Fast & Furious 6

Fast & Furious over the last few installments has become all about action. And the latest outing takes it a step further. Almost 20% of the movie is comprised of action sequences. And at the expense of action, plot, writing, characters all take a backseat. But no one's complaining. Why ? Because the action makes up for all of it.

Do the above statements sound cliché ??? The movie's plot is full of such silly dialogs so its best ignored in the current context. What works is the action - Lin and his crew bring us some of the most ridiculously outrageous and boldly conceived action sequences. There's an intense chase through London in the initial reels and also a race later on. There's a whole plane take-off-crash sequence towards the end that you've probably got a glimpse of in the trailers. The girls are no slouches either and we see an intense hand-to-hand fight of sorts between Michelle Rodriguez's Letty and Gina Carano's Riley.

But the movie's best sequence is undoubtedly the 10 minute Tank chase across the freeway that involves most of the cast and culminates in a breathtaking "catch" (about which I'd not say any further). The camera cuts like crazy, music is pulsating and that single sequence is probably worth the price of the movie ticket.

Apart from action, Furious 6 doesn't have much going for it. Dialog is standard, at times even silly and predictable, characters are flat, performances are decent. The car chases and night scenes got me so involved, I actually felt a bit strange leaving the theater and coming out into the real world's broad daylight. And the post-credits scene is simply, a treat which makes the next installment in the series worth looking forward to. Suffice it to say that in the end, the movie drifts full circle.

Watch it for the action, and for the action alone. If you expect any sort of character development or family issues like the first installment had, you'll be disappointed. Else, you're in for one hell of a ride.

Score: 7 / 10

Another awesome installment to the franchise! Fast & Furious 6 is actually better than its predecessor! It has great characters, humor, action and of course sexy cars/women!

The previous installments of this franchise (specifically 1,2, Tokyo Drift and 4) was all about racing, sure there's a plot but it wasn't really shown well, then part 5 happened and the franchise took a different turn, it now became a heist film instead of the usual racing. I hated and I loved this turn of the franchise, I hated it because in part 5, the racing competition aspect of the film is gone, it became chases but I also loved this turn because it made the franchise take a different approach. My question is, will this formula still work with part 6? Find out below.

Story: The story in this movie picks up after the previous one where it was known that 'Letty' (Michelle Rodriguez) was still alive and I admit that they handled her "resurrection" quite well but that is only the sub-plot of this movie. The main plot is Hobbs (The Rock) is chasing after Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). He then gets the help of Toretto and Brian's crew by using Letty as bait (or that's how I see it). The story is pretty simple and they told it without adding anymore sub plot but some of the sub plots that were made felt very crowded to the story even though it was solved. It just felt a little heavy and a bit too much for the movie.

Acting: If you saw the previous installments from this franchise well then you ain't missing anything from their performance, it's pretty much the same but I have to say this though, Vin Diesel and The Rock displays pure bad-assery in this movie. That being said, I will give my two cents on the two characters from this movie which are Gina Carano who played Riley and Luke Evans who is Owen Shaw. Carano was able to hold her own despite having little dialogue and what makes her character seems badass is because of her action scene, this is actually one of the things I'm looking forward to upon seeing this movie because I loved her in 'Haywire' (awesome film, check it out) and I;m confident to say that I am not disappointed with her on this one. Next is Luke Evans, he IMO is one the versatile actors in the industry today, you can cast him in almost any role and he displays a good performance. In here is the main villain although he gave a good performance in this role I find it hard to find him as an effective villain, there is something missing with his performance here I'm just not sure what it is.

Action: The Fast franchise is definitely known for having one of the best car chases ever and this one doesn't disappoint and it does not only have car chases but also fist fights, head bangin' and other sh*t. Even though some of the action scene were very over the top it was still entertaining and was handled pretty well. The action was not violent or brutal as it showed little to no blood and being a fan of R-13 I can say that this rating does not fit well to the style of FF and I'm happy and contented with it's PG-13 rating. IMO this is the most action-packed FF film so far.

Cinematography: The cinematographer did a wonderful job here, the shots were just amazing and adds depth to the mood that is set within each scene. The shots were able to show scenery that really captures the beauty of the set and like I said the mood of the scene.

Direction: I wasn't much of a fan of Lin's direction here, it was pretty slow which made the film a little boring for me despite having heavy action. Even though the movie is a little slow paced, Lin was able to tell the story with it's whole heart. I liked how he did the pacing in FF 5 though.

Overall: 'Fast and Furious 6' was high-octane action movie injected with some humor. Using the same formula as the previous one made this film good and also bringing back the racing aspect of the original FF films. While I consider the FF 5 is still the best one in the franchise, I can still say that this is one solid addition to it. I give this movie a 3.5/5

P.S. Watch the post-credit scene, it made me get hyped for Fast and Furious 7.

While most franchises lose their steam with each succeeding sequel, the Fast and the Furious franchise is that rare exception where its later films breathe in new life into the series. Once a franchise about car racing, "Fast Five" took an unexpected turn as a bank heist thriller in the vein of Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's 11," a welcomed change as seen by its huge box office earnings and critical success. Now, "Furious 6" is neither about car racing nor bank heists, but rather a terrorist threat with obvious inspirations from "The Dark Knight." Like "Fast Five," the results are immensely satisfying and undeniably entertaining.

The key to the franchise's upward turn in quality is due to director Justin Lin. He is a skilled action director, and many filmmakers can learn a few things or two from him: The action sequences are impressive, engaging, comprehensible, and well-shot, with practical effects to boot. There is a sense of danger, verve, and life in these scenes rarely found in other films, despite how over-the-top and ridiculous they may be; and yes, they often drift into gratify-defying territory. While I usually don't react out loudly when watching a film, this film had me gasping, jaw dropping, laughing, and applauding, sometimes all at once!

Another ingredient to the film's success is the chemistry between the cast members. We have grown to love these characters over the course of the series that one cannot help but cheer on for them. In particular, Tyrese Gibson and Ludicrous have such a terrific rapport with each other that they provide some of the film's biggest laughs and memorable one-liners. Additionally, Luke Evans is definitely a step up above the previous film's antagonist, and Gina Carano provides some great ass-kicking moments, although not much performance-wise. On another note, I want to mention how refreshing it is to see minority actors fill these roles. Certainly, the film's use of a diverse ensemble cast should be commended. As for the story, it's nothing special, but I dare you not to act surprised when several plot twists are revealed; I did so more than I would like to admit.

If there's one thing to learn about this franchise, it's that some change can be a good thing. While the later sequels do focus away from the car racing, they still featured cars, which helped retain old fans while bringing in new ones. "Furious 6" is terrific entertainment, and judging by yet another dazzling cliffhanger and the audience's reaction, "Fast & Furious 7" will be an amazing finale for the series. Unfortunately, Justin Lin won't be back around for the last installment, but someone please get this man to direct every and all upcoming action flicks.

Part 6 does not disappoint. More action then ever. If you added Bruce Willis this could have been Die Hard 6