Fast & Furious 6
If you had told me 12 years ago that I was going to be anticipating the fifth sequel to 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious,” I would have told you that you not only were crazy, but may have severe brain damage, as well. And yet, here we are, and the last two films in this franchise– not only this year’s entry, but 2011’s “Fast Five” –have me excited, and invested, enough in the series to where I look forward to the seventh film in a couple of years. How the Hell did that happen?
Chalk it up to the inspired work by director Justin Lin (who’s directed every film in the series since 2006’s underrated “Tokyo Drift”) and writer Chris Morgan, who have hit on just the right combination of character and action to make this a viable, long-term franchise. I’m not ready to see these characters doing the same thing at “Expendables” age, but the way they have molded this series into something engaging, and thrilling, is miraculous considering how a lot of action franchises have already reached their “sell by” date come film four. And yet, that’s when this one hit its stride. Go figure.
The work of Lin and Morgan is important, to be sure, and holy Hell, there are some great action sequences in this film, but we also have a cohesive, familiar cast of actors and characters that holds our interest. Now, don’t get me wrong: I don’t see “Furious 6” getting nominated for SAG’s Best Ensemble award this year or anything, but these actors understand the inner workings of these characters like a second skin at this point, and even if people like Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, or Vin Diesel don’t have Oscars in their futures, they each have a certain screen presence that serves the cast as a whole, and the film in general, well.
That idea of family between these characters is an important part of this sixth film’s success. After the lucrative heist they pulled off in “Fast Five,” Dom’s crew has settled down (sort of), and retired from ciminal activity. No one has settled down more than Brian O’Connor (Walker) and his now-wife Mia (Dom’s sister, played by Brewster), who have just welcomed their first child into the world. Now, however, Luke Hobbs (the federal agent introduced by Dwayne Johnson in “Fast Five”) has a favor to ask that gets the gang back together. He’s been hunting a crew trading in military weaponry, and organized by the ruthless Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), and he thinks that Dom’s crew can help. There’s a little more personal incentive, however, for Dom: his former girlfriend, Letty (Rodriguez), who was supposedly killed in the fourth film, has been spotted running with Shaw’s team. Of course, it’s a forgone conclusion that Dom and co. will get back in the game, especially with the possibility of reuniting Letty with her extended family hanging in the balance.
The personal aspects of the story, and the emotional pull of Dom’s desire to learn what happened to Letty, is ultimately what is drives “Furious 6” past any of the previous films in the series. Yes, the film also traffics in some amazing car action, as well as some brutal fight scenes (especially with “Haywire’s” Gina Carano enters the arena), that are the ultimate hook for the franchise, but the narrative Morgan and Lin have created for the series is, I think, the real reason we’ll be seeing a seventh film out of this franchise. (It will be interesting to see what happens, though, with “Insidious” and “Saw’s” James Wan taking over for Lin in the director’s chair.) Sure, the audience may not cop to it, but let’s face it, the “Fast and the Furious” series is now in rarified territory with regards to how long it’s gone on: it now equals “Star Wars” in films (until 2015, at least); it’s two films shorter than “Harry Potter”; and at the same amount the original “Star Trek” cast was at before they switched things up, and gave the “Next Generation” crew a try. You don’t get that far in Hollywood without giving people characters, and stories, they care about. I’m just amazed I’m one of the people that cares, at this point.
