just like Fast and the Furious, right?
What I was expecting?
Since it is a Disney film, I was expecting a family drama and that’s what I got … a toned down version of Fast and the Furious, that too in 3D! Some of the driving scenes look really good in 3D, where you feel sitting next to the driver (or even in the driving seat!). Directed by Scott Waugh – a former stunt-performer himself – the film has luxury cars, reckless driving, beautiful women and unimaginable stunts, with a little mention of revenge in the air. It is everything a Fast and the Furious fan would expect, but without the heavy cast – you know Vin Diesel, The Rock and company.
What I wasn’t expecting?
How can a person who has spent time in prison be willing to travel from New York to San Francisco to prove his innocence, that too in a Ford Mustang that he helped construct before getting incarcerated? As soon as Tobey returns from jail, the movie become a revenge saga and with the help of his friends, he enters the world famous DeLeon tournament and races till the end to prove the point, and his innocence (I know, no logic!).
What I did experience …
It is a car chase movie; it doesn’t have to be logical! Remember Dhoom 3 or Fast and Furious 6? If a viewer pays for the ticket and then looks for logic in such films, then he should use his money elsewhere. The car racing, the scenes where the Ford Mustang jumps in the air, falls off the cliff, escapes the bounty hunters (yes, the protagonist has a bounty on his head) are top class since CGI is not as much involved (no budget, they say!). The 100 miles per hour drive on state highways, the car chases to avoid capture and the final race are also well executed, and if you are a fan of the video game, you would love it. Others would find it mindless and nonsense but action flicks are like that … logic takes a backseat and entertainment, the front.
What I will never forget …
I was not expecting Michael Keaton to be this bad and it turns out, he was liked by no one at all. He was irritating as the RJ Monarch (the ex-racer-turned-millionaire funding the secret race), and kept disturbing the pace of the movie; considering pace plays an important role in a movie where cars speak louder than actors. Aaron Paul talks like a descendant of Clint Eastwood which he could have avoided; the rest of the actors have nothing else to do than to look beautiful (in case of women) or act excited (in case of men). Scenes like the one where the Ford Mustang gets fuel could have been cut easily, but since it wasn’t, watch it to believe the stupidity. The story was nothing short of illogical but when you can digest Vin Diesel’s jump from across the bridge to save his girl in Fast and Furious 6, you can expect what you get in Need For Speed
‘Slow and Steady’ never wins the race!
How many movies about exotic cars, handsome hunks and racing have failed at the box office? Many; but what makes the ones that have succeeded stand out is the action, the adrenaline-fuelled stunt fest and the need to watch such a flick on the big screen. The last-minute decision to release the movie in 3D makes it superior, so don’t be late to the race. See you on the street, dude!
Omair Alavi works for Geo TV and can be contacted at omair78@gmail.com
