FAST & FURIOUS 5 -Diesel Goes Turbo!

FAST & FURIOUS 5 (action thriller)
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Joaquim de Almeida, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar and Elsa Pataky
Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Chris Morgan
Time: 126 mins
Rating: * * * (out of 4)

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel

PREAMBLE: With Justin Lin at the directorial controls of the Fast & Furious franchise since No. 3, he has been trying to outdo himself, pushing the limit with each sequel. Here, he has not only broken a number of traffic and criminal laws, but also the rules of logic and physics. The script is sloppy, the plot and action are even more ludicrous than the previous outings - but its fast-paced action set pieces keep us on the edge of our seats and make our palms sweat.

These adrenaline-charged factors of fast cars, loose women, breakneck chases and maximum destruction is what F&F is all about and Fast Five (its title in the US) tops the rest in these departments.

Dom's gang gets set for the 'Italian Job' in Rio

SYNOPSIS: Dominic (Vin Diesel) is sentenced to 25 years' jail in California but Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) manage to break Dom out of custody. After crossing many borders to elude the authorities, they find themselves backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro where a drug kingpin named Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) calls the shots.

Dom and gang must pull one last job in Rio in order to gain their freedom. Their only shot of getting out for good means confronting Reyes head-on. But Reye's not the only one on their tail: Federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault on Dom and Brian. (Pic left: Elsa Pataky as Rio cop Elena)

REVIEW: The script looks like it is straight out of Mission: Impossible textbook: Dom suggests a 'job', the others would list a bunch of reasons why it can't ever be done - and then we see them setting out to accomplish it. This goes on so often in this movie that it gets rather tedious. Indeed, the plot looks like it was written to accommodate the action set pieces instead of the other way around.

In 'Fast Five', the focus shifts from racing to breaking-in - with a mind-boggling sequence involving a huge bank vault being dragged around the streets of Rio. Well, to the audience, the sequence may boggle the mind but it is actually a piece of mindless writing - abetted by CGI-alterations and quick editing. And in between the action scenes, we have the cast (including franchise returnees Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Gal Gadot) in mock confrontation among themselves - plus the mandatory and inevitable showdown between Dom and Hobbs.

THE LOWDOWN: The plot and set-ups are predictable but the action pieces are exhilarating.