Fast and Furious 5: Rio Heist (2011)

They simply had to get this latest instalment of a fading franchise right. So, Universal did what any right-minded studio should do, they put The Rock in it. Dwayne Johnson is the best thing in this film by a country mile. He hulks around the movie all sweaty and leaving testosterone trails in his wake. Clad in a flak jacket and a cage fighter’s beard, he’s the guy the FBI call when they want to catch someone. His body is a temple (I’ve never seen him looking so pumped), and from the moment he turns up on-screen (telling a little Brazilian cop to quite literally, stay the f@~k out of his way) you know you’re in for a stupidly entertaining film.

So, the latest instalment for the Fast/Furious franchise has finally brought Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel together. They’re both two well muscled action stars and their coming together has made Fast and Furious 5 the best film in the series so far. But that’s not all. Not only does the film bring the two meaty juggernauts together, but it’s also a reunion of almost every memorable character from the previous four films. With the notable exceptions of Michelle Rodriguez and Lucas Black, the cast features Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Chris Bridges (Ludacris), Tyrese Gibson (Tyrese), Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar and Matt Schulze. It’s a good time, especially if you’re already a fan.

Picking up where 2009’s Fast and Furious left off, Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) spring Dominic (Diesel) from his 25 year prison sentence by forcing an accident with the bus in which he is being transferred. The gang speeds off to Brazil on yet another assignment set up by their old friend Vince (Schulze). When the job goes wrong, they come up against Rio’s entire underground drug business. But instead of fleeing the city, they decide to rob the ringleader Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) of $100 million. As the plot thickens with gunfire, chases and fights, an interesting dynamic between Diesel and Johnson emerges with a man-o-man smack down that’s pure macho magic. Needless to say it was one of the best fight scenes in 2011 (even Empire agrees).

Fast and Furious 5 (or Fast Five) shouldn’t have been a good film. Diesel, as always, is incapable of showing any kind of emotion. There are plenty of scenes that just don’t gel. And at over two hours, it’s too long for me. But this was still a bloody good action/adventure which proves that film series don’t always need to stop at 3. If you missed catching this at the cinema, then make sure you watch it on the loudest and biggest screen you can find.