It can't quite reach fourth gear let alone fifth, for everything Faster does correctly it also lacks in something else. One thing is for sure, it's good to see Johnson at the helm of a gritty action thriller before he became Hollywood's most bankable star. Having recently been released from prison, a driver seeks revenge on the group of men that put him there and fractionally killed him. A simple premise of vengeance as the anonymous individual simply known as "Driver" drives down the dark road of hatred. I adored the serious nature of the story, the visceral gritty corruption that is evoked from the driver exhumes a sympathetic undertone. Adequately balanced as you question the actions he takes, determining whether what he is doing is right or wrong. It's not an original narrative, yet the reminiscence of western gunslinger classics seeps through the modern cracks to create a refreshing take on a vengeful character. Johnson's physical demeanour is intimidating, fortunately it makes up for his monotonous acting. Cugino and Thornton were wasted potential as they attempt to convey some emotional complexity. Grace was pointless. Jackson-Cohen played the typical British antagonist with the most forced London accent ever. Whilst I do appreciate the religious themes, like its topic, it came across as preachy and felt unnecessary, even if it was a plot device to taint the driver's determined mind. It's not so much an action film, more of a thrilling drama. A few car chases, some shootouts but mostly intense stares and a whole lot of muscle (his arms are like tree trunks...). The concluding twist, whilst predictable, was slightly underwhelming and really didn't leave much of an impact. It's paced slightly on the slower side however it works for me. Faster may not be as quick as viewers would expect, however it is a watchable thriller with a distinctly gritty style.

An ex-con gets on a series of apparently unrelated killings. He gets tracked by a veteran cop with secrets of his own and an egocentric hit man. Thanks to a talented cast, great action set pieces and well written and interesting characters this throwback to the 80's and 90's action films that we loved has The Rock at his finest for sure. (10/10)

That is a pure cinématic film, not too connected to reality but with realistic bents and ironic bits. It's a bit crazy in its psychopathy and funny at the same time. Of course most of the story here would not hold in real life but this film is for the joy ride, the enigma, the pain, and the escape from reality. That worked for me.

This movie premise is not original and that alone wouldn't be a problem because at least it's gripping just to hear about it: man is released from prison and seeks revenge on a group of people who were responsible for his imprisonment. That story was told a thousand times before. And with The Rock starring in it, you're already hooked and trust this will be good, entertaining at best. However, his first action flick since "Doom" (oh boy!), doesn't go nowhere, misses a lot of marks and delivers almost nothing. And the fault lies not only with the lazy screenwriters, or the poor direction but also comes from the casting director. I'll return to that later.I don't know if the blame should be put on the director since he selected as main focus the drama story rather than the thrills and the excitement for the action; or the writer for writing this exact script. Something was strangely wrong with this picture. Neither of those people and their choices worked for the better development of this wreck. Too slow, too uninteresting, with minor accomplishments and even those managed to be overlooked by audiences. And since both workers opted for odd choices why picking Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the leading man? Hear me out: his character is a real menace for every one he meets not because of his towering height and dangerous looks but simply because of a tattoo, code to something dangerous that gets people killed when they cross this guy's path. Not to mention, The Rock barely makes use of his muscles, he's always carrying a gun. Hold that idea. If the tattoo is the great threat why not choosing Danny DeVito for the role? We would get something meaningful, dramatic and the action is just a tool to make the story move. In any case, everything moves with no interest, sloppy and carelessly. Some of the twists and the revelations were intense and good to see but almost everything else was silly or not great enough to make you care about this movie. OK, I liked the dirty detective played by Billy Bob Thornton, dividing his time between investigating the murders of many folks (all killed by the main character) and trying to find some quality time for his kid; his partner the honest detective in charge of the case, played by Carla Gugino; and the methodic killer played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, easily the best part of the movie, in my opinion. People complain about his acting abilities, so-and-so, but his character was really something (and hot as hell, let's face it!). You keep the whole movie trying to figure out what's the real deal with his pursuit to the "hero". Not a complete waste of time and manageable in some ways, "Faster" is just a distraction and sometimes we can use that - but it's so much better if you devote yourself to something else. 5/10