Review: 'Fast X' brings back its fast cars and macho swagger, as it wears its narrative incoherence as a badge of honor
The “Fast and Furious” franchise long ago was considered critic-proof, and in the last few installments has become critic-hostile — being so deliberately ridiculous and logic-averse that it flaunts its audience-pandering incredulity as a badge of honor.
But even by the franchise’s harebrained standards — a submarine in “The Fate of the Furious,” space travel in “F9: The Fast Saga” — the newest installment, “Fast X,” sets a new standard for automotive silliness.
Much of this is attributable not to the ever-growing cast of regulars who surround star Vin Diesel, but to the scene-stealing performance of Jason Momoa as this installment’s supervillain, Dante Reyes. Momoa’s flamboyance — flouncy shirts, a gag about nail polish, and a line of banter that makes Nathan Lane look butch — seems designed to be a counterweight to the revved-up machismo of Diesel and male co-stars Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Sung Kang. It doesn’t always work, but Momoa is the one constant in the movie.
We meet Momoa’s Dante in a prologue, set 10 years ago and retconning “Fast Five,” providing that film’s Rio drug lord villain (Joaquin de Almeida) a son (Dante) we never knew he had. Dante has made its mission not just to kill Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, whom he blames for his father’s death, but to make him suffer by going after everyone who means anything to him.
Dante starts his work in Rome, where Dom’s cohorts Roman (Gibson), Tej (Bridges), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Han (Kang) have a mission to heist some high-tech doohickey. The details don’t matter, because it’s a trap set by Dante to release a giant bomb headed for the Vatican, and putting the blame on Dom’s crew in the process.
Soon, Dom and his “family” are on the outs with The Agency, the shadowy U.S. spy organization with whom they have worked previously. The Agency’s leader, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell in previous installments) is nowhere to be found, and the new boss, Aimes (Alan Ritchson), is cutting them no slack. The only person in The Agency on Dom’s side is Mr. Nobody’s daughter, Tess (played by Brie Larson, who’s new to the franchise).
Dom gets separated from his “family” (the word gets used a lot here), and several threads run in parallel — often with members of the crew having to make uneasy alliances with former villains. Dom’s wife, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), ends up in an Agency black site alongside Cipher (Charlize Theron), the baddie from “Fate of the Furious.” Roman’s group goes to London, and faces Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) — who thought he had killed Han after the end credits of “Fast & Furious 6.” And the previous movie’s villain, Dom’s younger brother Jakob (John Cena), now on the side of good, has the most important task of all: Protecting Dom’s son, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry).
Director Louis Leterrier (“Now You See Me,” “The Transporter”) takes over the franchise from Justin Lin (who shares screenwriting credit here with Dan Mazeau), and keeps many of the series’ traditions. There are exotic locales (Rome, Rio, London and Portugal are mentioned here). There are moments where everything stops dead to explain the backstory from nine previous movies. There is one street-racing scene, featuring many young women in booty shorts leaning over the cars. There are villains turned heroes, and good guys turned villains. There is the return of a character we had long thought dead — which happened previously with both Letty and Han. There are mentions of Mia’s husband and Dom’s best friend Brian, alive in the canon even though the actor, Paul Walker, died nearly 10 years ago. And there is Dom’s Dodge Charger, defying laws of traffic, gravity and physics.
There are small joys sprinkled through the film. Rita Moreno classes up the opening scenes as Dom’s grandmother. Helen Mirren does the same, as Shaw’s mum, for exactly one scene. And I would watch an entire movie built around Daniela Melchoir’s character, a Rio street racer with a connection to Dom.
What’s missing from “Fast X,” after all the excitement of cars speeding, helicopters crashing and fireballs expanding, is an ending. The filmmakers have said “Fast X” will be the start of a story arc that will wrap up this 22-year-old franchise — but it will likely be a trilogy. That means we have to wait to see how this movie’s cliffhangers get resolved. My guess is they’ll pick the most preposterous option available.
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‘Faxt X’
★★1/2
Opens Friday, May 19, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material. Running time: 141 minutes.