Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat will force Dom to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most.
I became a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise with the fifth installment, “Fast Five.” The first four films in the series up to this point were okay but director Justin Lin knocked himself into high gear with the fifth entry, infusing the movie with outrageous and over-the-top action sequences (I’m looking at you vault heist) and giving the series a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Lin directed parts 3, 4, 5, and 6 (my favorite in the series) but then stepped away for parts 7 and 8, allowing James Wan and F. Gary Gray to take on the director’s reins, respectively, but Lin returns in top form for this new installment and he brings his kinetic and high-powered energy with him.
Dom (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are living the simple life in the country with Dom’s young son Brian when they are approached by their friends Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), informing them of Mr. Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) capture of Cipher (Charlize Theron), the cyberterrorist from “The Fate of the Furious” who forced Dom to betray his family and friends by blackmailing him to work for her. The plane she was on seemingly crashed into Montecinto in Central America and Dom and his team make their way to the crash site. Upon discovering the wreckage, there is no sign of Cipher but they unearth a device named Aries, which can hack into any computer weapons system in the world, and they return with it to the US. Dom learns that his younger brother Jakob (John Cena), whom he hasn’t seen in years, is the mastermind behind the plane crash and Cipher’s capture. In order for Aries to work, there are two components to it, with the other half located in the UK. Now Dom and his team must make their way to England to retrieve the other piece before Jakob’s maniacal plan to take over the world becomes reality.
With every new entry in the Fast & Furious saga, the action, danger, and objectives all seem to multiply to exorbitant levels and “F9” is no different. The action is bigger and louder than ever before and at times, downright ridiculous, bordering on the absurd but then you remember what you are watching and end up surrendering to the film’s insanity, granting the filmmakers unrestricted authority to entertain you in any way, shape, or form. The cast is in tiptop shape and all appear to be having fun, while director Justin Lin pulls their strings and orchestrates some of the biggest action scenes you will ever see on film. The movie’s final act takes two characters into uncharted territory and may cause uncontrollable eye rolls from the audience at the sheer audacity of its inclusion but there is no denying its entertainment value. A new element is flashbacks of Dom and Jakob’s lives as teenagers, and the death of their father in a car accident, and how it shaped the brothers into the men they’ve become today. Its purpose is to give Dom a more interesting backstory, instead of the customary tales of his legendary street racing and thievery that we are all familiar with, and it pays off. He becomes less of a one-note character and accumulates new layers of integrity and incorruptibility.
“F9” also reintroduces a fan favorite who supposedly met his demise in “Fast & Furious 6.” Han (Sung Kang), who we were led to believe was killed by Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw at the end of that film, returns, and naturally, Dom and everyone else is at a loss for words but the filmmakers cleverly explain that Han was working with Mr. Nobody at the time and that his death was preplanned in advance. I am not giving away any spoilers here because Han appears in the trailer for “F9” but sadly, they could not resurrect Gal Gadot’s character, Gisele, because she willingly sacrificed herself for Han, therefore, prompting his move to Tokyo at the time. “F9” is filled with all the traditional cars, action setpieces, and nefarious villains we are familiar with in this series and your best form of action is to leave all logic at the front door, switch off your brain, and sit back and enjoy. Welcome back to the movies!
“F9” races into Theaters Friday, June 25th
