Film: Fast and Furious 9
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron
Director: Justin Lin
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the ninth film in the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast 9 has run out of gas. The film directed by Justin Lin and starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron treats dialogues, story and character development as an interlude between car races. In the previous Fast and Furious films where the car chases pumped up the adrenaline, here they just become a ho-hum affair.
Vin Diesel and John Cena play brothers where the latter has turned evil with no apparent reason except for the fact that his elder brother was mean to him post their father’s death. The film’s storyline is as thin as the characters’ regard for safety and leading a risk-free, less reckless life. The film has been panned by media publications left, right and centre. Here’s what they wrote about the film:
Indian Express wrote, “A bad script could have been saved to an extent by a good lead actor. Vin Diesel is not by any stretch of imagination a good actor. His attempts to emote and look threatening are equally comical. John Cena, who was superb in James Gunn’s recent The Suicide Squad, is made to play a villain so generic that it is out of place even in a Fast and Furious movie.”
NDTV Gadgets 360 wrote, “Fast & Furious 9 brings back virtually everyone we know, put together in one film — F9 is essentially a compendium of The Fast Saga. But it's still incomplete.”
The Hindu wrote, “Fast and Furious 9 has a masala film vibe, what with estranged brothers and a fatal accident. All that is missing are the oddly numbered shoes and a family song.”
Empire wrote, “F9 isn’t the perfect summer movie, but it’s close enough: a reminder of the highs, lows and longueurs that mark the escapism we need.”
The Guardian wrote, “Vin Diesel back at the wheel of an overheated vehicle.”
Independent wrote, “Fast & Furious franchise has never concerned itself with such flippant details as plot or character development. And, in this ninth instalment, it’s still delivering what audiences truly want: cars where cars absolutely should not be.”