Director : Justin Lin – Cast Includes : Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris
Can you believe there’s been NINE Fast & Furious movies and that Justin Lin has now directed 5 of them with two more in the works… I mean Lin’s the David Yates of this franchise, yeah he’s done other shit that includes the brilliant Better Luck Tomorrow and Star Trek Beyond but it’s working alongside Vin Diesel and his family of insane petrolheads that he’s mainly known for… before F9 I decided to rewatch Fate followed by Hobbs & Shaw, a whole day of crazy entertainment was enjoyed and it was nice refreshing my mind with what had come earlier… F9 pretty much starts where The Fate and the Furious ends with Dom, Letty & Brian now living off the grid, taking some time away from the big city, soaking up the quiet life until Dom’s ugly past returns and forces him to confront the sins of his youth to save those he loves the most… I have to admit the Fast & Furious franchise is one of my guilty pleasures, yeah I know what your thinking (your easily pleased then aren’t you?) well you may be right, I just love the movies and whether that film’s story sucks or it’s acting smells of cheese as long as I’m entertained then I’ll keep on watching… the main focus of Justin Lin’s F9 was the past merging with the present and this was handled superbly with flashbacks of those early days when daddy Torreto raced and had Dom & his kid brother working the pitts, a big tip of the hat goes to New Zealander Vinnie Bennett who’s terrific as a young Dom, I really though he not only looked like Vin Diesel in stature but captured his glare… although the Fast & Furious movies are not comedy centric I found with Fate and that 2019 spin off that characters Hobbs & Shaw played by Dwayne Johnson & Jason Statham sparred with terrific humor, their fabulous chemistry built around their dislike for each other ignited the franchise further so watching Lin’s F9 without the pair did create this graveyard of lack luster humor that felt pushed and awkward at times, that being said the action is utterly banana’s, the infectious adrenaline fuelled chase scenes involving the electromagnet, the truck that goes vertical, the return of Charlize Theron’s Cipher firing missiles from an operated drone and of course that “what the shit… Ludacris space moment” had it’s 2hrs plus runtime zooming by… yeah I know it’s not close to being Lin’s best work in the franchise but nevertheless it’s still a rollicking good time, best seen on the big screen and don’t forget to stay around into those end credits ★★★½
absolutebadasses 