Fast & Furious 6

... and the bubble burst. NOS² testosterone³ in an absolutely unnecessarily over CGIed action scene which is more like gameplay footage than a regular movie. For Lin, this is a sad return to a never-ending series of routine movies that don’t know when to stop. However much number five was surprising (and deserved) winner of the action premier league, number six is on the brink of relegation to the second league of yawnably familiar rubbish. (23/05/2013)

Modern action. A dynamically directed, testosterone-packed, stunt-filled blockbuster bullshit that can only be enjoyed without reservations by an individual who has never sat in a car and has no idea about the insurmountable power of Earth's gravity or rustic logic. While the fifth one had a better and more sophisticated story and more imaginatively benefited from the presence of the hyper-cool Dwayne Johnson, this one offers a story of the most primitive kind, overblown action (driving around town with a dumpster is still an everyday criminal routine) and a powdery chemistry between characters we simply can't worry about in the ridiculously calculated climactic scenes. But it still looks very good, despite the insane runtime there's always something going on and Michelle Rodriguez is so hot that you simply can't help but cry guilty satisfaction at the end... 65% (08/06/2013)

The mechanical, hastily put together screenplay of Fast & Furious 6 is closer to Die Hard 5 than to Fast & Furious 5. Meeting, action, meeting, action, meeting, action and so on. The meetings are not as funny as they would like to be and the action is comically exaggerated and not easy enough to follow, given that Fast & Furious is the most successful action series of today. Furthermore, the sixth instalment does not take place in an attractive exotic environment like the fifth one does and its story has detours that make it unnecessarily protracted and less dynamic (the visit in the jail, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez racing), and we’ve already seen all of its highlights in the trailers. (26/05/2013)

A bit more spectacular again than no. 5. The title sequence nicely summarizes all past parts (except part 3) and throws us into the luxury life that the brand new millionaires Torreto/O'Connor enjoy the very full. There’s even a new addition to the family. Then Hobbs comes along and spoils everything with the photo. Then comes destruction, action, fights both male and female and, as usual, lots of fabulous cars and the phenomenal more-than-chases that seem to break the laws of physics. They are basically three really long and sophisticated, action scenes filmed the old way where sheet steel and people get dented. There’s even a TANK! Diesel and Lin egged each other on and stepped on the gas. Also the groundwork for the last (?) part is full of promise and at last justifies the making of the bland part 3. (25/05/2013)

Lin has hit his limits, given that situations involving the characters and their emotional interactions elude him, taking his own feet from under him and in the final decision-making, he is unable to offer more than self-sacrificing glances and theatrical gestures. That’s assuming he doesn't fire off any major action bombs, but rather a still technically brilliant arrangement that has since last time abandoned any semblance of reality and ventured into the sci-fi genre (without a major highlight, moreover). This necessarily means a rough and painful fall that's ultimately hampered by the cast where everyone has parked themselves into their roles in a way that feels like they were just born for them. (12/06/2014)