2015 | Dir. James Wan | 134 Minutes
"Life is binary, zeroes and ones. Only two things keep a group like this together, fear or loyalty, and I don't see a drop of fear among you guys."
Former special forces operative Deckard Shaw hunts the Toretto gang to avenge his brother who was defeated by Dom's crew in Europe. As Shaw relentlessly stalks the gang, they are recruited by a clandestine government agency that offers them a chance to turn the tables on Shaw in exchange for mounting a rescue mission to save a hacker from a group of ruthless mercenaries and obtain a highly-advanced surveillance program.
Wasting no time from minute one, the film introduces Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw by gradually revealing (in reverse) the path of destruction he had wrought to visit his brother in the hospital as he exits the building- halls, elevator, and lobby littered with defeated heavily-armed security officers on the floor. Statham plays the best antagonist in the series to date with a simple mission, presenting a constant explosive threat to the team. Action icon Kurt Russell looks like he's having the time of his life playing the jolly enigmatic Mr. Nobody, incredibly charismatic with a fondness for Belgian Beer. Nathalie Emmanuel serves as both brains and beauty playing the programmer Ramsey. Djimon Hounsou is full-on second-tier Bond villain as mercenary leader Jakande, while Thai action superstar Tony Jaa plays against type as Jakande's ruthless enforcer fully demonstrating his incredible no-wire-work agility. In a small but significant part, mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey portrays a highly-skilled bodyguard that goes toe-to-toe with Letty.
Series regulars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, and Dwayne Johnson return to their series roles without missing a beat. With the tragic loss of actor Paul Walker during the production of this film, the filmmakers tweaked Brian O'Conner's character arc to provide Walker and Brian an appropriately touching conclusion. The amnesia subplot with Letty comes to a conclusion, allowing Michelle Rodriguez to do more than scowl, drive, and fight this time around and though her acting range remains limited, she does a fine job. Tyrese Gibson brings his character Roman to a whole new level of borderline-offensive comic relief, spouting some truly funny lines at the character's expense and some appropriately cringe-worthy jokes during a sequence in which he's called on to run interference. Dwayne Johnson's Hobbs bookends the film, mainly serving to provide exposition at the start of the film in the aftermath of a fantastic fight scene, and then returning to the action at the very end with crowd-pleasing gusto. Regulars Jordana Brewster and Elsa Pataky return as well in what amount to extended cameos. Lucas Black appears in a brand new scene to cement this film's connection to Tokyo Drift, and Noel Gugliemi who played Hector in the first film returns in one scene, getting punched in the face by Letty and hanging out the likes of Iggy Azalea at Race Wars.
New to this series, director James Wan brings a manic energy to the film's numerous action scenes, employing tight close-ups and lightning-quick editing. With more fight scenes than in previous entries, the fisticuffs unfold with kinetic style. Action superstars Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson start things off right with an instant-classic knock-down drag-out brawl. Tony Jaa throws down with Paul Walker twice in the film, out-classing him athletically by a mile. Michelle Rodriguez faces off against Ronda Rousey, a noticeable upgrade over her fights against Gina Carano in the previous film. During the film's epic climax, Statham and Vin Diesel clash in a no-holds-barred street fight. The camera work isn't bad, with Wan rotating the shot to follow the action on several occasions, but the quick cutting can be slightly exhausting.
The real meat and potatoes of this film series are its sequences of gravity-defying vehicular insanity, and the filmmakers do not disappoint with this installment. Statham and Diesel playing chicken with their respective cars is the ultimate demonstration of when two unstoppable forces literally collide. A rescue mission in the Caucasus Mountains begins with armored sports cars airdropped onto the mountain road and ends with several vehicles cliff-diving and Brian leaping from a bus as it begins to plummet off a mountainside. Topping off a heist sequence in Abu Dhabi, viewers are treated to another series highlight as Dom and Brian steal a priceless and rare automobile (tantamount to a precious work of art) and attempt to outrun Shaw (who fires at the duo with a grenade launcher) jumping from one of the Etihad Towers to another, uncontrollably plowing through, and then jumping to another tower. Ultimately, the film culminates in what amounts to a massive war on wheels through the streets of LA between Jakande's heavily armed chopper and Dom's crew in their signature rides.
With Furious 7, the series steps up its game once again, offering more memorable thrills and a stellar cast of villains. The physics make less sense than ever but the characters are more likable than ever, and the themes of family and friendship truly hit home as this film is lovingly dedicated in memory of a series regular. It's another instantly classic action film in a landmark series, and a personal chapter for series fans.
FRAGMENTS
- The series' tradition of assigning unconventional titles to its sequels continues; marketed as Furious 7, director James Wan insists that the official title is Furious Seven (with the word "Seven" spelled out, as it appears in the film's opening titles) in reference to films like Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (Entertainment Weekly)
- In Japan, the title for this film is Wild Speed: Sky Mission
- The remix of DJ Shadow's "Six Days" featuring Mos Def that plays during the opening credits of Tokyo Drift plays in this film during an establishing shot of Tokyo before Dom's scene with Sean
- For more Tony Jaa ass-kicking action, check out Ong Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong (The Protector)
SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Podcast: How Did This Get Made? Episode #118: Furious 7: LIVE
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Vin Diesel (Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
- Djimon Hounsou (Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel)
- Kurt Russell (Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)
