Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Tinsel

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
Review: ‘Fast and Furious 6’ Delivers More of the Same High-Octane Charm

Review: ‘Fast and Furious 6’ Delivers More of the Same High-Octane Charm

Last updated on: May 24, 2013 at 12:58 pm by Rebecca Cusey

Review: ‘Fast and Furious 6’ Delivers More of the Same High-Octane Charm 2013-05-24T12:58:07-06:00 Rebecca Cusey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If you see The Fast and the Furious 6, I highly recommend that you do what I did and sit in front of your local chapter of The Rock Fan Club.

It, um, enhances the experience.

One might even say it pumps it up.

Puts the fun on steroids. (Too far?)

Every time the muscle-bound former wrestler swaggers on screen, the varying degrees of muscle-bound fans behind me cheered wildly. When The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) delivered a wry one-liner, they laughed uproariously and when he good naturally allowed the film to poke fun at him, they swooned (in a particularly manly way, of course).

Like the movie itself, the whole experience was a lot of ridiculous fun.

In this sixth installment of the movie franchise, the formula of male fantasy involving fast cars, sexy women, unlikely escapades and daring men strong enough to handle it all has been solidified.

We catch up with racing patriarch Dominic (Vin Diesel) and his new blond babe Elena (Elsa Pataky), living the good life in a beach house in a country that doesn’t extradite to the US. Life is good. They’ve got millions from their morally-correct and lucrative take down of a Rio gang lord, a beach, nice cars, and plenty of lovin’. Nearby, Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) coo over their new son. They pause only to drive cars fast and debate the merits of imported horsepower versus American-made.

A pretty good gig if you can get it.

It’s too good to last.

Agent Hobbs (The Rock – Woohoo! Yeah! Oh, yeah! Wooo!) intrudes in paradise. He can’t get at their little exile beach haven because, as we’re reminded, there’s no extradition. But he has news that sucks Dominic and Brian back into the car-racing, noble crime circuit. Dominic’s old love, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez, presumed dead because the last time we saw her she was shot point blank after suffering a rather unfortunate massive car wreck (but who’s counting?), has been seen alive.

And with that, the boys are off to Europe (bye, bye Elena) where the only way to beat the ruthless gang, satisfy Hobbs (Booya! Alright! Woo!), save Letty, and be allowed home to the USA, is to drive expensive cars faster than they do.

The coconspirators from the previous installment gathers: Wise-cracking, bickering Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) along with lovebirds Han (Sung Kang) and Gisele (Gal Gadot). The crew can drive any car, hack any security system, shoot any ridiculously big gun, and look good doing it.

As in the prior movies, everything works just right and doesn’t stress the brain synapses. Roman and Tej trade barbs that are genuinely funny, Dominic emotes in his flat, deep voiced way that is either a still-waters-run-deep thing or an inability to move the muscles of the face. Either way, it works for him. The Rock (Woo! Rock! Yeah! Boom! Boom! Yeah!) brings his charming hammy self to good natured, self-deprecating mockery. The repeated line when he walks in the room is “I smell baby oil” and it seems that no one enjoys the joke more than The Rock (Cat whistle!) himself.

There’s a reason this guy has a fan club.

Watching the very very nice cars race very very fast in very very tight quarters never gets old. There goes a Dodge Daytona, cherry. Now a BMW M5. Lamborghini Murcielago, an Aston Martin DB9. (For a breakdown of the horsepower, go to Top Gear’s coverage.) If life were a little different, thinks every man in the theater, it would be me behind the wheel there.

The law doesn’t matter here. The actual law is merely a detail and the laws of physics even more bendable. By the time they’re thrown off a bridge completely, you’re so involved in the over the top fun, you want to cheer like The Rock Fan Club behind you.

Only in a movie this goofy and free-wheeling would a character be able to say that a car “broke her fall” and have it not bother you. We all know cars don’t break falls. We all know they are not featherbeds. Nor are they pillows. But the laws of physics have been suspended, so in this universe, a hunk of metal is a cushion.

Sure.

Part of the reasons these movies work so well is the simple, basic man-code at the core of them. Dominic and Brian may break regional and physical laws, but they never violate their code: Family comes first. Take care of your own and don’t hurt others (unless it can’t be helped or they’re bad guys.)

The family here, of course, is the merry band of crazy drivers and hijinx perpetrators.

The Fast and the Furious 6 is rated PG-13 for “intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language,” which pretty much sums it up. The language isn’t too egregious and the film is much more interested in sexy cars than sex itself. There is a scene of heavily implied sexuality and semi-nudity, plus several shots of women who could use a sandwich or two and can’t seem to afford enough fabric in their shorts to cover their derrières. For some reason, they seem to always pose next to the amazing automobiles. It’s almost as if men liked that combination of sleek power and skinny, semi-clad women.

Go figure.

Mayhem there is in plenty, and lots of fun too. Enjoy!

Previous Post

May 21, 2013

Family Man Brad Pitt: 'I Haven't Known Life to Be Any Happier'

Next Post

May 24, 2013 Review: 'Epic' a Lovely Tale with Hidden Messages

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Becky's Picks Children's Movies DVD releases Entertainment News Faith on Film Featured Hunger Games In Theaters Interviews Life, Etc. Mixed Nuts Movie Reviews Poliflix Scroogewatch slider Television Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 April 2011 March 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which New Testament book has the most Old Testament quotes?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Revelation Romans Hebrews Matthew