One Last Ride.
The gravelly tones of Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto rumble through the cinema's surround sound speakers. Truer words have never been spoken. 'Fast & Furious 7' (also called 'Furious 7') will be the last time that Diesel shares the silver screen with Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor. Walker's tragic passing at exactly halfway through filming of 'Fast & Furious 7' created an emotional vacuum within the extremely tight-knit group of actors who make up the core cast of the 'Fast & Furious' films. It also presented an extremely difficult decision for Universal Studios, writer Chris Morgan and director James Wan. At one point Universal looked set to cancel the production and make the biggest insurance claim in Hollywood history... but Morgan, Wan and Diesel said they'd found a way forward. A way to finish the film and honour Paul Walker's memory at the same time. A tall order, perhaps an impossible task, some said. But the team pressed on and here we are, on the eve of the worldwide release of 'Fast & Furious 7'. One Last Ride indeed.
Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Connor have left their crazy wheelman hijinks behind and have settled down for the quiet life in Los Angeles with their respective long-time girlfriends, Letty and Mia, but when Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) murders their friend Han (Sung Kang), Toretto and O'Connor have to get behind the wheel again to stay one step ahead of Shaw and protect their family.
Leaving aside the emotional weight and technical issues that arose from the death of Paul Walker,'Fast & Furious 7' has many other aspects worth mentioning. First and foremost, long-time 'Fast' director Justin Lin has stepped aside for newcomer James Wan (best known for his horror films) to step up to the plate. The results are decidedly mixed. Firstly, Wan has ramped up the action components even further than before with a few magnificent sequences (one showstopper involves skydiving cars and an armoured bus with miniguns). Unfortunately though, the increased action has come with frustrating MTV-style cinematography and quick editing that is simultaneously flashy and low-brow. In addition, Wan seems to relish using computer generated imagery wherever possible and the film's finale is the biggest culprit here, with helicopters, drones and sometimes cars all receiving the pixel treatment, instantly pulling viewers from the film in a way that is neither thrilling nor dramatic. The gratuitous slow-motion shots of scantily-clad models dancing have also made an unwelcome return, sending the franchise back into a place of objectifying women in a rather draconian manner.Conversely though, Wan has directed some very nice scenes between characters and in fact the first 40 minutes of the film passes with very few action beats. Perhaps more strangely, the chases and gunfights aren't missed as the Toretto and O'Connor storylines work to keep the audience engaged.
Which brings us full circle to the re-tooling of the story that had to occur due to the tragic death of Paul Walker. Essentially, it is from the ashes of this terrible event that the filmmakers have accomplished the impossible: Walker's Brian O'Connor is sent off in glorious fashion with a storyline that builds organically throughout the film. Walker's real-life brothers Cody and Caleb were famously brought onto the set to help stand-in for Walker and generate reference footage for the team of visual effects artists who would later use digital face replacement technology to complete the performance of Brian O'Connor. Although it's possible to pick the sequences where Walker was not present, the creative team have deliberately tried to use the computer generated performance technology sparingly so as to not distract from the viewing of the film.
After watching Walker play Brian O'Connor since 2001 when I sat down in the cinema to watch the first 'Fast & Furious' film, I can confidently say that this film serves as a fitting tribute to a man who was by all accounts, a warm and decent human being. I was certainly saddened by his passing but the filmmakers have respected Walker's memory and for that I am grateful.
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On a lighter note, the tone of the film survives intact. 'Fast & Furious 7' is fun. An action ride for which popcorn munching is mandatory. Dwayne Johnson appears once more as scene stealer Agent Hobbs and the method by which he discharges himself from hospital was a crowd favourite. Vin Diesel also proves himself to be indestructible once again, charging through glass, rolling down mountainsides in vehicles and even jumping between skyscrapers in a luxury supercar with nary a scratch to show for it. It's all very silly, but it's also a heck of a lot of fun. Kurt Russell and Jason Statham elevate the proceedings this time around although Djimon Hounsou is sadly wasted as a forgettable mercenary.
The plot doesn't make a terrible lot of sense most of the time but in this franchise I'm honestly not sure anymore if that's a positive or negative in the scheme of things, after all, sometimes the silliness is the point with these latter-day 'Fast' films.
In the end, I enjoyed this film immensely and although it's not as strong as some previous entries, the odds were certainly stacked up against the production and it's amazing that this film exists at all when the timing of Paul Walker's death is taken into account. Head along to the cinema and watch your 'Fast & Furious' family take on the world again.
"One Last Ride?" Diesel asks. "Absolutely." I reply.
3/5
'Fast & Furious 7' is in cinemas 2 April.
'Fast & Furious 7' review part 2.
This review first appeared on This Is Film.
