Fast And The Furious (4)

I love car chase movies, and you definitely don’t want to drive with me after I’ve been to a good one. But, Fast And Furious 4, left me wanting for more. I found myself wishing I had a remote control in my hand. The movie started out great with an awesome, trucker’s nightmare, of a downgrade. The heist goes wrong and Vin Diesel must pull out his A-Game. There is a big crash and the drivers barely get out alive. But then, before the cheering dies down, we’re at a party where the criminals are dividing up the loot and agreeing to part ways, fast forward. Next, we are in Los Angeles, thrust into the middle of a foot chase with Paul Walker. I’m there, I’m digging it, and then bam, we’re at the FBI head quarters, fast forward. After that something happens to Michelle Rodriguez’s character. Vin Diesel must come back to the United States, and then wham, family drama, fast forward.

Whenever there were cars involved, the movie was a lot of fun, but everything in between, just bogged things down. I really liked the first Fast And The Furious film. It took us into the sub culture of street racing and showed us a world that most of us will never know. Likewise, Fast And The Furious: Toyko Drift did the same thing with Japan. But other than a couple of party scenes and one street race, we did not get to experience the car culture like before. Part of the fun of this series is seeing all the custom paint jobs and modifications done on the cars. I still remember what it was like to go cruising back in the day, it is one of the few ways I have to relate to this film. I really think it was a mistake to leave that stuff out.

Another thing that bothered me in this film was the GPS racing segment. I felt like I was in an extended commercial for the new Fast and Furious video game. I could totally hear the voice in my head explaining the race, “Gentlemen, you have a objective. Only the fastest one will be hired. We are not racing for pink slips here. Are you ready? Get set. Go!” Once you got hired, there would be a cave racing sequence. It was like the film was written with the video game in mind. If this were a video game I might buy it. But, as a movie, I say, find a matinee, or better yet, rent it, and keep the remote in your hand.

Rating: Bargain Matinee New model, original parts, needs more car chases