Fast and Furious

Review by Anthony Morris

There are movies where the homosexual subtext is obvious.  

There are movies where the homosexual subtext is non-existent.

And then there are movies called Fast and Furious, where the homosexual subtext isn't really there... but the movie is a whole lot more entertaining if you pretend it is.  

That is because on its best day this retread of the original The Fast and the Furious is only as good as the original The Fast and the Furious. 

Which is to say it is a fun but hardly memorable remake of Point Break only instead of being surfers, the crims (Vin Diesel) and the undercover cop (Paul Walker) infiltrating the crims just drive cars really, really fast.  

That is still miles ahead of the two Fast and Furious movies between the first and this one though (the second film only starred Paul Walker; the third starred a lot of people doing skids in Tokyo) - and it is fair to say that the return of the wooden but charismatic Vin Diesel is what returns this franchise to what there was of its former glory.  

But to re-iterate: this is still a fairly silly and extremely lightweight film in which a good guy teams up with a not-really bad guy to infiltrate a drug lord's crack driving team to take him down (via loads of fairly exciting stunt driving) for doing them wrong.  

If you are over the age of seventeen or so, you've already seen this all before and pulled off better driving moves on your racing game of choice... which is where the homosexual subtext comes in.  

Walker is really too pretty to be in a convincing relationship with anyone male or female while, for whatever reason, Vin Diesel simply can't convincingly display any kind of attraction towards a woman.  

That is why he spends the entire film in mourning for his dead girlfriend: so he doesn't have to pretend to be interested in any of the other women in the film.  

Put the two together and... well, their numerous "don't get in my way!" shouting matches much more fun if you shout back "just kiss already!".

2.5 out of 5

Fast And Furious
Australian release: 16th April, 2009
Official Site: Fast & Furious
Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel
Director:  Justin Lin