Fast & Furious 6
Year: 2013
Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez & Paul Walker
Runtime: 130 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 02/02/22
Director: Justin Lin
Starring: Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Luke Evans, Gal Gadot, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez & Paul Walker
Runtime: 130 mins
BBFC: 12
Published: 02/02/22
The Fast Saga started off following a group of performance car enthusiasts who over time we learn engage in criminal activity to fuel their passion for fast cars and racing. Over time this grew into a more action centric storyline with 2009’s Fast & Furious, before eventually fully embracing crazy over the top action in Fast Five. Fast Five was arguably also the series strongest film (it was the most critically and commercially successful film in the series at that point), so it only made sense that Universal wanted to continue down that route of big action fuelled by fast cars, rather than return to the series roots in street racing.
Following the conclusion of Fast Five, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) sets his sights on Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), the leader of a band of highly skilled mercenaries. In order to catch him though, Hobbs will need the help of his previous targets.
Domonic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has settled down with his new girlfriend Elena (Elsa Pataky) and retired from the criminal life, but after Hobbs informs him that his deceased wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is actually still alive and working with Shaw, Dom calls on the rest of his crew Brian (Paul Walker), Tej (Ludacris), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han (Sung Kang), and Gisele (Gal Gadot) to work with Hobbs to clear their names and find Letty.
Following the conclusion of Fast Five, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) sets his sights on Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), the leader of a band of highly skilled mercenaries. In order to catch him though, Hobbs will need the help of his previous targets.
Domonic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has settled down with his new girlfriend Elena (Elsa Pataky) and retired from the criminal life, but after Hobbs informs him that his deceased wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is actually still alive and working with Shaw, Dom calls on the rest of his crew Brian (Paul Walker), Tej (Ludacris), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han (Sung Kang), and Gisele (Gal Gadot) to work with Hobbs to clear their names and find Letty.
Fast & Furious 6 takes everything that worked about Fast Five and just dials it up to eleven. The action sequences are much larger, more complex, and impressive than anything attempted by Fast Five. Most of the characters are given more opportunity for growth and depth beyond what they were able to do in Fast Five; and there’s more vehicular mayhem, and even a few pure races that see a return in this film.
Michelle Rodriguez also makes a welcome return as Letty, who in the original film was mostly just there to scowl and be bitchy. But in Fast & Furious 6 she’s given a decent amount of complexity with the whole ‘back from the dead’ storyline.
The film even excels in the areas where Fast Five fell short, such as with the villains and Hobbs. This time around Hobbs is given so much to say and do that it makes up for any shortcomings Fast Five had with the character; Dwayne Johnson is a great actor and Fast & Furious 6 gives him the opportunity to show us that rather than relegating him to bossing people around and walking everywhere really quickly like he did in the last film. Owen Shaw is also a great villain, he’s not exactly complex, but he’s way better than anything the Fast Saga has presented so far simply because they give him the screen time necessary to show how dangerous he can be.
Honestly, if it was good in Fast Five, it’s better in Fast & Furious 6, or almost all of it anyway.
The one area I feel the film truly faulters is in the chemistry between our band of criminal heroes. Whilst the characters are as brilliant as ever, they aren’t given the same time to mix with each other in the same way Fast Five allowed. This group in Fast Five played out similarly to the ensemble of criminals in Oceans Eleven. There was lots of banter, time to show off their skills, and this simultaneously gave depth to the characters without the need for lots of dialogue. In Fast & Furious 6 however, these characters don’t share a lot of time together, unless it’s in action scenes.
As a result, even though Fast & Furious 6 is the better film, I had more fun with Fast Five because the characters were so engaging.
Fast & Furious 6 is almost an all-round improvement on Fast Five, which in itself was a good film. Nearly everything is bigger and better than ever before, and whilst the crazy action does cross the line into absurdity at times, the rest of the film is compelling enough to allow those moments to happen and just enjoy them for the crazy spectacle they are. It is a shame that elements like the chemistry between the main cast isn’t as strong in this entry, but for the most part Fast & Furious 6 is an overall improvement on its predecessor and one of the strongest entries in the Fast Saga.
Michelle Rodriguez also makes a welcome return as Letty, who in the original film was mostly just there to scowl and be bitchy. But in Fast & Furious 6 she’s given a decent amount of complexity with the whole ‘back from the dead’ storyline.
The film even excels in the areas where Fast Five fell short, such as with the villains and Hobbs. This time around Hobbs is given so much to say and do that it makes up for any shortcomings Fast Five had with the character; Dwayne Johnson is a great actor and Fast & Furious 6 gives him the opportunity to show us that rather than relegating him to bossing people around and walking everywhere really quickly like he did in the last film. Owen Shaw is also a great villain, he’s not exactly complex, but he’s way better than anything the Fast Saga has presented so far simply because they give him the screen time necessary to show how dangerous he can be.
Honestly, if it was good in Fast Five, it’s better in Fast & Furious 6, or almost all of it anyway.
The one area I feel the film truly faulters is in the chemistry between our band of criminal heroes. Whilst the characters are as brilliant as ever, they aren’t given the same time to mix with each other in the same way Fast Five allowed. This group in Fast Five played out similarly to the ensemble of criminals in Oceans Eleven. There was lots of banter, time to show off their skills, and this simultaneously gave depth to the characters without the need for lots of dialogue. In Fast & Furious 6 however, these characters don’t share a lot of time together, unless it’s in action scenes.
As a result, even though Fast & Furious 6 is the better film, I had more fun with Fast Five because the characters were so engaging.
Fast & Furious 6 is almost an all-round improvement on Fast Five, which in itself was a good film. Nearly everything is bigger and better than ever before, and whilst the crazy action does cross the line into absurdity at times, the rest of the film is compelling enough to allow those moments to happen and just enjoy them for the crazy spectacle they are. It is a shame that elements like the chemistry between the main cast isn’t as strong in this entry, but for the most part Fast & Furious 6 is an overall improvement on its predecessor and one of the strongest entries in the Fast Saga.