Fast & Furious

Vin Diesel is back in a action packed block buster that involves Mexican drug traffickers, gorgeous woman, fast cars, and an explosion testosterone. I really enjoyed it since they killed off the average looking Michelle Rodriguez right in the beginning. That was spectacular. I see nothing special about this actress. She is not even close to being hot.

Paul Walker is back as Brian O'Conner and he plays the renegade FBI agent that I think Hollywood first presented us back with Keanu Reeves's superlative and heroic character Johnny Utah in the ever lasting movie Point Break. Utah screwed up though at the end which caused his partner Gary Busey to be shot and killed at the end. Though I am not sure why he was not wearing a bullet proof vest.

The cute Jordana Brewster is back as Mia Toretto. Her and Brian continue their love affair which is probably what the audience expects and wants.

John Ortiz is Campos and his main body guard bad ass is Laz Alonso who plays Fenix Rise. Fenix is the muscle man who squares off with Dominic Toretto throughout the film. The ending was disappointing in that regard since I wanted to see Toretto and Rise have a lasting fight at the movie's zenith. Rise dies too quickly when Toretto uses his car as a battering ram and pinches his body between two cars.

The plot is that one of the Mexican drug cartels is hiring street drivers in LA to movie large quantities of drug products for them around SoCal and across the southern border. There is some secret caves in the mountains that are used to high from the satellites and heat sensors used by US government agencies. The drug cartel has a pretty good racket, they kill the drivers after they are used, host another race to choose other sucker street drives to enrich the cartel and risk their lives transporting lucrative heroine, cocaine, etc. So the main antagonists in this film is not Toretto and his posse, his posse was broken up at the end of the first Fast and Furious film as everyone knows. Toretto is living and working in Mexico after visiting his girl friend and friends in the LA area. He knows the heat is around the corner and leads him to reside in Mexico. He returns to the action when he receives word his girl friend was murdered. This happens to be the same people the FBI and Brian are investigating and trying to hunt down.

The music is heart pumping. The cars are fast and gorgeous. Most of them are. They even toss in a hummer and smash around in that.

Rodriguez is replaced by Gal Gadot. She plays Gisele Harabo and trading her for Rodriquez is probably the best trade since the Celtics picked up Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves. I have never seen Gadot before but she is smoking hot. She is working for the cartel and has a similiar role and possible ending like Miami Vice. Accept the Japanese business woman in Miami Vice was married to the cartel's CEO and she fell in love with Miami police officer-Colin Farrell. Toretto is certainly not a police officer.

Toretto had a chance to escape at the end of the film but he chose to stick around. Why? Not sure. He made a wise joke with the wounded Brian but he should have drove back through the tunnels and hid out for a while. Overall, the ending was controversial and disappointing. The major fight scene never occured with Toretto and Fenix. Then Toretto is tossed in jail which he probably deserves but he has suffered enough. He should have driven off. But he did not and was arrested and was not given any leniency by the judge. The judge tosses him in jail for a good and society saving sentence of 25 years to life. As he is being escorted to this desert prison in the remote badlands of CA three drivers are on pursuit. Mia, Brian, and two of Toretto's friends that were showed in the beginning. Ridiculous. Stupid. So Brian tosses away his FBI career to spring Toretto free. I would think that the CA corrections would have a separate or trailing car during this escort of about 30 hard core felons.

The despondent ending probably had the wharped view of many of America's youth cheering.

The movie had the action, girls, music, everything that is needed. The ending was doleful though. I am sure they will make another one. Rodriguez being replaced, it was entertaining, and the script writing fit the audience and characters like a tiger's stripes wrap around it.

I allocate this movie three stars.***