Fast Five

The series is transforming from a tuning exhibition for teenagers to full-blooded action blockbusters, where the roar of engines is drowned out by fusillades from machine guns and shotguns. Fast Five offers a well-coordinated team of partners in crime, the wild jungle of Rio de Janeiro and a surprisingly elaborate and ambitious script that overshadowed Bay’s Bad Boys II (which is thematically similar in many ways and met with mixed reviews). The movie’s creators hit the bull’s-eye by casting The Rock, who boosted the film to the testosterone maximum. In a single 130-minute film, there are no fewer than three bands of tough guys equipped with great cars and big guns fighting one another. What more can we wish for in this genre? (05/05/2011)

Cruelty, gore, and thrills just the way we like it! Definitely the best installment and cast. I absolutely squealed with joy several times at how amazing it was. But what got me most of all was the atmosphere and music during the opening of the safe. The last time I was this fired up was with Armageddon. (25/05/2011)

A contented smile spread across my face while I was watching the safe ripping up the asphalt from the streets of Rio. The screenplay is about as clever as for the preceding F&Fs, but they are all such nice guys and, as a fan of this genre, my jaw is constantly lying in my lap. In part five, it’s not so much cars, but muscles that are important. Diesel put on weight to make his fight with Dwayne “Rock" Johnson convincing, but The Rock (otherwise his Hobbs is tougher than a piece of flint and so he’s maybe unwittingly funnier than he is meant to be) seems to have gotten so psyched up that he looks even more massive than normal (damn, another reason to start going to the gym, but I wonder how long my eagerness will last). And the fight looks all the better for it, step aside Terminators. The cars and the girls (Jordana Brewster gets hotter with every episode) are delightful as always and the preparation for the heist with the now traditional T-shirt at the end is the icing on the cake. A shame that sometimes the “snappy" lines sound awkward, although Diesel delivers them in style, so you only notice this in the supporting roles. The biggest capo who saves the movie is the director, Justin Lin, who knows exactly what he’s doing and what the audience expects from this kind of movie. The post-credits scene made me look forward to number six even more. Bring it on. That's for my team, you son of a bitch. (08/05/2011)

The first film of the franchise that I watch, attracted by the very good reviews. What I got was precisely what I expected: very well made silliness. Some of the one-liners are funny, some are ridiculous. The action is pretty brutal, you can really feel the style and the energy, even if (especially by the end) it felt a little physically fairytale-like. It’s a watchable film and one of the best in the “summer action nonsense” category. (25/08/2011)

It seems that Justin Lin is getting the hang of his craft. After a tragic third installment and a slightly better fourth (mainly thanks to the cast), we now have a decent fifth part that works quite well on its own. Fortunately, there is a hefty dose of action, which was mostly lacking in the previous films, and instead of submachine guns and shotguns, we are treated to supposedly souped-up wrecking cars and spinning backgrounds. Values are flipped and Lin finally realised that times are changing and audiences have different demands. The setting of Rio is very attractive, the director plays with filters and music and turns an average project into a action-packed film that is narratively very simple, but ticks away pleasantly. Thanks to the stable cast and the masterful move in the form of The Rock, the film is very enjoyable to watch. The final over the top action set-piece didn't impress me that much, while the enraged fight between Diesel and Johnson was mind-blowing. (22/05/2011)