When a series like Fast and the Furious gets to it's seventh movie title you would expect it to be over the top with it's stunts, style and action just to keep you coming back for more. Furious 7 certainly takes this piece of information to heart with its outrageous amount of explosions, car chases and so many other huge stunts that I couldn't help but be locked into what I was watching. I should feel bad for liking the movies stunts as much as I did and once again I found myself asking the question "aren't these guys just common street criminals?" to which Vin Diesel's Dominic Torreto explains "my guys are the best drivers in the world but they aren't killers." It was down right hilarious when even the movie realizes that it's going to the extreme and I loved the whole thing even more for it.
For those of you who should but don't know, Furious 7's plot had been set up by a shocking reveal at the end of Fast 6 and that surprise was that Han (Sung Kang) wasn't killed by a random driver, it was deliberate and now that person is coming after Dom and the rest of his crew. Why? Well, it turns out that Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) isn't too happy that his little brother Owen (Luke Evans) is now a cripple laying in a hospital bed and wants revenge. If you thought Owen was bad, wait till you hear about his big bad brother, rather yet, wait until you see the amount of destruction he caused within the first five minutes of the film. After saying his farewells to his brother, Deckard zooms off to the states to hack into our favorite wrath of God FBI agents computer, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "Rock" Johnson). After a grueling fight scene and a stunt that would leave most men dead, Hobbs ends up in the hospital and Dom receives his first taste of Shaw's vengeance when an unknown package from Tokyo blows up his family home.
This event sets in motion a huge around the world adventure for Dom and his friends, Brian (Paul Walker), Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), smart mouthed Roman (Tyrese Gibsen) and returning member Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). Dominic has always said that family is the most important thing to him and once you mess with it there is nowhere on Earth you can hide from him. But, Deckard is also seeking revenge for family and so the two come off as evenly matched rivals. Two times in the movie they appear before one another in amazing cars and charge head strong into one another and demolish each of their cars. They're both okay, of course, and they both stumble out of their cars and begin to square off with one another with fists, guns and broken shards of their vehicles. Deckard also has the nasty habit of appearing wherever in the world Dom and his team happen to be and throws a monkey wrench into each of their plans. I don't know how he keeps finding Dom, maybe he's got a tracking chip on him or has one of those apps that wives install on their husbands phones to check if they're cheating on them. I just watched each heists sequence though in anticipation of when he would come charging in to try and kill all of them.
On the subject of tracking chip technology, it turns out that there is a huge shadow game going on underneath the revenge and gun shoot outs. A mysterious technology that is something right out of Eagle Eye is wanted by a possible CIA or some sort of American boogie man character played by Kurt Russell. The technology can use any phone camera, surveillance equipment and basically any technological device with a camera to locate someone anywhere in the world. It's creator, Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), is currently in terrorist custody and will probably be tortured until she gives up the location of this technology to their leader Jackonde (Djimon Hounsou). Mister Spook hires Dom's team to find Ramsey and the device before that happens, with the promise that once they do they can use it to find and take down Deckard. All of which sets up the final showdown through the streets of L.A. where Dom and his team have the home team advantage but with a giant predator drone, attack helicopter and the lunatic Deckard around, who knows how things will go down. I know how it will go down but I like to add a bit of whimsy into this insane action thriller movie review.
Every bit of the action is incredible, if you thought the last movie had some great stuff, you will be amazed at what's in store for you this time. All the stunts feature over the top cars, fight scenes have kicks and punches going all over the place with the camera changing perspectives as people are slammed into the ground. You will sit in awe of the amount of crazy
The thing I didn't expect to be so huge for the movie was the ending. A touching tribute to Paul Walker was bound to be included somewhere near the end but the film makers did a wonderful job of making it feel like a part of the actual film. Dom speeds off at the end of the story in his car without saying much to everyone and as he is stopped along a long highway, a car pulls up. In the drivers seat is a CGI Paul Walker (one of his own brothers was a stand in) and the two drive down the road with a narration given by Vin Diesel about Paul and how he still remains a part of his family and the rest of their lives. The road diverges and Paul's car drives off in another direction to symbolize his departure, it's a beautiful tribute that fans will undoubtedly love and enjoy.
Furious 7 is convoluted, filled with shadow government characters, giant explosions, ex-British mercenaries, beautiful cars and even more beautiful woman. And while Fast and the Furious may have come a long way from just a common criminal street racing movie series, I can't help but enjoy what it's turned into. Everything that was done may have been extremely out there but it was all done with care and great work by all it's actors. Every actor returns to their roles with strength and wonderful performances and if I didn't already suspect a sequel, I would call this movie a great send of for the series.
Good:
- Kurt Russell and Jason Statham make wonderful additions
- Action, never ending, non stopping, heart pounding, action
- Paul Walker tribute
Bad:
- It probably won't be as easy for some to overlook the over the top craziness
Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10
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