The media campaign for 'Need For Speed' has stressed two points in particular.
The first is that this film is not a clone of 'The Fast And The Furious'. The second point is that the car stunts are all achieved without the assistance of computer graphics. Well, the filmmakers can hold their heads high at having achieved these two goals. Unfortunately, they haven’t achieved much else in this decidedly bland racing film.
Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) runs a small mechanic business he inherited from his father where he and a group of friends repair and tune vehicles. Tobey makes some extra money on the side through street racing. When a race goes bad, Tobey is set up to take the blame for the death of his friend by the moustache twirling Dino (Dominic Cooper). Tobey gets sent to prison, but is soon released on parole looking for revenge.
{youtube}e73J71RZRn8{/youtube}
There is really only one commandment in the world of cinema: Thou Shalt Not Bore. Regrettably, despite the fast cars and practical stunts, 'Need For Speed' ignores this commandment, and within the first ten minutes the audience members are squirming in their seats. The script is laughable and the performances are worse, with only Aaron Paul somehow making it out unscathed despite the horrid drivel that he is forced to spout throughout the film.
Even the action sequences are bogged down by horrendous dialogue, and whilst director Scott Waugh seems perfectly capable of creating a cool action shot, he is completely inept when it comes to creating an action sequence.
The real shame is that the audience for this film will not even be expecting much. Some fast cars, some great stunts and a healthy topping of cheesy dialogue. Regrettably, the pacing of this film is completely off, and the tone shifts wildly from scene to scene, sometimes trading as comedy and other times as a dark, 'Bullitt'-esque drama. Life becomes depressing when even low expectations are not met.
Aaron Paul is a fine actor who can create a compelling performance with apparent ease, but 'Need For Speed' sadly gives him absolutely nothing to work with. It is a dull and lifeless film filled with lackluster dialogue and badly staged action.
Do what you like to make your film silly and over the top, or dark and gritty, but above all else, Thou Shalt Not Bore. Here endeth the lesson.
★
For more of Tim's insights on film, visit thisisfilm.com.
