Seen on: April 3, 2009

The players: Director: Justin Lin, Writer: Chris Morgan, Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Gal Gadot

Facts of interest: Lin also directed "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

The plot: Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) reteam to infiltrate the operations of a ruthless drug lord.

Our quick thoughts: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker re-team on the big screen in Justin Lin’s “Fast & Furious,” and while this fourth installment in the popular series is not exactly as much fun as the first film, it certainly does deliver a handful of vibrant, over-the-top sequences that will undoubtedly entertain die-hard fans and admirers of pimped rides.

The movie’s tagline reads “New Model. Original Parts,” with the latter referring to the return of the original cast, of course. Diesel is back as Dominic Toretto, who’s on the run from the cops but eventually resurfaces and teams up with FBI guy Brian O’Conner (Walker) to infiltrate the operation of a ruthless drug lord.

That’s all you need to know about the plot, because as I’m sure you're already aware of, “Fast & Furious” is more about fast cars than a solid story. Indeed, as long as the engines keep running and Toretto and co. are racing, this movie is somewhat enjoyable to watch. I can’t say the action scenes are amazing, but they give the film the boost to cross the finish line without being all too boring.

Unfortunately, all of these hot cars often come to a stop in the movie, and it’s during those moments that “Fast & Furious” fails miserably. I certainly don’t have any trouble watching brainless, fast-paced races and spectacular wrecks, but an utterly ridiculous story line and a big dose of bad dialogue and thin characters simply can’t get me very excited.

But like I said before, this is the world of “Fast & Furious,” and that means story doesn’t really matter in the end. Instead, what matters here are cool cars and stupid action, and there’s plenty of that to discover in this sequel. In other words, fans walking into the movie knowing what to expect will likely not go home disappointed.

There’s not that much to say about the cast, primarily because the lack of character development made it impossible for me to care about any of these people. Diesel plays the kind of tough guy he usual plays, and that’s about it. Walker does an okay job as well, but if I had to pick a favorite, I’d probably go with Jordana Brewster. Why? Because she looks good…

Freaky quote: “Just like old times." – Vin Diesel

The final word: No, I didn’t hate “Fast & Furious,” but I admit I wasn’t really impressed by it either. With a sweet opening sequence and a couple of decent races, this is yet another unnecessary sequel that could have been a lot worse but still fails to rise above the level or mediocrity.

Article by Franck Tabouring