Fast 6

At the beginning of this year, I made a pledge to write at least something about every movie I see in 2013, which makes me kind of reluctant to see mindless action movies like Fast & Furious 6 since I know I’m not going to come out of the noise and mayhem wanting to write an extensive review, but having a hankering for mindless action and Michelle Rodriquez last night, I have to admit I saw Fast 6, and so to avoid breaking my record, I dutifully post a few comments here.

- I saw the first installment of the franchise, The Fast and the Furious, way back when, but I missed the sequels between that one and this one. Still, I saw all the previews multiple times, so I feel like I’ve seen them all, and I had no trouble joining the saga at this point.

- I’ve always enjoyed Michelle Rodriguez as the tough, kickass Hispanic chick, starting with Resident Evil, in which she is one tough lady and nothing short of awesome. Since then, I have enjoyed her in Machete and Avatar. In Fast 6 I noticed some lines around her mouth. Michelle is getting old. Time’s winged chariot affects us all. Paul Walker was looking thin and a little gray. Vin Diesel can hide the gray because he’s bald, but Vin’s getting old in the face as well.

- I enjoyed the camaraderie here. The characters like each other, the performers seem to like each other, and there are some nice chuckly moments of interaction between them.

- As an action sequence, I preferred the tank sequence to the climactic airplane sequence that goes on and on and on. Shot in broad daylight, the tank action is easier to follow than the action in the nighttime sequence. Sometimes, in the latter, I had no idea whose vehicle was smashing into whose. I guess the tank sequence goes on and on and on as well, and Toretto’s valiant leap to save Letty is beyond belief and the laws of gravity, but I enjoyed the tank smashing cars.

- I enjoyed the audience that politely enjoyed the action, cheered at the right moments, and clearly loved these guys and babes and their fast and furious cars.