Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Tyese Gibson, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurt Russell, Jordana Brewster
Four stars
Fast-moving fight scenes, outrageous auto antics and a sprinkling of ridiculous one-liners make Furious 7 a campy, crowd-pleasing, escapist romp.
Never mind that the film repeatedly presents the impossible – a muscle car attacks an airborne helicopter, for example – fans of the franchise know to leave their disbelief at the door. With non-stop action from start to finish, it’s easy – if a bit exhausting – to go along for the high-speed ride.
Reality does intrude at the end: the film is dedicated to Paul Walker, who died in an off-set car crash in 2013, and concludes with a montage of images of the actor from his five previous Fast and Furious appearances.
And at one point his character, Brian, tells his wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) that if she doesn’t hear from him after the latest mission, she should “move on”. It almost feels like a message to his co-stars.
Like its predecessors, the seventh instalment of the hit franchise features a multicultural cast, international settings and a dazzling array of cars. The $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) Lykan HyperSport from Dubai-based W Motors is incredible. Only seven such vehicles exist.
The story is just a framework for car chases and fight scenes. Dom (Vin Diesel) and his crew are getting used to life on the right side of the law when they are attacked by Shaw (Jason Statham), bent on avenging the death of his brother who was killed in the previous film.
They’re approached by the secret operative Mr Nobody (a smiling and smarmy Kurt Russell), who promises to help them take out Shaw if Dom’s crew can secure a high-tech tracking device for the US government.
Directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious), Furious 7 scores with unprecedented car stunts.
A cargo plane drops various parachute-equipped cars onto a curving road in the Caucasus Mountains. Hilariously, Dom and his pals are shown “steering” the vehicles as they fly through the air.
Another awesome sequence shows a sports car crashing through glass windows as it jumps from one skyscraper to another at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.
When the characters aren’t in their cars, they’re fist-fighting. Even Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), the lone female driver on the crew, trades blows – in a gown and heels – battling an all-woman security team led by MMA fighter Ronda Rousey.
Though Letty is depicted as an equal among the boys, there is a sexist undertone to the film. Attractive women are used as set dressing and Roman and Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) play rock, paper, scissors for “dibs” on a woman.
That aside, it all adds up to an over-the-top escapist romp, which is exactly what Fast and Furious fans expect.
Check out Chris Newbould's verdict on the film and how Abu Dhabi looks on the big screen at www.thenational.ae/arts-lifestyle and in Sunday's edition
