Fast & Furious 6

So the Fast and the Furious franchise reaches film six, ushering it into the company of such veterans of the movie franchise as the Rocky films and the Star Wars series. And while Vin Diesel and co. might still be one film behind the recent big money spinners Saw and X-Men, judging by this latest outing from the slack-jawed petrol-heads, they’re in no mood to be trading in their souped-up street racers for golf buggies just yet.

Starting off as a spin-off, rip-off or tribute (whichever way you want to see it) of Point Break almost exactly ten years after it came out, the Fast & Furious franchise has grown into a monster all of its own, easily surpassing Kathryn Bigelow’s woah-fest in terms of adrenaline charged thrills and overblown action sequences, if not in charm.

This latest instalment finds Toretto and Brian (Vin Diesel and Paul Walker) in semi-retirement in an unspecified Mediterranean haven. Brian even has a baby boy, allowing for the inevitable and relentless banter between the pair about which kind of car he’s going to drive and so on. However, it soon becomes clear that despite enjoying the easy life, what the two friends really want is to return to America, where they are wanted criminals.

Next we learn that a member of “the family” has been captured by another car-obsessed criminal gang located in London. Luckily for Toretto and Brian though, they live in an utterly implausible world in which this can only mean an Interpol agent – acted by none other than The Rock – offering to make a deal with them: they help him catch the new gang and save their friend, and in return he pardons them for their previous offences, offering them the chance to return to America as free citizens.

What follows is the usual stacked helping of car chases, stunts and fight sequences, with a side of inverted stereotyping, one-liners and just a touch of romance. The storyline is absolutely ridiculous, but the director is well aware of this and has the sense not to take it all too seriously. There are a few good chuckles, one or two genuinely air-punching moments, and as you’d expect the action sequences are properly impressive. Just don’t forget to leave your brain at home.

Aydan Savaşkan

Fast & Furious 6 is released nationwide on 17^th May 2013.

Watch the trailer for Fast & Furious 6 here: