During the opening credits there are flashbacks to previous films to jog your memory. These are not intended to bring anyone up to speed. There is some minor character build up in spite of the fact we already know who they are.In this film Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) becomes involved with a group of bad guys lead by Shaw (Luke Evans). They are described as the best in "vehicular warfare" something that appears to be almost unique to this film series. In order to catch them, our "swagger-less" cop Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson) must employ the use of wanted fugitive Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team in order to save Europe or something else immaterial. They are up against a group of criminal described as their "evil twins" because apparently we couldn't figure that out for ourselves.The film uses all the fun things we have grown use to in the series: impossible car chases/races, fist fighting, eye candy, tough guy talk, and of course the humorous banter and a disdain for physics in a fantastic climax scene.In addition to all the features that appeal to muscle heads, the film also works upon the theme of the modern extended family. Because of societies' mobility and separation, many people have incorporated friends as part of their "family." This film stretches the honor among thieves into the brotherhood of man, but doesn't make it too sappy. A great addition to the series, one that opens up to sequel possibilities. If you own 5 of them. Make it a 6 pack.My only criticism is that I would have liked to have seen a script with a larger role for Jordana Brewster.Parental Guide: 1-2 f-bombs. Implied sex. No nudity (side breast, skimpy bikinis)

At the end of part 5, the F&F crew split $100million between them; somehow, a share of that haul bought Roman (Tyrese Gibson) a lear jet, a luxury yacht and a penthouse apartment, with cash to spare. Talk about getting the most from your money. Still, this is one of the least unbelievable things in a film that doesn't just ask the viewer to suspend disbelief, but rather grabs them by the neck and demands that they do so or else.This chapter in the dumb but entertaining blockbuster franchise sees Dom (Vin Diesel) reassembling his crew to help special agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) stop an international criminal from obtaining the components to build a bomb that will be worth billions to the wrong people. To paraphrase one of the characters, it's some '007-type s**t', but taken to extremes, with action set-pieces that not only defy logic, but also the laws of physics.For some viewers, it will all be a step too far, although judging by the film's cumulative worldwide gross, this is exactly what many want in a summer blockbuster. Me? I fall somewhere in the middle: there are moments that are extremely well handled (Gina Carano's fist fight with Michelle Rodriguez is excellent); a few scenes are exhilarating popcorn nonsense that I cannot help but enjoy for their sheer audacity (the tank crushing cars on a Spanish highway); but others push credibility beyond even what I can accept in a silly summer action flick (the ridiculous finale on the world's longest runway).That said, I'd much rather watch this than another Michael Bay Transformers film.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for Carano (who should have nabbed the Wonder Woman gig instead of Gal Gadot).

Bigger, faster, crazier — that's the motto of the "Fast & Furious" franchise six films in. If you thought the action, scale and stunts were off the charts in "Fast Five," prepare to have your mind blown by "Fast & Furious 6." The previous films were an acceleration, and the series hit full throttle with "Fast Five." The road was open and endless for Universal, and returning writer Chris Morgan and director Justin Lin. What they opt to do in "F&F6" is bend the limits of reality to their will. From the initial London chase to a highway tank sequence to the grand finale, which involves a massive cargo plane, this is an action movie jacked up on steroids. In fact, there are a couple references to Marvel "Avengers" characters — a not-so-subliminal suggestion that Universal would like you to think of Dominic Toretto's crew/family as a team of superheroes.The trouble is for every "wow!" moment there are twice the number of "what?" moments. The action is so ludicrous that you lose all sense of what's happening. They're like little blackout moments as you drink more and more of the movie's high-octane Kool-Aid.Morgan pulls together a perfectly viable plot. Dom's (Vin Diesel) presumed deceased former lover, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) has been spotted in association with a criminal mastermind named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) whose ex-military crew is essentially the shadow image of our heroes. Dobbs (Dwayne Johnson) presents this info to Dom in hopes that it'll persuade Dom into doing him favor in taking Shaw down. It naturally works, and the crew must put a hiatus on their quiet life spending all the cash they stole in the last film; when the patriarch of the family calls, you answer.The movie doubles down on the notion of the crew as family. Shaw is supposed to be the antithesis. He doesn't care about allegiances but about precision and planning. He's cold and calculated, whereas the "family" is warm and spontaneous. It's cliché, but at least time is spent on the characters. There is only one newbie in former MMA fighter Gina Carano as Hobbs' new right hand, meaning the character time is invested in the existing characters, which is good, though the script doesn't pierce beyond the surface traits we're already familiar with.It also bears mentioning that at one point the script reveals a twist that's solely for the purpose of a twist. This "surprise" makes no sense and has no actual bearing on what happens in the film. Morgan wanted a surprise moment to keep things interesting and it's a nice moment — but then you realize it's actually meaningless and changes nothing. Another example of how flash without substance is the M.O. of this series. You have to like flash for the sake of flash to be a big fan.Of course any scene in which an engine of any kind is not running only matters so much in these films, but "Fast & Furious 6" will start to really separate out the pure action junkies who've been hooked on this series from those who prefer some plausibility and gravity —literally and figuratively — in their blockbusters. Lin's sensibilities would probably be of more use in a sci-fi or fantasy movie where he could break all laws of common sense and completely get away with it. In this movie, depending on your taste, it will either get you stoked or spoil the moment.One could argue that this franchise has found a niche in larger-than-life action movies — that there's a viable space for films that maintain the trappings of the real world but play by the rules of a superhero movie. That's fair, but in many ways by blowing the ceiling off what's possible, they've created another ceiling. If anything is possible, at some point we will no longer be surprised by the impossible. The films would be better served by maintaining some thread of connection to the laws of physics, then when they broke them a little, it would have a bigger impact. "Fast Five" did this well and it's a shame this movie takes such a tremendous leap in believability.Nevertheless, there's an undeniable adrenaline rush that comes with Lin's style of direction and the size and stature of the stunts and action sequences. It's three-fold true in this entry. That's the kind of thrill that maintains a sufficient baseline for enjoying these moves.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more.

Unlike the review written by Steve Pulaski, I'm not going to get into homo eroticism and other such psydointellecual tripe, this movie is just a bad Robert Ludlum knockoff. In fact, most of his stuff is pretty horrible to begin with (not to mention his ghost written post death, Matt Damen dreck). There's nothing fast or furious about this movie. What few chase scenes there are in this movie are all hacked to pieces. The shots of the actors faces are too numerous and are nothing more than filler. One "Bullitt" or "The Vanishing Point" is worth a thousand "Fast and Furious 6". But considering how much money this movie made, how can you argue with it. The "down low " culture of 15 year olds has taken over. The good old days of car chases is dead and buried. Man buns and Taliban beards now rule.