There were several points during Fast & Furious 6 when I thought to myself, “Well that would never happen in the real world!” This, I understand, is a ludicrous complaint to make. If I was looking for realism, I was definitely at the wrong film. Back in Fast Five though, this didn’t seem to matter – it thundered along at such a jolly pace that I didn’t stop to think about how ridiculous it all was. This time around, the action starts and stalls like a dodgy engine.
Having spent the last film chasing Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) around like an angry battering ram, lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) now decides he needs his enemy’s help to track down a particularly dastardly foe. The target is Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), who with his crew of henchmen, has been waging “vehicular warfare” across Europe. Toretto and his crew agree to help Hobbs on the condition that they will receive pardons. To add a little intrigue, Michelle Rodriguez returns from the grave as tough chick Letty, now playing on the side of the enemy.
Setting the majority of the film in London is an interesting move and proves to be both a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, there are moments of humour wrung from the sight of London bobbies ineffectually squaring up against martial arts experts. The city is shot nicely, with a good mix of grime and glitz. However, this being a built-up metropolitan area, there is little room for the fast and furious carnage promised by the title and it’s not until the action moves to a Spanish highway that it lets loose. This sequence finally strikes the right balance between spectacle and silliness. Unfortunately the film quickly loses its way again and the final chase (taking place on what must be the world’s longest runway), lacks focus and features some shockingly incoherent editing.
In terms of a franchise instalment, Fast & Furious 6 accomplishes what it sets out to do and will please the fans with its high octane hi-jinks. Unlike Fast Five though, it all feels a little too uneven to bring any new converts along for the ride.