For what it was, it was perfection. Let’s overlook the lack
of a sensible plot, the use of bikini-clad women as window dressing, and the
fact that near the end the writers were just crossing their fingers and praying
that no one would call them out for their ludicrous imaginings of a computer
virus. Let’s not view this as a modern movie with the coherent restrictions
that apply. View this instead as an epic in the ancient Greek style.
Unlike the earliest Fast and Furious movies, this one took
the pretense of realism and jettisoned it out the cargo bay. It was absurd to
the point of parodying itself. I didn’t know this going in, I asked my husband
annoying questions like, “If the bad guy wants those nurses to take good care
of his brother, then why did he kill everyone else in the hospital?” I finally
understood the treat I was in for when The Rock grabbed the tiny blonde and
shielded her with his body as the exploding building blasted them out the
window where they landed safely on the hood of a car. I laughed with joy. This
was not a movie about mortals and cars. This was a tale of gods and magic.
Like the ancient myths, the good guys are all handsome,
powerful, and the best in the world at whatever they do. They’re larger than
life characters with no limitations. Police cars and stop lights may have the
power to thwart you and I, but Dom and his crew barely acknowledge them. They
can solve any problem. Being chased by an evil military drone? Drive an
ambulance into it. Need to escape a penthouse? Steal a car and drive it out the
window of one skyscraper and into two subsequent skyscrapers.
Another major similarity to the ancient epics is the
bizarre honor system. If you and I stole a car it would be a bad thing. When
they did it, it was the only thing to do.
[Dom and Brian enter the Jordanian Prince's private
vault and see the W Motors Lykan HyperSport]
Brian O'Conner:
Do you realize what this is? Lykan HyperSport. $3.4 million, 0-60 in less than
3 seconds. There's seven of these in the world and this guy keeps it locked up
in a vault.
Dominic Toretto:
Nothing's sadder than locking a beast in a cage.
Brian O'Conner:
I wanna punch him in the face.
So stealing the car is the just and honorable thing,
everyone cheered when they took it.
Then there are the confrontations between our main hero
(Dom) and the bad guy (Deckard.) Over and over they have these pointless power
struggles for dominance where they play chicken in a parking garage, or Dom
leaves his friends to pursue Deckard down a mountain. The most laughable of all
is when Dom has a sawed off shotgun aimed at Deckard but instead of just
shooting him he puts the gun down and pulls out a pair of oversized wrenches
because that’s how you do it on the street. You and I probably would’ve just
shot the guy. But that’s not the point. It was never about killing Deckard, it
was always about showing off Dom’s prowess in battle. That’s why these movies
have no real story, the fight is the story.
I wouldn’t want all of my films to be this over-the-top display of poor judgment and awesome explosions. It’s boring if the good guys are always gods. But the simplicity of it speaks to me. Every now and then I want the absurdly wonderful, men and women with limitless ability, and the belief that anything is possible if you have your crew.
