Dom Toretto and his family are targeted by the vengeful son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes.
Chuck says:
As an untold number of my brain cells were dying while sitting through “Fast X,” I concocted a theory. I think the world in which these staggeringly stupid films exist is the same as the one inhabited by the “John Wick” movies. The effects of gravity and the laws of physics don’t apply in either, people and cars endure the sort of physical abuse that would kill and render them useless, yet they are both able to function and international travel occurs in the blink of an eye. If you want to get me interested in the “Fast” series, drop Keanu Reeve’s well-dressed killer into these Vin Diesel stinkers to take out their vacuous characters and I’ll be the first to buy a ticket.
As it is, we’re stuck with, yet another sophomoric, testosterone-fueled, inane showcase dedicated to macho posturing and CGI idiocy. Obviously, there is an audience for these features, and it seems hypocritical of me to be so critical of them. I enjoy the “Wick” franchise, like most of the Marvel Films and crave popcorn entertainment just as much as the next multi-plex maven. Yet, there’s something about the “Fast” franchise that rubs me the wrong way.
“X” gets off on the right foot by inserting and recreating scenes from “Fast Five,” the high watermark of the series. Seems the drug lord Dom Toretto (Diesel) and his crew took out in Rio de Janeiro had a son, a hulking psychopath by the name of Dante (Jason Mamoa). He obviously adheres to the notion that revenge is a dish best served cold because now, some ten years after the events of “Five,” he wants revenge! With unlimited amounts of cash at his disposal (another similarity to the “Wick” films), he has set into motion a chain of events that will not only separate our glowering hero from his family but send the members of his crew on the run after being falsely accused of terrorism.
The bread-and-butter of these films are their elaborate action set-pieces, which are just as expansive and expensive as those in the “Wick” and “Mission: Impossible” movies. However, the difference between them and the “Fast” features is the way in which they are edited. To be sure, the Reeves and Cruise films employ cutting that’s a bit too quick to my liking, yet I can still follow the action. However, director Louis Leterrier and his cutters Dylan Highsmith and Kelly Matsumoto edit for maximum distraction. Different angles and perspectives are changed with such rapidity, it not only becomes nearly impossible to follow the action, but it creates spatial confusion. At times, it’s unfeasible to determine where characters, cars and other lethal objects are in relation to each other. As such, these moments come off as frustrating rather than thrilling, empty scenes that bludgeon and ultimately numb the viewer to their sound and fury.
As to the cast, well, it’s gotten so extensive, theaters should have crib sheets handy for viewers to remind us of who is who and how they are all related. Diesel, of course, is Diesel, flexing and mutter the word “family” far too often. A very effective drinking game could be made revolving around the frequency of his saying this word. (Someone has posted on Facebook a video splicing together all of Tom Cruise running sequences together. I want to see the same with Diesel saying “family” again and again.) Michelle Rodriguez as Dom’s wife Letty gets to kick butt on numerous occasions, Jordana Brewster as his sister Mia is underused here, while the quartet of Han (Sung Kang), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Tej (Ludacris) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) return so they may continue, in vain, to deliver comic relief.
Momoa steals many scenes here but for all the wrong reasons. His Dante is a riff on The Joker and seems out of place. However, the other newcomer, Brie Larson as Tess, the daughter of Kurt Russell’s Agency bigwig from previous entries, is actually quite enjoyable. For once, I had a feeling the actor was having a good time and was the only one striking the proper tone. She’s laughing all the way to the bank and isn’t shy about showing it.
As for the film’s final ten minutes, it defies all logic. Dom and his son manage to escape a fiery trap by driving down the side of the Hoover Dam, while a character, long thought dead reappears. Shame on me for being surprised – these resurrections have become a series trope, yet another element that undercuts any sort of tension these films attempt to create. The good news is a post credits scene marks the unexpected return of a fan favorite. The bad news is, I will have to sit through “Fast XI.” I’m not sure what sins I’ve committed that have damned me to this fate.
1 1/2 Stars
