Stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot with Michelle Rodriguez and Sung Kang Directed by Justin Lin “New Model, Original Parts” goes the tag, and nothing was really more apt with the key four characters - and stars - coming back. It was unprecedented in any franchise, one where the series seemed to veer into a whole new direction with the last entry. (Can anyone mention any other franchise that did this?) Then here, it goes back in time a little - thanks to the appearance of Han (Sung Kang) who was killed in the last entry - and slips comfortably back into the original concept with our heroes going undercover to take out the bad guys. Except this is more of a revenge movie than just some cop thriller. Behind the scenes saw the return of Chris Morgan behind the typewriter (with uncredited assist from David Ayer), Brian Tyler behind the baton and Justin Lin pulling directing duties. One more key factor was stunt master Terry Leonard, who had been handling second unit directing (primarily with the stunts) since the second movie. Added to that Lin’s decision to go old school keeping the car stunts and crashes practical, and Terry Leonard had his work cut out for him. It also meant shifting further away from the visual aesthetic that was used in the first two movies, something Lin had already ignored in the previous entry. By increasing the practical stunts also meant the reduction of CG effects, although those weren’t cut out completely. The CG effects were used more for environments and enhancements, keeping to a policy not to have CG cars. Okay, maybe the rolling tanker at the opening heist (reflecting the opening heist of the first movie), but no cars. Also, there is only one race in the whole movie and the movie stays focus on the revenge plot. It was a discernible shift away from the car culture angle that permeated the first three movies. After all, it’s a ‘new model’ driving the next three movies from this point. Coming almost seven years since the last entry, it was interesting to see where the characters were since we left them. Most interesting is that Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) now works with the FBI, especially given the events in the second instalment which had him on the other side of the law. Then again, his record was cleared at the end of that adventure (one very long undercover job, maybe?). Still, the dynamic between Walker and his co-stars was solid and engaging. The story itself was generic, driven by character and more by the inevitable action set-pieces, which did bring something new to the game. Especially the tense and riveting finale in an underground tunnel. As action movies go, this is above average, especially for fans of vehicular stunts. The stars do bring their game to the table, especially the core four whose careers were boosted by the initial entry. Director Lin delivers where it counts and, of course, there’s the action, all enhanced by Brian Tyler’s pulse-pounding score. Really, no one could have predicted what was to come next. Rating: ***1/2
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