Movie Review:
While not seen as entirely award-worthy the latest installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise has proven to be just as over the top as its predecessors. Centered on a dynamic pair in actors Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, along with their fellows in crime and racing, the storyline has developed from a peek into the world of underground street racing to a tale that involves far more than just the run of the mill action movie. Few could have predicted with any accuracy that the first film would spawn another, and another, and finally lead into the fan-favorite franchise it has become. Furious seven caps off an epic thrill-ride that many thought would never amount to anything noteworthy.
The storyline is not entirely complicated, but deals with several more real world issues despite the complex manner in which they are handled. Having befriended ex-convict and street racer Dominic Toretto, former agent Brian O’ Connor has at this point married Dom’s younger sister and the two have had a child. In this film the crew that was assembled back in Fast Five has largely disbanded, going their own ways to live their own lives. The group remains close, but in one of the most real-world manners they have gone on to accomplish their own life goals.
Like in all action movies however there must be tragedy before any hint of a resolution,
and this comes in the form of Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham. Deckard is the big bad
in this film, the older brother of the villain that the crew took on in the sixth installment. The
film begins with a confrontation between special agent John Hobbes, played by Dwayne Johnson (Henderson, 2016), before absconding with information concerning the crew that placed his brother in a coma. After injuring Hobbes and gaining the needed information Shaw then predictably goes hunting after those who he feels are responsible for his brother’s condition.
The Fast and Furious franchise is one in which each film must be watched but not accepted in the sequence they came out, as the events of Furious 7 coincide with Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, which came out in 2006, almost a decade before the most current movie. In both movies Han, one of Toretto’s closest friends, is seen hanging upside down in his vehicle after a violent collision that left his car flipped on its roof. What is not seen in Tokyo Drift however is just what made Han’s car explode. Many viewers would assume that a gas line ruptured and caught fire as cars inexplicably do in action movies, but Furious 7 implies something completely different. Shaw causes the wreck, and it is Shaw that is ultimately the death of Han.
The climactic scenes between Shaw and Toretto are just as predictable but far more
anticipated, as each actor brings their own brand of action to the screen. Where Toretto’s character is more of a brutish, freakishly strong brawler, Shaw is far more technical and ruthless in his fighting style. Yet for all that the manner in which the fights are choreographed has been seen to send a ripple of approval through many fans who have given the film top marks for its straightforward and very predictable nature. The bad guys lose, the good guys win, this is how action movies are typically seen to go, and Furious 7 is no exception to this rule.
In truth this film is a breath of fresh air in an age where older actors are still attempting to live out their glory days in an attempt to prove that they can still be seen as the same action heroes they used to be. Such actor’s as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Neeson, Bruce Willis, and several others are still attempting to prove that age is just a number while their ratings continue to decline and awards are heaped upon them for the effort. In Furious 7 the acting is on point, with many witty one-liners to make the dialogue a bit more interesting, and the youthful cast are not attempting to supplant their older counterparts but rather move with them in a manner befitting respect for those who have come before and the trade itself. The cast of the Fast and Furious franchise aren’t so much waiting for the torch to be passed, they are grasping it and running forward at a pace that few have ever dared in the past.
While there have been a slew of action movies that have come parading out in the past two decades and more, few have ever possessed the energy and overall star power of the Fast and Furious franchise. Even fewer have managed to keep pace with the action-packed sequences that showcase not only the underground world of street racing, but the dynamics that are experienced between individuals both on and off the set. Furious 7 might not win many awards but it has gained a following like few other movie franchises in history. For a movie that was once thought to be about nothing more than cars this is more than a little impressive.
Works Cited
Glassman, Mark & Illick, Chandra. “Proof That 'Furious 7' Is the Fastest and Most Furious
Movie Yet.” Bloomberg. 6 April 2015. Web. 13 April 2016.
Henderson, Odie. “Furious 7.” Roger Ebert.com. 3 April 2015. Web. 13 April 2016.
