carlsob

Alright, let's get this out of the way: if you have no interest in cars, don't bother. If you want moving, powerful acting performances, look elsewhere. If blow-off valves and spinning tires make your heart shift into high gear, this is your kind of movie. The story is wafer-thin, it serves only as a hasty explanation to bring the audience to the Tokyo location and set up some action addicted races. The acting is just decent enough to keep you from groaning constantly, though Sung Kang's role as Han stands out as memorable and pleasant. Lucas Black has an understated quality about him that I think allows the movie's merit of its stunt sequences to shine, rather than the lead trying to steal all the attention. Which leaves me with the car play--the writers thankfully stopped trying to be technical and accurate in terms or facts (for the most part), so there's no "...Blow the welds on your intake..." crap, which is just plain wrong. The stunt drivers delivered lots of jaw-dropping drifts and high octane chases, and Justin Lin and his second-unit director took great care in highlighting the automotive lunacy. The cars and the setting are all glossy and colorful, and there is a wide range of makes and models to drool over, all just a bit over the top in their appearance. The music matches the speed of the movie as well, getting the target audience fired up with rock, hip-hop, and electronic tracks in all the right spots. Simply put, this movie offers what it promises, and gets by on the rest. I'm one of those types who can look past the shortcomings for the vehicular excitement, so I loved it, despite the flaws.