Faster

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

A former bank robber (Dwayne Johnson) is released after serving a lengthy prison sentence, with only one thing on his mind- cold, brutal revenge on all those who were involved in his brother's murder all those years ago. But as he goes about his deadly mission, he finds himself on a personal, emotional inner battle as he considers the possibility of redemption and forgiveness.

There's nothing unusual about an ex wrestler trying to eke out a post wrestling career by appearing in low budget, straight to DVD action films or maybe the odd supporting role in a big screen action thriller. And everyone would have had every reason to write off Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as one such example from the off set. But here we have an ex grappler who appears to have gone above and beyond and made an impression on critics and cinema goers alike that not many others have. He's considered to have a charisma and charm that makes him a natural 'actor' and not just another ex fighter pretending to be a real such thing. While I don't necessarily agree with all this appraisal, I can't deny what I see, which is just such. And while Faster has gone straight to DVD, there is undoubtedly an air and atmosphere to it that isn't apparent in your average such film.

There is a clever, high concept element to it in the way all the characters aren't given proper names, but simply descriptions of them, i.e. 'Driver' or 'Receptionist', as we could know their real names, but we might have to be killed if we did. But Faster is aiming to be more than your average DVD action film in more ways than this. It is a cold, brutal story of a man on a mission of honour and sworn vengeance that he can't switch off, and it plays out in this hard, unforgiving way, before the power of redemption and forgiveness dawn on him and he is forced to search his own soul and make sacrifices of himself before he crosses the line and loses any sense of moral authority.

While the end impression doesn't leave the powerful impact it quite could have, this is an undeniably ambitious and surprising action thriller that delivers a lot more than it promises. ***

Faster does not try to be anything it's not. It is a fast paced action flick with plausible performances from all round.

I've always liked Thornton as he is very good at playing a drugged out low life. He is perfect for this role. Forget Thornton though, nothing fits better than the role "The Rock" played. A cold mean*** man with big muscles looking for revenge. That's exactly who the Rock is and I could easily say there was no better man for the job! Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the hit-man also played a decent role and I really liked the addition to his role of being "challenged." Maybe I'm not expressing myself very well, but what I think I'm trying to say is that Faster didn't feel corny in any scenes. Like most action films go waaaaaay overboard or some try to mix too much drama into it when it's supposed to be an action flick. I didn't feel any negative element like that linger around in Faster. It's solid action that's believable and although it does have some drama in it, it's woven in quite well, but in any case, the action overpowers any other element the movie may have to offer.

Throughout the movie I was actually gripped with tension and it also has a good twist at the end, though the smarter movie goer would probably pick it up early on.

I really can't say anything bad about this film besides the fact it's just an action movie, and that's not a negative because that's what it set out to be and that's what it is. No academy performances, no sensational script (but much better than other actions movies because like I said no corny scenes, all plausible), no dodgy romance scenes.

By the way, without giving too much of a spoiler, I also really enjoyed the fact how Faster developed a scenario where I expected at least one character's life to turned to ruins, but instead, an unexpected but easily believable resolution was found. Everyone got what they deserved, which is great, and I also got what I deserved: enjoyable action! By the way, this movie no where near deserves a 6.7 rating on IMDb. I know action titles aren't given too much credit, but Faster deserves to be at least 7, probably about 7.2.

I expected the kind of "Fast and Furious" brainless action movie, but it's actually an enjoyable thriller with a certain degree of wit. Definitely better than expected.

FASTER sees Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson returning to the fold of action cinema after wasting his time in dumb comedies and kiddie movies. This is a straightforward revenge saga about a man betrayed by a criminal gang who finally leaves prison and sets out on a path of vengeance. None of it is remotely surprising, but the story is handled with a certain amount of finesse and there's nary a dull moment along the way.

I've been a fan of The Rock since his days in THE MUMMY RETURNS and he acquits himself well with the material here, playing basically a brooding character who isn't much given to humour or dialogue. Supporting him is a typically kooky Billy Bob Thornton as a drug-addicted cop and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (WORLD WITHOUT END) as a dedicated hit-man. More briefly-seen cast members include Tom Berenger, Moon Bloodgood and Jennifer Carpenter, all of whom do well with the brief screen time they're allowed. Watch out for the opening song, a nice little shout out to the 1970s polizia sub-genre.

The problem with FASTER is that the material is rather light and there's not enough of it to fill out the running time; as a result, we get a lengthy and uninteresting sub-plot about the British hit-man and his relationship with TAKEN actress Maggie Grace. Jackson-Cohen is miscast and in any case the character is a waste of time who drags down the enjoyment factor whenever he appears. I had no idea what he was doing here but this sub-plot alone is enough to knock a couple of stars off the rating. Other than that, FASTER is enjoyable enough and has plenty of twists and action to keep you watching if not entirely satisfied.

Suspense and moving film with full of frenetic action , spectacular pursuits , crossfire and lots of violence . Action and suspense film whose plot revolves around two obsessions, the line of duty and the thirst for revenge . Stars a hunk , lone ex-con , named Drive (Dwayne Johnson) . He has been imprisoned for a bank robbery that was wrong . Being released from prison after talking to the warden (Tom Berenger) who tells him he should be a better person . In order to exact vendetta as he was imprisoned after being set-up, he violently goes into action . After ten years in prison, Driver has one single objective : to avenge the death of his brother (Matt Gerald) , murdered in the same botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment . While he follows in his footsteps , a veteran police officer (Billy Bob Thornton) tries to find out who is guilty of the murder . Later on, a nameless and cocky hitman 'Killer' (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is hired to kill Driver. As the contract killer tells his girlfriend Lily (Maggie Grace) , with whom he wants to marry , his next assignment . Drive becomes desperate as he discovers thorny tracks . This year, the holidays come faster. If you're on his list, you're already dead . Slow Justice is No Justice. Justice is swift. Vengeance is faster.

This is good thriller with lots of action , impressive scenes , strong violence , plot twists and suspenseful . A nail-biting and intriguing flick that results to be tense for the whole movie . An interesting plot in which a man who's paroled facing a relentless vengeance from an unjust robbery in which he's betrayed and executing a risked personal mission , acting as a judge , jury and executioner. This ¨Faster¨ manages to provide the right amount of thrill and action in a way it keeps you interested and expecting throughout all of the time . Brooding and provoking script by screenwriters Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton who are executive producers as well . In the picture there are thrills , violence , drama , tension and a little bit of action in the final chases among cars . The picture obtained success enough thanks to the great Dwayne Johnson who gives a stunning acting as a lonely man, recently released from prison , seeking out the delinquentes from his past who he believes betrayed him . Dwayne Johnson returns to action genre in which he's a main figure after some family films , such as : Tooth fairy and The game plan . Well accompanied by a great cast of notorious actors , such as : Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino , Oliver Jackson Chen , Maggie Grace , Annie Corley , Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje , Moon Bloodgood, Jennifer Carpenter , and brief appearance from Tom Berenger, Xander Berkeley , Mike Epps , Jack Wallace , and Courtney Gans.

It contains an intriguing and suspenseful musical score by composer Clint Mansell . As well as adequate and some dark cinematography by cameraman Michael Grady . The motion picture was competently directed by George Tillman Jr . Tillman is a good director and writer, known for his excellent scripts and successful movies . This above average motion picture lavishly produced was competently directed by George Tillman Jr . He is a good writer , producer and filmmaker . His first feature film, Scenes for the soul , it was shot entirely in Chicago, using local talent and resources. Following the momentum of this success, George began to write a script, loosely based on his own life , Soul Food . George's next directorial effort was Men of honor . Going on other successes as Faster , Roll Bounce , Inevitable defeat of Mister and Pete . In addition to directing features, George helmed the pilot Love is a four letter world for NBC, along with episodes of Starz' Power , Netflix/Marvel's Luke Cage , and NBC's dramedy This is us , among others . Rating : 7.5/10 , better than average.