The Fast Five: Rio Heist--MY review
So I've lost count as to which installment this Fast and the Furious sequilogy (I know its not a word, but for as many movies directors thought were cool to do, it will do) this belongs in, BUT I will say--I'm pretty impressed with the manner in which this installment of the franchise was created.
The Fast Five: Rio Heist, directed by Justin Lin and starring big name stars like Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Paul Walker, and even Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson takes place in Rio, Brazil somewhere before The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and after Fast and Furious.
*CONTAINS SPOILERS--So if you don't want to know read no further than this*
Director Justin Lin who is also known for Fast and Furious, The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast Five (his most recent) and Better Luck Tomorrow (which I would recommend to anyone) raised the Fast and Furious franchise to a whole completely nother level--and I mean, this had to be the best of the franchise to date.
As you probably remember, Fast and Furious ended with Dominic (Vin Diesel) finally agreeing to go in and O'Connor (Paul Walker) talking about how he will do everything to get him off easy, due to his help with the mexican warlord drug guy--apparently it wasn't important enough fo me to remember, so it's not important in this rating--and then BOOM--end of the movie.
Now that's how Fast Five starts off--the beginning of the last movie, which I commend whole heartedly--since it doesn't jump around like its previous brethren. Oh Boy, after that does it take off, like a jet hitting afterburner; with non stop action and very very minimal cheesy moments and horrible acting (LOUD APPLAUSE). O'Connor (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) end up in Rio, after their daring daytime rescue of Dominic--and track down Vince (Matt Schulze); and if you remember Vince---He's been awol since the original The Fast and the Furious--and boy has his ways not changed since then--only difference...he has a mob of brazilians with weapons, a wife, and a baby boy nico.
So Mia, O'Connor and Vince all talk a little bit and then uh-oh, Mia has quite a big secret--go figure right? Anyway, Vince offers a quick boost job to O'Connor and he takes it, because he is oh so awesome at making decisions--NOT!! Anyway I digress...
So blah blah blah--he ends up taking the job and then they're on the move--and right before more action Dominic shows up in his infamous car--and then split to the boost. I want the vehicle they used like a dunebuggy on steroids, because whatever it is was incredibly badass.
So there's some driving and some stealing of personal effects, and then the boost gone wrong. Last minute, Dominic (after they re-unite for 30 seconds) notices something is wrong and gives Mia the word to scamper until he contacts her, and then all hell breaks loose--and that's when the plot begins to thicken. So after some fighting, some explosions and some air diving off a car from a 100 ft + drop (which I commend solely because IT WAS THEM DOING IT!! NOT SOME NO WHERE NEAR LOOK A LIKE STUNT MAN)
Which was pretty awesome (LOUD APPLAUSE)--so a few hops, skips, and jumps further into the movie, a beast of an FBI agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) shows up with his posse to come and collect Dominic, O'Connor and Mia--who have been on the lamb since the beginning of the movie--and personally I don't know about you, but him and his team reminded me of Call of Duty Black Ops--just hardcore for no reason. Anyway, hopping and skipping around--they've pissed off not only Hobbs but the Brazilian crime lord drug car guy (Jaoquim de Almeida) and a huge daylight gun battle ensues (the gunmen come from everywhere like rats) and then they split--and then we find ourselves watching two extremely big men supermanning it through the rooftops of the Rio slums--
AND THEN---they run some more, and like any Fast and Furious film--the corny scenes come into play, and occassionally want to make you stab your eyes out--but it is what it is. So hopping and skipping some more (so as not to tell you the whole movie, even though I already practically have) Dominic decides to "piss where he eats" and go after the drug lord car guy or as he's called in the movie "Reyes",by pulling off the boost of a lifetime--and therefore the crew is assembled (and reassembled) but whose counting, and the execution of the plan comes in--
Remember back to The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, wonder how Han got all that money? Did you make your on assumptions? I did, but I congratulate Justin Lin's directoral skills in combining the how and answering the why's for a lot of the crew involved in this movie, in quite a comical manner actually. So out of all the Fast and Furious movies--this by far was the most comical, most actionpacked, and minimal cheesiness and a great cast interaction.
My rating= B+
This installment of the movie actually kept my interest throughout the entire movie--and that for me rarely happens. The action and non stop speed script was amazingly written and the assemblance of the cast from new and old were amazing. Not to include, the last 30 minutes of the movie had me laughing hysterically, not because it was funny but because of the amazing stunt they pulled off--greatness in the making, and the most tolerable movie of them all.
Would I recommend it to my friends and family: Yes, but I woud have to explain its awesomness and leave out its suckiness
Would I watch it again: Oh yea!
