FAST AND FURIOUS 7
US, 2015, 137 minutes, Colour.
Vin diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, Kurt Russell, Natalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Lucas Black, Tony Jaa.
Directed by James Wan.
Would audiences and reviewers have thought back in 2001 that the original The Fast and the Furious would have had a sequel? Possibly, because it was one of those films described as high-octane, but appealing to petrol heads, drag car racing fans and adrenaline junkies. Well, not only did it have a sequel, the present film is the seventh in the series. Not all the cast have appeared in each of the seven films but star Vin Diesel and star Paul Walker appeared in six of them – and for the fans, there is the sad feeling about seeing Paul Walker in his last film and appreciating the dedication of the film to him as well is the final, collage of scenes that he appeared in during the series.
This one, with extraordinary stunts, special effects and action, is something beyond James Bond and even beyond Mission Impossible. There are quite some impossible missions here, in a film that goes for well over two hours.
At the end of the sixth film, a British criminal was killed and there was a final scene where his brother visited him and pledged revenge. This film has a moment at the opening showing the dead brother and placing an emphasis on the promised revenge. Since the brother is played by Jason Statham, we know that it is going to be very, very tough. Almost immediately, he is sitting in the office of the policeman, Hobbs (Wayne Johnson again) and searching for information as to who was responsible for’s brother’s death. A brutal and bruising fight ensues with Hobbs being taken to hospital. This is one of the many fights throughout the film, not least with Vin Diesel taking on all types and finally confronting Jason Statham. Paul Walker has fights with Thai martial arts star, Tony Jaa. Michelle Rodriguez has a fight with the tough security woman in a luxury apartment in Abu Dabi, reminding us that she began her career with Girlfight.
In fact, during the many fights - which may be too much and too many for reviewers to focus on, there is plenty of time to think about the 14 years of these films. One wonders how it is possible that Vin Diesel has been able to star for so long, being so generally expressionless, smiling here a couple of times, and with the deadest of deadpan delivery. He has some scenes with Jason Statham who knows how to deliver a tough line, seeming something like Daniel Day Lewis compared with Vin Diesel. And then there are the scenes between Dwayne Johnson and Diesel. Over the same period, Dwayne Johnson has moved from being just an action star, The Rock, (which he still is) into quite a comedian with a fine line of delivering wisecracks, showing up the impassive Diesel.
But, back to the action, there is a drag car race at the beginning, there is a bomb blowing up Paul Walker’s house, there is a shady US official who calls himself Mr Nobody (a rugged-looking Kurt Russell) who wants the team to go on a mission which has them flying to Azerbaijan, each of the team driving a car which then sky dives out of the plane, parachutes finally open, landing on freeways to begin the pursuit of a terrorists entourage and a bus holding an IT expert (Nathalie Emanuel) and a top-class technology piece, called God’s Eye, which can locate anyone anywhere in the world, hacking into everyone’s computers and phones (thus eliminating the need for storing a great deal of metadata).
Action in Azerbaijan, a lot of it on the edge of cliffs or over cliffs. Then transferring to Abu Dabi and its skyscrapers, luxury hotels (and, for a Muslim country, lots of very skimpily-clad women would send IS zealots into paroxysms of jihad fury). The advertising of the film has highlighted the stunt work as Vin Diesel and Paul Walker drive from the top of one skyscraper across the air space to the next and through it and out into the air into the third.
What to do for an encore? The answer is to take the action to the streets of Los Angeles, car chase after car chase, send in the terrorist with a helicopter and guns firing, sending out and drone using God’s Eye to target everyone. Not spoiling the ending but our fast and furious team do actually win out!
The box office alone in its first week of release, over $400 million around the world, will probably serve as the classic motivation for Episode 8!
1. The continuing popularity of the series, for 14 years? Interest, excitement, changes, cars, crime, international investigations in action?
2. The title, the tone? International locations? The musical score?
3. The scope: cars and speed, races, stunts and flights, sky diving cars, chases, vehicles going over cliffs? Azerbaijan? Abu Dabi? Los Angeles and the fights in the streets, cars, drones and rockets? Fistfights and action amongst the characters? The special effects? The stance and impossible effects?
4. The cast, over 14 years, the tribute at the end to Paul Walker?
5. Audiences, familiarity with the characters, the development? Dom as leader, Brian and the move from crime to the FBI, retirement? Letty and her loss of memory? The British brothers and the motivation for Shaw’s revenge?
6. Dom, the relationship with Letty, the marriage, the initial race, her loss of memory, her achievement?
7. The brothers, Deckard and his pledge to his dead brother? Revenge? Jason Statham and his presence in the film? Going to the police office, getting the information from the computers? The fight with Hobbs, Hobbs going to hospital? The bomb and Brian’s house and the explosion? His background in special Special Ops? Governments and their disavowal of Shaw, the American government interested? In Azerbaijan? The link with the Somali terrorist? The fight between him and Dom? The final confrontation?
8. Vin Diesel as Dom, serious and po-faced, a couple of smiles? His continued friendship with Brian? Mia as his sister, his interest in his nephew? The deaths of the driver friends, Tokyo? the bomb at his house, the explosion, Dom swearing revenge?
9. Hobbs, his work with the police, Elena and her work and devotion? The computer, stamping documents? Fighting Shaw? The vicious fight, in hospital, summoning Dom, the discussions about revenge, his official police stance, the warning not to miss next time? His daughter? The end, the television news, getting into uniform, his guns, confronting the drone? Imprisoning Shaw at the end?
10. Brian, retired, the relationship with Mia, playing with Jack, her pregnancy and unwilling to tell her husband? The house, the explosion? Her not wanting to hold Brian back, his missing the bullets? Brian in the team, with Mr Nobody, cars, the sky dive, landing, the chase on the Azerbaijan highway, the fights, recovering the technology? Rescuing Ramsay? In the bus, on the top, leaping, Letty collecting him? In Abu Dabi, searching for the equipment? Driving through the buildings? Los Angeles, his involvement, the chases, the confrontation in the tower, the happy ending? At the beach, Mia and her pregnancy and support?
11. Letty, her past, the race, visiting the cemetery, on-the-job, in the cars, the sky diving, the car chases, Abu Dabi, the fight with the security woman? Dom being shot, her regaining her memory? His not dying? The memories of the wedding?
12. Mr Nobody, his job, his henchmen? Wanting Ramsay? Security? The force, Azerbaijan, the surveillance, getting God’ Eye back? In the desert, his being shot, his death?
13. Roman and Tej, their place in the team, Roman and his MC style, at the Abu Dabi party? Tej, his skills with’s IT, security, working with Ramsay?
14. The terrorist, Somali background, wanting the technology, his confronting Dom, Dom and his making the dust, swirling, over the cliff with Ramsay, survival and people picking him up at the bottom of the cliff? The terrorist, in LA, helicopter and the pilot, pinpointing people’s positions, the confrontation between Shaw and Dom, shelling the street, the collapse of the street? The attack on Dom? Hobbs and his shooting down the helicopter after the car attempt to down it?
15. Happy ending, the collage of Paul Walker in the films – and beyond James Bond and Mission Impossible?
