FURIOUS 6/ THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6

US, 2013, 130 minutes, Colour.
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Ludacris Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Luke Evans.
Directed by Justin Lim.

Trivial Pursuit question: what 2013 action film has a group grace before meals at the end? Furious 6, of course! The team sit down and pray before eating. True.

But, also of course, fast is key to the film and there is a fair amount of furious. A the end, as the survivors watch a huge plane conflagration, the thought comes to mind: this is a multi-million dollar extravaganza for adrenalin-addicts. And then comes the thought: does too much adrenalin get to the brain and dismantle all sense of realism and logic? Because realism and logic don’t play a big part in this sixth episode in what is now one of the most popular movie franchises. Half a billion dollars worldwide in little more than a week.

Dwayne Johnson as an agent was after drivers, Dom and Brian, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (not showing any vast improvement in their acting skills) in Fast Five. Now he hires them (with pardons if successful) in tracking down a master criminal involved in stealing a billion-dollar piece of military IT hardware. If this elaborate plot with final chase involving a tank and a huge cargo plane, is the way to steal and transport the material… there have to be far simpler ways for a mastermind to think up!

Which is not important logically, because this is about cars, chases and leaping-through-the-air action, which Vin Diesel does, from one side of a bridge, over a gap, catching Michelle Rodriguez, and both being winched to safety on the other side – this is not a spoiler because it still has to be seen not to be believed.

There are some spectacular locations, especially the opening race along the coast roads in the Canary Islands. Believe it or not (not), there is a chase through central London including Picadilly Circus. And, at the end, there is one through Tokyo, to say nothing of the bridge battle and on the tarmac and in the plane.

Plotwise, Dom discovers Letty didn’t die as thought, has lost her memory and is aide to the villain, Luke Evans (British, of course, and ruthless). Brian has a baby, risks everything for a pardon by helping Dom and the agent, even going to the US undercover to interrogate a key drug lord as to what happened to Letty. Friends and loyalty are everything. Once we think all is well and the film can end, Brian’s wife and child are kidnapped, which gives Jordana Brewster as Brian’s wife, a chance to show her driving skills as well.

Michelle Rodriguez’s first film was Girlfight, and here she goes again (twice) with martial arts star, who appeared in Haywire, Gina Carano.

There are plenty of comic touches with Ramon and Tej (Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris) from the previous films.

There is a twist at the end with one of the key characters being revealed as the traitor – and that makes little logical sense as well. And one key character is killed off rather instantly while trying to save the life of another.

The Tokyo car chase takes place soon after the final credits begin which enables those rushing out of the cinema not to miss a trailer for Furious 7 with Jason Statham turning up and looking threatening. He is not going to be on Dom and Brian’s team!

1. Popularity worldwide? The sixth in the series? The popularity of the franchise, for over a decade?

2. The title, cars, fast and furious driving, furious action? The cars, the chases, the Canary Islands and the highway along the coast, the chase in Central London, in Central Tokyo? Chases in Spain, the highways, the bridges, the tarmac of the airport? Enough to satisfy fans? And the transition from the focus on racing to industrial espionage? The plausibility of this transition?

3. Dom and Brian, audiences knowing them, interested in them, liking them? Their work together, clashes and friendship? Ramon, in the previous films? Tej and his technical skills, communications, computers and planning? And Sung and Giselle? Brian and Mia? Letty and the past films? Audiences familiar with characters?

4. The introduction of the FBI agent? From Fast and Furious 5? His arrival, his job, talking to Dom and Brian, the issue of Letty and her being with Shaw? On the side of the villain?

5. The initial fast ride, Brian getting to the hospital, Mia and the birth of his child? The family settling down?

6. Moscow, the robbery, the special effects in Central Moscow?

7. The transition to London, the styles? The quest to find Shaw? Dom wanting to find Letty? The questions, the interviews, the garage man, his contract contacting Shaw, the thugs, his death? The confrontations?

8. London, realistic, the situation and the characters, the chase through Central London, even Piccadilly circus? Spectacular but realism?

9. The assembly of the team, the coordination, Ramon and Tej, the humour, their observing, situations suddenly becomes serious? The FBI agent, bringing his assistant, her work, her place, the London Underground and the clash with Letty, their fight? Dom and his tracing Letty, meeting her, the explanation, her loss of memory?

10. Brian going to America, the plan, getting to the prison to see the drug world, the get the information about Letty, attacking his friend who got him into America, being put in solitary, the drug lord and the henchmen, getting information, engineering his escape and the agent helping him?

11. The move to Spain, the chase on the road, the bridge, the smashes, Dom and his extraordinary leap to rescue Letty?

12. Shaw, as a villain, his control, ruthlessness, the chases?

13. The sudden revelation of the FBI assistant as his plant, the credibility of the change, enabling her to have another girlfight with Letty?

14. Going to the plant, the cars, the tarmac, the plane arriving, the chase, Giselle and giving her life for Sung?

15. The final confrontations, the fights, the plane, the kidnapping of Mia, her giving in the car, driving, the rescue?

16. Shaw, his plans, the final fight, his death? The plane, the weight, the cars, the crash?

17. The FBI giving pardons to all, the possibility for everyone to go home, gathering for the meal, the grace before meals?

18. Postscript, Tokyo, Sung, the chase through the city, the appearance of Shaw’s brother, Jason Statham, the trailer for the sequel?