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When the trailer to 2 Fast 2 Furious came on TV, did you
think this film was somewhat hokey? Be honest? I didn’t give it
much thought myself. Then I saw the film, and I was impressed. This
film is actually good. Don’t get me wrong, this is no Oscar winner.
But with all the hype surrounding the can’t miss films of the summer
(X-Men 2, Matrix
Reloaded), a film like 2 Fast 2 Furious may do well
because it there’s no heavy expectation in terms of plot. Vin Diesel
may not be in this film, but KEEP one thing in mind; this is the
film that made him the big salary guy he is now. The film is mainly about
the cars, and Paul Walker, Tyrese,
and Eva Mendes are good backdrops that create enough flavor to
bring in the same fans that made the original, The Fast and the
Furious, a blockbuster.
Paul Walker is the only major player back from the first film.
If you recall, his character Brian O’Conner had let Vin Diesel’s
character get away from the cops purposely. As an undercover cop,
he got too emotionally involved. In 2 Fast 2 Furious, we
meet up with Brian in Miami as he uses his driving skills to stay
in “the game” with the locals and make some money street gambling.
He’s also on the run from his own police force and other cops for
his negligence involving Vin Diesel’s character. When he’s finally
caught, rather than whisk him back to LA for his crime, his former
boss Agent Bilkins (Thom Barry) wants him to use his driving skills
to bring down local Argentinean money launderer Carter Verone
(Cole Hauser), who’s looking for daring drivers to do his dirty
work. Brian's options are to either help the cops with this case and get back in good
graces or start lifting weights for jail. Obviously being free was the only answer but
he would need help in pulling this off. Seeing who the police gave
him as a partner was not good enough. He wants someone he can trust
with his life and someone who definitely knows everything about
cars. Enter Tyrese as Roman Pearse, Brian’s childhood friend and
currently on parole with an ax to grind. They haven’t seen each
other in years since Brian helped in his arrest. Although reluctant
to help at first, Roman comes around and two become partners. Also thrown
in the mix is the beautiful Eva Mendes as Monica Fuentes, an undercover
agent deep into her role that she really to has to play it out to
the end. Miami serves as the city of choice with as many cars canvassing
the streets as Brian and his “hood” try to bring down the big bad
wolf.
That’s the film in a nutshell. The plot is paper thin with the
dialogue adequate enough for a 2 year old to understand. There really
was no given reason for a sequel to come out, but as we all should
have known, once the first film made a combustible $150 million
dollars, the sequel was inevitable. It’s the cars that take center
stage. That’s the best part of the film. While X-Men
2 and Matrix
Reloaded are filled with storylines to the characters, this
film is about flashy cars and more of them. Within the film we see
a Nissan Skyline GTR, a Mitsubishi EVO 7, a 1969 Yenko Camaro, a
1998 BMW M3, a 1994 Mazda RX7, and a 2003 Dodge Viper to name a
few. Director John
Singleton has made a nice transition from the hard hitting dramatic
films he’s done lately to something wickedly entertaining. Tyrese,
when not singing, still needs work on the acting front, but he’s
better than some who have entered the industry. Walker is no Keanu.
Some actors can be good if wooden and Walker needs more oil to be
free. He’s got the looks and charm, but with the dialogue relegated
to one-liners, it’s hard for him to stand out and he’s supposed
to be the “star” of the film. Mendes is wasted in the film. She had
more to do in fewer scenes in Training
Day and All
About the Benjamins than she has in this film other than
look good in a bikini. Among the acting standout are Hauser and
rapper Ludacris. Hauser is very good as the cold blooded kingpin.
His scene involving a rat is priceless. Strictly unredeemable and
just pure evil run through his character’s vein and he played it
to perfection. Singleton has a way of making sure his musicians-actors
are no flash in the pan when cast in his films, and Ludacris held
his own. If you want to be “challenged” and want something “thought-provoking”,
then this film won’t be the best choice, but if you are looking
for a film with a simple plot and enough action scenes, then 2
Fast 2 Furious is worth the ticket price.
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