Movie Review: "Fast and Furious 6" Is Absolutely Ridiculous...And Incredibly Awesome!

Furious 6 aka Fast and Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.

You already know if you want to see this or not. I am not going to attempt to convince those who aren't fans of the series that they are missing out (even though they are). If you're going to see the latest installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, then you are most likely going for one thing: action. Let me tell ya, this one has some of the best and craziest action around.


This sequel has been called by many names (Fast Six and Fast and Furious 6 were the most popular), but the opening credits officially named the film Furious 6, so that's what we'll try to call it from now on. Not that it really matters. The plot...well does that matter either? Basically, there's an ex-military bad guy, played by Luke Evans, who is causing all sorts of trouble for Federal Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). Hobbs determines that the only way to take down this new villain is to fight fire with fire, which means recruiting Dom and Brian (Diesel and Walker) along with their team. Oh yeah and somehow ***SPOILER*** Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is still alive and working for the wrong side. That's all we will concern ourselves with regarding plot.

These stories are plain and the "drama" is melodramatic, but this franchise has never been about story or drama. What it is most concerned with is entertaining the hell out of its audience. With that objective in mind, Furious 6 succeeds with flying stars. It's impossible, implausible, and yet I loved every minute of it. There are few franchises outside of Harry Potter that still have plenty of steam in the engine after this many sequels, and yet somehow I am beyond excited for Fast and Furious 7, especially after seeing the insanely awesome teaser just after the end credits started to roll. Make sure you stick around long enough to see what I'm talking about.

Major props go to director Justin Lin who took over the franchise with Tokyo Drift (which, honestly, is my least favorite) and somehow he has turned himself into a master of pure action entertainment, particularly with Fast Five and now Furious 6. It is sad to see him leave the franchise, and he has left some big shoes to fill for incoming director James Wan. Furious 6 is a definite contender for the best of the series. Bottom line: I walked out of the theater with a big and satisfied smile.

RATING:  B+