With the loud thrum of duelling engines, Fast & Furious 6 starts just as fans demand. As sporty cars zip around a scenic coastline, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel, Babylon A.D.) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker, Takers) are soon spied at the wheel; however an arrival, not a getaway, motivates their mad dash. Relishing retirement from crime, both have settled into new lives, albeit in the shadow of their former ways. Their former adversary, Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, Snitch), takes advantage of their need for speed when he enlists their skills to stop a military-trained mastermind (Luke Evans, Immortals) on a vehicular rampage.
Cue the expected, for that’s what the sixth effort in the franchise holds, after average, unnecessary, awful, absurd and amusing previous outings, respectively. Director Justin Lin and writer Chris Morgan know the formula in their fourth addition to the series; deviating from the norm is never under consideration. Their heroes may swap sides of the law, but the means, motivation and mechanisms remain. The cars are fast, the characters furious, and their actions driven by family.
At a pivotal moment, their new foe questions Toretto for his blind adherence to such bonds, ridiculing his predictability and vulnerability in continuing to come to the aid of his nearest and dearest. Yet in a sea of similar action films and Point Break wannabes, it is the emotion that has distinguished the franchise thus far – its stubborn, against-type refusal to treat the players like mere pawns. The messaging may be at its most heavy-handed in Fast & Furious 6, with much of the dialogue acting as reinforcement, but it also provides a counterpoint to the surrounding chaos. Though an attempt to fashion an opposing gang in the same style doesn’t quite work, the film is marked by its determination to provide its motley crews with believable, fraternal context.
Alas, in a series so plentiful in instalments and characters, focus becomes an issue. Whilst the franchise template provides the necessary narrative beats, the need to give every actor their time to shine – including back-from-the-dead returnee Michelle Rodriguez (Resident Evil: Retribution) and first-timer Gina Carano (Haywire) – diffuses the feature’s energy. In between each showcase scene, the film reverts to the tried and tested padding of meaningful looks between heroes and gags about Johnson’s size, but they feel like just that – filler. Sadly, over the 130-minute running time, unnecessary repetition tempers the momentum.
Replication also infiltrates the abundant action, albeit with new cars, tanks and even planes thrown into the mix. Yet, Lin further demonstrates his expertise in choreographing explosive set pieces that embody the feature’s title, ensuring even standard chases and races are visually and viscerally spectacular. An irreverent sense of humour helps plug the gaps, and the competent performers never take themselves too seriously; however the tongue-in-cheek tone has been dialled down from previous efforts. Although cognisant of all that audiences know and love about the series, and offering a fine, affectionate addition to the pulpy franchise, Fast & Furious 6 perhaps serves best as precursor for the forthcoming seventh instalment.
Rating: 2 ½ stars out of 5
Fast & Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
USA, 2013, 130 mins
Release date: 6 June
Distributor: Universal
Rated: M
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