Even Faster and More Furious!
Most of us know the story, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family of driving experts-turned-international righter of wrongs are back! After the events of Fast 6,Toretto and his team are enjoying a hard-earned retirement, putting their criminal lives behind them; or, so they thought. Über-bad guy Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is seeking revenge against Toretto and his family for the downfall of his brother, Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Deckard is a one-man army who will stop at nothing to get his revenge. After the tragic death of Han (Sung Kang) and Giselle (Gal Gadot), it’s up to Toretto, Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and the rest of the team to get to Deckard before he kills them all.
Back for the ride are the rest of Toretto’s family, Mia (Jordana Brewster), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Ludacris); returning allies, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), and Elena (Elsa Pataky); with a new associate in the form of the mysterious Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell).
- Furious 7
- Directed by
James Wan - Cast
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson - Release Date
3 April 2015 - Randy’s Grade: A+
*****
Without getting into plot details or giving too much away, Mr. Nobody furnishes the crew with their ticket out of the cross-hairs; retrieving a weapon called God’s Eye; the key in finding and stopping Deckard. Directed by James Wan, this latest installment of The Fast And Furiousfranchise, aptly titled Furious 7 (because as Dominic says in the film, ” This time it ain’t just about being fast”) visits beautiful Abu Dhabi, before bringing it all back home where it started, Los Angeles. Wan, primarily known for his horror films, expertly picks up where long-time previous director Justin Lin, left off. In a word, Furious 7 is intense! The action is fast-paced and will knock you into another dimension! Jason Statham proves, as if we needed further proof, that he is an action star with which to be reckoned.
Kurt Russell’s gravitas brings the shadowy nature of his character right into place with the already established cast, and he does it with a little bit of humor infused, as well. Look for cameos by Iggy Azalea, Lucas Black (from The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift), and the indomitable Ronda Rousey in a small role as the equally matched antagonist for Michelle Rodriguez’s badassness! There is plenty of humor, dramatic close-ups, campy one-liners, and physics-defying flying cars, but Furious 7 definitely delivers the edge-of-your-seat suspense and action you come to expect; so hold on and go along for the ride!
Furious 7 also shows a lot of heart. Finishing the film after the tragic death of Paul Walker had to be a labor of love for the rest of the cast, and it shows in the finished product; providing a fitting send off to the beloved franchise star. Paul’s brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker were brought in as body doubles and for voice-overs to finish the film after Paul reportedly had already shot about 50% of his scenes. To be honest, you wouldn’t be able to tell; the integration of Caleb and Cody into Paul’s scenes is seamless.
The epilogue is a fitting tribute to the legacy of Paul Walker and The Fast and Furiousfranchise; very touching. If the ending doesn’t leave you teary-eyed, you really need to look inward and find out who didn’t hug you enough as a child. So, if you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll love Furious 7! If you’re not a fan, or haven’t seen one of these films, do yourself a favor, get Fast 6, watch it or re-watch it, then see Furious 7 – you’ll love it as well!
