Furious 6

The latest entry in a seemingly unstoppable franchise, Furious 6 follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and the rest of the crew as they reluctantly agree to go after a notorious criminal mastermind named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) – with the gang spurred into action by the revelation that Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty is still alive and working for Shaw. There’s little doubt that Furious 6 fares noticeably worse than its surprisingly entertaining (yet far-from-flawless) predecessor, as the movie remains unable to capture and hold the viewer’s interest for the duration of its unreasonably overlong running time – with the been-there-done-that atmosphere compounded by an emphasis on hopelessly underwhelming attributes. Ranking high on the film’s list of less-than-competent elements are the visual choices of director Justin Lin, as the filmmaker manages to drain the energy out of almost all the movie’s action sequences – with, in particular, the mishandling of the various hand-to-hand fight scenes especially disappointing given the presence of Gina Carano in the cast (ie it’s impossible to tell if the former MMA fighter is even doing her own stunts). The film’s arm’s-length feel is perpetuated by a midsection that’s been suffused with pointless, time-wasting asides and subplots, and there is, as a result, never a point at which one is able to work up any interest in or enthusiasm for the various characters’ continuing exploits. And while the viewer’s interest is sporadically buoyed by appreciatively over-the-top set pieces (eg Toretto saves another by literally flying through the air), Furious 6 is, by and large, further proof that the action genre’s best days are far, far behind it.

** out of ****