F9

F9
2021 | Dir. Justin Lin | 145 Minutes

"It’s not about being the stronger man, Dom. It’s about being the bigger one."


Dominic Toretto's crew is called to action again when rogue agents forcefully extract their nemesis Cipher from Mr. Nobody's custody. With help from a long lost friend, Dom must confront his past in order to save the world from a would-be despot in league with an unexpected adversary, Dom and Mia's estranged brother Jakob.

While there is still plenty of mindless fun to be had, F9 is equal parts forced sequel and unnecessary prequel, loaded with flashbacks dubiously attempting to manufacture a plot that barely holds together the film's set pieces while serving up a massive helping of perhaps misguided fan service to those who have stuck with the films through thick and thin. The sudden introduction of a long lost Toretto sibling this late in the game doesn't quite work despite all the effort expended to weave him into established continuity. The sequences featuring younger actors filling in as Dom and Jakob in their pre-The Fast and the Furious youth do a decent job of fleshing out the story of their father's tragic demise while bringing the picture back to the franchise's racing roots, but they also show just how far the series has come in a bad way, juxtaposing sharply against its current loud, over-the-top, mostly nonsensical smorgasbord of impossible stunts and espionage action. More in response to fan demand than to serve the overarching plot of these pictures in any meaningful way, the more the filmmakers attempt to explain Han's seemingly miraculous return the less it makes sense on a story level, arguably invalidating the mid-credits twist at the end of Fast & Furious 6 and practically discarding the entire dramatic motivation behind Furious 7. The one aspect of the script that works remarkably well is the self-referential humor offered up by Roman and Tej as the bickering duo become aware of and question the crew's apparent invulnerability.

The action scenes are competent but they frankly just aren't as fresh as the ones from previous, better installments. The jungle sequence in the first act featuring a car chase through a minefield culminating is a physics-defying, logic-defying vehicular swing across a mountain range is absolutely ridiculous even for this series. Thankfully, the mid-film and climatic chase sequences through Edinburgh and Tbilisi heavily featuring highly exaggerated electromagnet mayhem are much more amusing. Roman and Tej's impractical excursion into Earth's orbit is also good fun despite leaving the strong impression of being shoehorned into the picture to address years of mostly-ironic speculation from fans. Leaving much to be desired, all of the hand-to-hand combat sequences are sloppily performed, and choppily shot and cut.

Disappointingly, Vin Diesel practically sleepwalks through this film despite being the de facto lead this time around. John Cena does a fine job as Jakob, appropriately intimidating while easily selling the role of a sympathetic antagonist. Playing young Dom and Jakob, Vinnie Bennett and Finn Cole deliver serviceable impressions of Vin Diesel and John Cena while lifting more dramatic weight than either top-billed star. JD Pardo also stands out as Toretto patriarch Jack, giving the character an proper face as well as a bit of unexpected nuance. Thue Ersted Rasmussen plays a rather forgettable antagonist that's a cross between a poor man's David Bowie and an even poorer man's Elon Musk. Michael Rooker is a great addition as Toretto family friend Buddy but his role is mostly thankless. Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster return not only to take part in a fair amount to the action but also share a few decent dramatic beats as Letty and Mia for once. The natural comedic chemistry between Tyrese Gibson and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges is at its very best, allowing the pair to deliver the best Roman and Tej moments to date. Nathalie Emmanuel capitalizes on her chance to show off her comedy skills as Ramsey in one hilarious action sequence. It's a thrill to see Sung Kang return as Han but he oddly doesn't have very much to do besides escorting a living McGuffin played by Anna Sawai, doing what she can with such a vague sketch of a character. Tokyo Drift alums Lucas Black, Bow Wow, and Jason Tobin are a welcome sight despite being awkwardly slotted into the plot. Also returning from previous films are Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron, Shea Whigham, Helen Mirren, and Don Omar in what amount to glorified cameos.

Constructing its plot through excessive retconning and packed with increasingly silly novel gimmicks, F9 fully embraces the franchise's post-shark-jump status with mostly mixed results. While it's an entertaining installment overall, more discerning audiences can't be blamed for checking out entirely at this point. This one can only be recommended for ride or die Fast & Furious fans.


MID-CREDITS STINGER
Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) letting off some steam beating a sniveling man inside a punching bag is interrupted by a knock on the door. Shaw opens the door to see Han.


FRAGMENTS
- The series' tradition of assigning unconventional titles to its sequels continues; while the title of this installment is neat and succinct F9, the marketing campaign gives this film, and perhaps the mainline series itself, the rather heavy-handed subtitle The Fast Saga

- In Japan, the title for this film is Wild Speed: Jet Break

- The film opens with a variation of the Universal Pictures logo based on the version from the 1990s

- The drag race flashback sequence is particularly amusing in how features a complete cast of actors playing young versions of the Dom's entire original crew from The Fast and the Furious

- While it's not any more out of place than anything else featured in this series, the Cardi B cameo is super distracting 

- Revisiting stock footage of pre-Wonder Woman Gal Gadot's Gisele from Fast & Furious 6 sure is trip

- The Star Wars banter between Otto and Cipher is actually kind of hilarious



- Charlize Theron (Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
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