Shadows on the Wall

Fast X

dir Louis Leterrier
scr Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin
prd Neal H Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Samantha Vincent
with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Leo Abelo Perry, Jordana Brewster, Daniela Melchior, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Scott Eastwood, Pete Davidson, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot
release US/UK 19.May.23
23/US Universal 2h21

See also:

Is it streaming?

Like the Marvel franchise, this series has driven itself into a dead end, giving the audience what they want without anything new or surprising. The digitally augmented car mayhem is epic, cameos whiz past and the assembled-family sentimentality is as sludgy as ever. But the various strands never add up to a plot, aside from setting up Part 2. There's plenty of empty-headed fun, but thrills are elusive.

Once again enjoying a quiet life, Dom (Diesel) must rescue his crew (Gibson, Bridges, Emmanuel and Kang) when their latest mission in Rome reveals itself as an overcomplicated revenge scheme by deranged Brazilian nutcase Dante (Momoa). And now the head (Ritchson) of their own spy agency is after them, locking Letty (Rodriguez) in a black-site prison as Dom heads to Rio to sort out the mess. The remaining team regroups in London with the help of Deckard (Statham), while Dom's brother (Cena) rescues little Brian (Perry). Then they all head to Portugal for a showdown.

Pretty much everyone from this franchise pops up: Cipher (Theron) is the one who kicks things off then later turns up to rescue Letty; Mia (Brewster) briefly babysits Brian; Queenie (Mirren) offers some sage advice; Isabel (Melchior) provides help before becoming a damsel in distress; and so on. Newcomers to the franchise include Larson's sardonic agent and Moreno's wise abuela, plus the hyper-physicality of Ritchson, a snappy one-scene turn from Pete Davidson and Momoa's outrageously camp scene-stealing glee.

It's certainly getting crowded in here, and director Louis Leterrier just about manages to juggle each wildly flailing storyline before crashing them together for a climactic cliffhanger. Along the way, set-pieces are explosively insane, ignoring laws of physics while keeping an absurdly straight face. The audience may be enjoying this, but the cast makes it look like hard work. Indeed, Diesel continues to over-emote, turning each scene into a tearful teaching moment. But Cena and Momoa are playfully engaging.

Because this is supposedly the series' penultimate movie, the writers seem to kill off a few characters. But we've fallen for that before. Dom's family, chosen and otherwise, is becoming properly enormous. And while the "be there for your loved ones" message is heartwarming, it's undermined by continuous lone-star heroics as hundreds of faceless goons are massacred along the way. But the plot twists, late arrivals and perilously dangling plot-threads will leave audiences impatient for the next instalment.

themes, language, violence 16.May.23

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.