What Do The Critics Say?

"All that distinguishes Fast & Furious 5 from this year's crop of crappy action films is a modicum of craft, cleverness and restraint. If you’re like me and couldn’t recognize a Ford GT40 or a Nissan Skyline if your life depended on it, you’ve still been following the Fast and Furious series. What matters is that Fast & Furious 5 will satisfy any jones you may have for a good, old-fashioned stupid action movie." Margot Harrison SEVEN DAYS "Sure, the plot, dialogue and acting are as silly as usual. But buoyed by a sparkling Rio setting and an awesomely staged third-act action setpiece, Fast Five is the series' best outing since the original." Stephen Silver THE TREND "Director Justin Lin's tackling his third Fast film and he's got the recipe down pat. Five's final chase sequence involving a stolen vault is, hands down, the best action sequence of the entire franchise." Rebecca Murray ABOUT.COM "This opens with a bang and picks up speed from there. The opening is so mind-boggling it drew gasps and applause from my screening of film critics, most of whom have seen just about everything there is to see in movies. Right away, if the stunts and special effects don’t grab you, the music, highlighted by reggaeton stars Don Omar and Tego Calderón, can’t help but get you in the mood. The film is loaded to the gills with high octane music to keep up with the constant action onscreen." Tony Medley TOLUCAN TIMES

"Here’s something I didn’t expect: Fast & Furious 5: or simply Fast Five if you’re in a hurry and not nearly as furious about it; is the most entertaining film thus far in the gas-guzzling franchise. The film kicks off spectacularly. Don’t leave your brain at the door like other critics are suggesting, just hide it behind a beer helmet and gleefully guzzle Teh Stoopid away." Anders Wotzke CUT PRINT REVIEW "Dwayne Johnson is added to the mix this time out barking orders to federal agents. High on extreme stunts and crazy car crashes, carried off with minimal aid from CGI, which is actually very refreshing." Eric Melin SCENE-STEALERS "Resets the action to a fantasy Rio de Janeiro. The whole thing progresses to one of the looniest heists of all time. The result is the most exciting, visually jazzy, and absurd entry in the series." Michael Wilmington CHICAGO READER "The action in this movie is the key to what makes it fun. Who cares about the plot, character, story or even physics at this point. If it looks cool on screen, it works. "Fast & Furious 5" will invigorate the fans. Kevin Carr 7M MOVIES "Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson square off in a movie at last. It's a cosmic event, like some freak planetary collision. Taiwan-born director Justin Lin has become the man to give this franchise legs: the start and finish here, defying every imaginable law of physics, are series highs." Tim Robey DAILY TELEGRAPH

The Inside Story Evidence of the staying power of the 'Fast & Furious' franchise has been its ability to sustain, relevancy and increase anticipation, with an irresistible combination of memorable characters, blistering action and engaging storylines. After the first film’s smash success in 2001, outcast cop Brian O’Conner was partnered with a new crew of savvy racers for 2003’s "2 Fast 2 Furious". A new cast of young up-and-comers in 2006’s "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" hit the mark, and both films performed wildly at the worldwide box office. But Neal Moritz ("I Am Legend"), the producer behind the global phenomenon, knew that if the series was to continue to thrive, the next chapter would need to go back to its roots and delve into the gritty underground world of the ex-con and undercover cop. These adversaries on opposite sides of the law shared a passion for racing and a grudging respect for one another. The onscreen reunion of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster in "Fast & Furious" was met with a thunderous audience reaction and a record-breaking opening weekend that resulted in more than three hundred and fifty million at the worldwide box office. The film: which debuted domestically in the U.S.A. on April 3rd 2009;, had a record best non-holiday opening weekend for the studio and became the highest-grossing film for that weekend in motion-picture history. It confirmed that the heart of the franchise lay squarely where it all began: with Dom Toretto, Brian O’Conner and their extended family and close friends. Moritz ("Sweet Home Alabama"), a veteran producer with a diverse roster of box-office hits, has always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture and alongside Diesel, who also served as a producer on "Fast & Furious", reinvigorated the franchise. The audience couldn’t get enough of the modern day cowboys and fan response to the film guaranteed another chapter in the series. "The strength of "Fast & Furious" and now "Fast & Furious 5" is all about these guys who have a very distinct moral and ethical code that they live by: whether it’s on one side of the law or the other," Moritz explained. "Dom’s got his code, Brian’s got his code and even our newest character: Hobbs; played by Dwayne Johnson, has his. As these intersect and conflict with each other, which they do many times over, it adds great tension to the film’s action. It’s great to see when those two things ignite." Vin Diesel (who played Pvt Adrian Caparzo in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan") is introspective about the rabid fan response that has kept this series thriving for more than a decade. "Not a lot of event films like ours are about family, or specifically, a family of misfits and outsiders. We saw that in The Fast and the Furious, and it continues to be true even on "Fast & Furious 5". There’s a brotherhood that’s present in the franchise, and it speaks to the audience in a real way. It’s the family the audience wants to be a part of with people they can trust and rely on: like Dom and his crew." Impatient fans were ready for another story and let it be known. Walker recalls the excitement generated by "Fast & Furious": "When "Fast & Furious" came out and was so well received, we knew that the fifth one was coming." When it came to "Fast & Furious 5", Moritz and Diesel, who return as producers, knew that the next chapter in the series had to add fuel to the franchise in a big way. They looked to director Justin Lin whose work on the previous two Fast chapters illustrated his knack for melding strong character-driven story with white-knuckle action. He was just the director to dispel audiences’ suspicion of anything that smacked of 'been there, seen that.' "I felt like there were still a lot of areas where this franchise could go. I appreciate that the studio has never asked to recycle the same thing over and over again. By virtue of that, this franchise has been able to grow and evolve and mature. I came back for that reason. The core theme is about family. The fourth one explored the sacrifice elements of family. As soon as I was able to grasp that the next one is about freedom and family, it became clear to me why I wanted to return," says UCLA Film School graduate Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow"). Lin also knew that if he were to helm his third film in the series, the expectations from the fans would be huge. "I know the action in this one is bigger than the last two combined. There are about six action pieces in this movie, not just car chases, but foot chases and a heist as well. It’s just jam-packed." Development on the film took off at warp speed. Once again, Chris Morgan, whose action-packed scripts established him as a go-to writer for action-driven drama, would be returning. As a fan of the genre, Morgan was entrusted to help director Lin conceive of a premise that would surpass their previous efforts. "For me, each chapter in this franchise is an extension of the first one, and they each get bigger. It is always a privilege to be able to revisit a good character-driven story. This franchise is more than street racing and tuner cars; it really is about this larger family and community of racers." Morgan ("Wanted") and the Lin share a collaborative working style and, over the course of developing and filming the previous Fast films, the two developed their own shorthand. "Jumping into production, like we did on "Fast & Furious 5", forces everyone to be clever," Morgan explained. "Justin and I come at story points from different angles but something happens in that room when we sit and talk about the story, and we always end up going down a road that we both love." "Bringing everybody back was sitting in the back of our heads when we did the fourth one. Once we saw the audience reaction to Fast & Furious’ combination of Vin, Paul, Jordana and Michelle, we all had that collective 'wow' moment." And, as there’s a storied history for each of the characters throughout the franchise it does beg the question as Moritz says: "What if we brought them all back?" "The objective for this installment was to bring in different characters from the franchise and put them all together and have a lot of fun," says Diesel. Reintroducing franchise favorites into the mix wouldn’t be difficult to execute, but devising a compelling premise for characters already established in the series to dovetail with the latest Dom-Brian focused story would be more challenging. As well, the filmmakers wanted to give every cast member a credible story arc. It was another challenge to be introduced into a short preproduction schedule, but the gang was committed to coming back together to make the magic happen. Revisiting Dom Toretto in the last chapter reignited Diesel’s desire to delve deeper into the character of an ex-con seeking redemption. For an actor who looks toward developing complex characters, the opportunity was enticing. "Dom is coming out of mourning the loss of Letty and is again on the run with Brian and Mia, so there’s still a story to tell," Diesel ("Multi-Facial") says. "It’s a testament to this franchise that we take the time to explore these anti-action scenes that are all about heart, character and the growth of characters that you know so well." Morgan ("Cellular") spent a good deal of time with Diesel to delve into the inner workings of Toretto and his demons. "To be able to gain his feedback and take advantage of it only makes the character better." 2000 & '01 Young Hollywood Award winner Walker says he appreciates Diesel’s focus to keep character-driven storylines an integral part of the franchise formula, noting the film has "tons of action; everyone is running around shooting guns, boosting cars and ripping safes out of walls. But at the end of the day, these are regular guys dealing with their own issues. Vin fights for that. A lot of people think of this franchise as being all about the cars, but these characters humanize the whole series and bring it down to ground level." Jordana Brewster ("Annapolis"), who reprises her role as Mia Toretto, was satisfied to see the young girl who was so often the voice of restraint in 2001 now evolving into a tougher, sexier woman who handles life as a fugitive with a steely resolve. "Mia was a little bit of a wallflower and more reserved than she is now. She always had a strength about her, but she didn’t speak up quite as much as she could have. In "Fast & Furious 5", she has risen to the challenge of their circumstances and is far stronger. As an actress, it’s rewarding to check in with your character over the years and see such marked changes." Introducing a formidable enemy who threatens to bring down Dom, Brian and their crew solidified when Dwayne Johnson expressed interest in joining the franchise. It was a coup for the filmmakers to cast the action star in a role that has him go 'head to head' against such a celebrated character as Diesel’s hero. Based on Johnson’s interest, Lin and Morgan sat down and began to rework their vision of Hobbs. Morgan wasn’t quick to establish Hobbs as an evil guy. "The Hobbs character is not necessarily a villain. The more appropriate term would be the 'contagonist'. He’s just a fiercely driven guy doing his job to bring in two outlaws, Brian and Dom. Not a villain, but a man who will do whatever it takes to do that: dead or alive." Bringing a new character into the series who could match brawn with Dom was no easy task. "It was very important when we were developing the character of Hobbs to have someone of Dwayne’s stature to say that he’d be interested in the part. That meant a lot to me as a director. It meant that it was worth it for him to want to come in and be the fifth in a franchise," Lin notes. Hobbs is certainly a great foil for Dom. "Hobbs poses a different threat than the other antagonist in the movie," Johnson (Christopher Danson in "The Other Guys") states. "He has a different energy because he’s not driven by money or power. Instead, Hobbs is driven by his code and by his job. He believes that if you are a bad man and you’re toxic to the world, he’s going to rid you of that toxicity." Johnson, coming off filming the revenge drama "Faster" (which had him lean and well built), gained an additional thirteen and a half kilograms of muscle to beef up his already muscular frame. That ensured Agent Hobbs was indeed as menacing as Morgan had written him. After witnessing the fight scene (which kept medico's busy over a two week period), Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges summed up the cast’s feelings: "You have Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson up against Vin Diesel. There hasn’t been anything this big since King Kong vs Godzilla. Period!" Even as he was putting the final polish on an extensive U.S. tour, Ludacris wanted in for this next chapter in the series. "I can definitely say once I read the script and knew who was set to return, I was down. We had a little too much fun while filming. It’s almost a crime to actually get paid and to have this much fun at the same time." Stunning Israeli actress Gal Gadot ("Date Night") was thrilled at the chance to tackle again the role of Gisele. "She’s tough and has no fear. She’s definitely one of the guys" What's It All About?

Since Brian and Mia Toretto broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. All they have to do is hijack a train and steal its cargo. But, one of the cars is hiding a secret. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail. Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can't separate the good guys from the bad. Now, Hobbs must rely on his instincts to corner his prey: before someone else runs them down first.

The Verdict "After four editions, I'm sure there were plenty of critics who were praying that the 'Fast & Furious' franchise had been put to bed. But why would anyone expect that, after all, the four films have raked in $US962,467,713 worldwide. There was always going to be another edition. All the team behind the franchise had to do was come up with the right formula to ensure another film would make it at the box-office. After all, 'Fast & Furious' films aren't just made for people who can't read, rev-heads or those who drag their knuckles across the ground. Nor are they the sole domain of those who live in the nether-regions of major cities: if you get my drift. With "Fast and Furious" taking $US360,364,265 worldwide why wouldn't you want to go around at least one more time? Thankfully they decided to go with another edition, because by doing so, they saved the box-offices ass, taking $US218,530,305 worldwide so far including an Australia contribution of $AU19,721,159 in its first two weeks 'down under'. So what's the big attraction? Much of the credit for the films success so far, must go to the trailer: one look and you can't wait to see it. Set in Rio, the film is also a gathering of the clan. But perhaps the biggest attraction is the thought of watching Vin Diesel and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, belting the living daylights out of each other. Really? No. What most want to see is a heist involving a huge safe (they built six in all), that ends up being towed by two thirty foot cables attached to a couple of snappy, Dodge Chargers ( five versions of the vintage Charger were built and modified), racing through the streets of Rio. This is definitely one action packed film. It's also one many will want to see a second time. Danger, suspense, hot cars and Rio. The ideal combination. 4 1/2 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Vin Diesel Paul Walker Jordana Brewster Tyrese Gibson Ludacris Matt Schulze Sung Kang Gal Gadot Tego Calderon Don Omar Joaquim Almeida Dwayne Johnson Elsa Pataky Michael Irby Fernando Chien Alimi Ballard Yorgo Constantine Geoff Meed Joseph Melendez Jeirmarie Osorio

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Dominic Toretto Brian O'Conner Mia Roman Tej Vince Han Gisele Leo Santos Reyes Hobbs Elena Zizi Wilkes Fusco Chato Macroy Chief of Police Alemeida Rosa

The Production Team Directed by Justin Lin Written by Chris Morgan Characters by Gary Scott Thompson Produced by Vin Diesel/Michael Fottrell/Neal H. Moritz Original Music by Brian Tyler Cinematography by Stephen F. Windon Film Editing by Kelly Matsumoto/Fred Raskin/Christian Wagner Casting by Debra Zane Production Design by Peter Wenham Art Direction by Beat Frutiger & Andrew Neskoromny Set Decoration by Bob Kensinger Costume Design by Sanja Milkovic Hays Run Time 130 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Universal Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.