Fast & Furious 6 (12/10/2013)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language.

Staring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Gal Gadot, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Sung Kang

Directed by Justin Lin (Fast Five, Fast & Furious, The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift)

SPOILER ALERT: Cars are driven fast, wrecked and blown up.

Since Dom and Brian’s Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam have left their lives incomplete.

Meanwhile, Hobbs has been tracking an organization of lethally skilled mercenary drivers across 12 countries, whose mastermind is aided by a ruthless second-in-command revealed to be the love Dom thought was dead, Letty. The only way to stop the criminal outfit is to outmatch them at street level, so Hobbs asks Dom to assemble his elite team in London. Payment? Full pardons for all of them so they can return home and make their families whole again.

There are several things I liked about Fast & Furious 6. The story was stronger than I expected and the cast was fantastic. I was pretty sure Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and newcomer to the franchise – Luke Evans were not going to disappoint…and they didn’t. They are funny, interesting and kick a lot of butt. Speaking of “kicking butt,” there is plenty of action from beginning to end. And there’s a decent story…well as long as you can accept the government asking convicted criminals for help chasing down a world-class villain whose specialty is “vehicular warfare.”

Now it may come as a surprise, but this film is pretty unrealistic. From tanks driving over cars on the highway to three cars bringing down a military transport vehicle, Fast & Furious 6 pushes the limits of cars, human bodies and physics. I love a good action movie as much as the next guy, but this movie is so ridiculous that it actually took away from action sequences…at least it did for me. For example, there is an action sequence when Letty is catapulted off of a tank (yes, I said a tank) and then Dom catapults himself off of a speeding car in order to catch her mid air, change the direction of her fall and land back-first into a windshield…without a scratch. When this happened the theater erupted in laughter. Not sure that was the reaction filmmakers were looking for.

Finally there is the set up for Fast & Furious 7…yep, there is going to be a SEVENTH movie. Throughout the film Han kept talking about going back to Tokyo, so when the post credit scene starts out in Tokyo I wasn’t surprised. But by the time that short scene ended I was actually excited to see Fast & Furious 7!

As long as your expectations aren’t sky high and you can temporarily suspend your belief in reality and gravity, then I think you will enjoy… It’s a “Rental.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity but there are several scenes where women are walking or dancing in revealing outfits. There is also a scene where Dom and a woman are in a bed and partially covered with a sheet.

There is a lot of violence in this film – everything from shootings and fistfights to extreme car chases and explosions.

There is 1 F-word, 1 obscene hand gesture, 3 sexual references, 18 S-words and around 25 other mild obscenities.

CONVERSATION STARTER

1. Early on in the film Mia tells Dom and Brian they are stronger together. What are some reasons this is true?


2. Who are some of your friends that make you stronger?


3. READ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New International Version)
   
   Two are better than one,
   because they have a good return for their labor:
   If either of them falls down,
   one can help the other up.
   But pity anyone who falls
   and has no one to help them up.
   Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
   But how can one keep warm alone?
   Though one may be overpowered,
   two can defend themselves.
   A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
   
   According to this passage what are some of the benefits of good friends?


4. In the film what were some of the benefits of good friends?


5. What can you do this week to be a better friend?