Movie #140 2020: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Sixth time lucky, perhaps?

After quite enjoying Fast Five, I was looking forward to this instalment in the franchise… until I saw that many believed it was a large step down from the previous.

Was the hate warranted? I certainly don’t think it was at all! Though not as good as Five, it was only by the smallest of margins. It’s almost as good, if not just as good if you ask me.

This time, Dwayne Johnson‘s Hobbs calls on Vin Diesel and the gang to help him take down a notorious British mercenary by the name of Shaw. (No, not THAT Shaw). All the while, there’s a manhunt for Dom’s former beau, Letty, (Michelle Rodriguez) who was presumed dead in the fourth movie.

Yeeeeeah, so there are some pretty ridiculous stunts in this movie that are plainly over the top and impossible, but who cares? If they’d just rolled with the same – more plausible – stuff they’d done in earlier films, people would be complaining that they were doing nothing new and it was all same-y. So it’s a Catch-22 really, isn’t it? In short, it’s still tremendously fun to watch, and if you’re trying to take this movie seriously then you are barking up the wrong tree.

As it has been with previous Fast movies, the story line is all over the shop. However, it’s still easy enough to follow, and I’ll say this once again: it is still entertaining nonsense. There a specific plot point involving Gal Gadot‘s Giselle that may well leave your blood boiling, but other than that, it’s a pretty easy-going viewing.

Once again, the soundtrack in this sequel absolutely slaps. Despite there rarely being a song that you’ll recognise, the Latin American-infused song choices are so fitting and so much fun that it’s impossible not to dance.

I’d like to round this off by again reinforcing that this doesn’t deserve the negativity it gets. It’s quite easily the second best movie in the franchise… so far.

Fast & Furious 6 is available on Sky Cinema and Now TV.

TQR Category Ratings:

Performance: 
Cinematography: 
Soundtrack: 
Costume & Set Design: 
Plot: 
Overall Rating: