18 May 2012

Love the action!!!

This review is from: Faster (DVD) Saw the movie when it came out. Had to buy it for my "The Rock" collection of movies. I just love me some "The Rock". He's back with a vengeance!!! That gun and those muscles was a complete turn on. He didn't have to say many words for me. Just him getting revenge and the action held my attention. Billy Bob Thornton was good as the cop. It was definitely a twist with how he was involved from the beginning. Very good action movie!!

18 May 2012

Finally....The Rock Has Come Back To Being The Rock

Faster is a straight up revenge flick with just enough dialogue to keep the story rolling. The focus here is gritty action as Driver (Dwayne Johnson) seeks out everyone involved in his brother's murder. This is The Rock that's been missing from all the kiddie movies and comedies he's been in over the last few years. This is what action fans like me have been waiting for since he started acting. Faster proves that Dwayne Johnson can sit at the table with Schwarzeneggar, Stallone, Willis, Statham and other action stars who didn't appear in The Expendables. I just hope he keeps this up.

MLDinTN

16 May 2012

The Rock goes BADSS in this

I thought this movie was pretty good for a violent, revenge story.Better than most of the Rock's movies. Rock, plays Driver, a justreleased felon, but he only stays on the straight and narrow about 10minutes. He's set on killing all the people involved in his brother'smurder. And the kicker is: he got shot in the head too but survived.He's got a list of their names, and he tracks them down one by one. Hejust walks up to them and shoots them in the head. He's cold heartedand believable as a cold blooded killer.Billy Bob Thorton plays a druggy cop whose working on the case. Later,he's involved in the twist ending. Rock also has a pretty boy assassinout to kill him. For some reason pretty boy gets married. His girldoesn't have much to do except be eye candy. Plus he doesn't do as muchcool stuff as the Rock.FINAL VERDICT: If you like revenge movies, check it out.

TheHrunting

15 May 2012

Flexes like a bodybuilder, stings like a bullet

"Faster" treads fiercely and also gives way to a certain poeticlicense. Call it a simplistic, unmuddled revenge film that's affectedby savage grace. It's reminiscent of iconic westerns about a loner withdemons in his closet related to a past traumatic event that's now comefull circle.The look and feel carries a tone from the distinctive tint to some ofthe unpolished locales and shady characters. The pace is set withjarring, off-center camera angles, to being more of a slow burn withsubtle panning to get its message home. This is truly a basic actionfilm that exaggerates as it does inject plausibility. The mechanicshelp drive this forward, because without 'em there wouldn't have beenmuch to see that already hasn't been done before.The theme is as simple as a silent type (Dwayne Johnson) fresh outtalockup with strict purpose: to systematically hunt down targets thatare revealed in flashbacks. A few hazards are thrown his way, but withhis height, bulk and fearlessness there's not much to stop thejuggernaut from rolling because he's, you guessed, "faster." He's gotan old school vibe: muscle car, six shooter and scars to show hisbattle wounds. A Batman type (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), that isn't afraidto break the law, gets hot on his trail to stop him with his new schoolgadgets and playboy looks, as well as the confident detective (CarlaGugino) and her unwanted shady looking new partner (Billy Bob Thornton)with a continual scruff and look of "user" on his face.For the most part, the characters aren't hardened stone throughout asthe filmmakers show evolution from their intended course. One could saythey "grew" from the initial outset, while others, like in real life,remain unchanged. Dwayne Johnson's character is a man's man who istalented behind the wheel and when needed for action is unflinching. Hepurposely expunges nearly all emotion but takes on the role ofintimidation with his pulsating neck and commanding biceps ofauthority.The movie has testosterone flowing through its veins with point blankexecutions and car chases. There are layers but nothing that would peelback the onion like a strict drama. This has some artistic,never-used-in-real-life dialogue sprinkled about that feels forced tofit in some areas, like they came from a practiced writer instead offrom different people with different personalities. "Faster" is aneffective cinematic experience that balances grit and candidentertainment while still pausing to smell the flowers that might havegotten some petrol and blood on their pedals. (Also submitted on CinemaFreaks, http://docuniverse.blogspot.com)

sirfire

10 May 2012

its got style

I was thinking errr its another Rock movie but its better than that andwhile it's not perfect but was very enjoyable! Dwayne didn't say manywords but he was very emotional and right for the job. The story has a form of complexity that you just would not expect whenyou look at the cover of the movie and to me it really is let down withthe naming and marketing. It is a dark movie and very violent and probably a big surprise to manythat it is not just a simple shot em up type of movie. Billy BobThornton was simply brilliant and the movie has tad of Natural BornKillers feel to it, so if you like that kind of style then it is wortha look. While it wont be a classic as many ideas have been done before but itdoes have a touch of class that makes you overcome these issues and itis worth a watch just on the music alone. George Tillman Jr has comealong way with this movie but is still learning his trade.

Gorefather

09 May 2012

Faster Redeems a Misguided Career

While I always thought Dwayne Johnson (The Rock!) had potential as anactor, I thought his career choices have been pretty dismal since heleft the world of wrestling. Whether throwaway crap like "The ScorpionKing" or just plain embarrassing stuff like "The Tooth Fairy" (we getit Dwayne, you can laugh at yourself - how about getting down tobusiness!), I just never felt compelled to see one of his movies. Untilnow.I could tell from the trailer this one was going to be different.Faster is a throwback to the merciless action flicks of the 1970s.Existential in tone. Ruthless in execution. It's kind of a crossbetween Death Wish and Vanishing Point. A pure, undiluted revenge dramathat shows Dwayne Johnson really can walk the walk when he wants to.This isn't G-rated pabulum for the whole family. This is a leatherglove across the chops, R-rated blast from the muzzle of a sawed-offshotgun. The plot isn't very complex, but the pacing is beautiful, asis the purity of this amazing movie.Billy Bob Thornton does a great job too as The Cop, a lowlife drugaddicted, slimy little lawman with 9 days to go before retirement andone last case to solve. And Oliver Jackson-Cohen is terrific as ayuppie hit-man with a personal score to settle.If you like movies that are intent simply in kicking your ass for 90minutes, you could do a lot worse than Faster. After all these years,I'm finally a Dwayne Johnson fan.

adamonfire

07 May 2012

Wait for the DVD..... only if you really like The Rock

Review will contain some spoilers.Caught this movie today, and I can't help but be incrediblydisappointed. I'm a big fan of action movies - The Transporter, Shoot'Em Up, etc. so I was looking forward to this one, as I also like TheRock.So where did this movie go wrong? Virtually everywhere. The way themovie was laid out (Day 1, Day 2) had absolutely no point to it.Neither did giving The Rock, Billy Bob, and The Killer the titles. Itfelt like someone got their first version of Final Cut and wanted toplay with some of the title features.Billy Bob contained virtually every cop cliché seen in films - he's afew days away from retiring, he's addicted to drugs, he's on the outswith his wife/family, and he's the bad guy. Really? The entire mood ofthe film pointed towards him being the bad guy even before the absurdlylong close-up of his wife and Gary in the old photo.The Killer was a completely pointless character. They show this widearray of weapons being packed, a relationship wife his now-wife, and itwas all for nothing. The man has a sniper rifle, yet simply looks atThe Rock from afar? Yeah, that's what a professional would do. And hewould certainly not keep a low-profile driving such an exotic car,right? Let's not forget the classic Bond-villain long-drawn speech thatleads to the main character (eventually) getting free. And then the guyjust walks off? That's it? What a waste. The ONLY thing I foundinteresting is the $1 he charges, as he had them framed on his wallduring the also- pointless yoga scene.So what about the fight scenes? Yeah, that's a question, because therewas only one and it lasted roughly 15 seconds. Rock follows guy, shootsguy, then leaves. Where's the fun in that?Let's not forget the lack of any kind of depth to the situation. Weknow the pastor spent his money on women and drugs, but what abouteveryone else? What was the cut? Why didn't Rock go after Gary'sex-girlfriend? Why couldn't he have killed Deb so she's not in Dexteranymore? How did not a single person recognize him in the hospital?Come to think of it, I am being incredibly generous giving this thing a4. Incredibly generous.

dave54t

07 May 2012

Hey! It was not bad at all!!!

I like very much action movies. All day long I use every usable cell ofmy brain, and when evening comes all I want is to watch a good actionflick. I have my limits, though. There should be SOMETHING in it, evenif very little. Give me Total Recall- i'm the happiest man on land.Transporter (1, 2, 3) - you made my day. You got the idea. Give me theMarine- I'll go after few minutes to do something less painful- cuttingmy fingers for example. So when I saw Faster, I came with very lowexpectations. The Rock was, well, bearable. Not high class butbearable. Walking Tall? fine. No cell in my brain need to come backfrom vacation. So when I bumped into this one, I planned to spendanother evening with no brain damage on the one hand, and no labor tomy tired cells, on the other hand. But hey- it was pretty good! packedwith action, good actors, Dwayne Johnson, whose spectrum of emotionexpression spread all over the range from 1 to 2 did his job... well,properly. So yes, it was fun to watch. The script will not send itsauthor to LA in March, but it was... well, reasonable, for this type offlick. The supporting actors did pretty good job, giving this B movieflick an aura of something a bit better. In short, if you look spending1 hour and 40 minutes of your life not saving humanity, watching thisone is not bad alternative.

06 May 2012

Faster, Rock, Faster!

A better-than-expected action flick starring the Rock. It has a fun, B-movie vibe that's part Elmore Leonard and part 70s grindhouse. Sit back and watch the bullets fly.

mjb

06 May 2012

Dwayne Johnson in position to fill action void

Johnson as "Driver" character pushes a fast paced action revenge movie to a red line and tire smoking 98 minutes. Dwayne Johnson is positioning himself to fill the void left by Arnold, Sylvester, Willis and all the action stars from the past three decades. Billy Bob Thorton's gritty and hardboiled detective character "Cop" fills in the cracks in the plot. Fueled by heroin, coffee and nicotine Thorton's detective weaves the threads of this murder revenge filled chase into a true plot with unexpected ending and conclusions.A fine infusion of seasoned and fresh actors bring a unexpected ease and flow to the flawed storyline.Lacking in plot set up doesn't hurt the film. A unlikely male model drop out and for hire hitman slows and confuses the plot. Deduct one overdressed and unbelievable hitman and this movie could have been much better. The last thirty minutes keep the movie on track. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thorton push through to the surprise ending. "Faster" starts at breakneck speeds and barely slows until the ending credits. The action scenes are fun, exciting and often. Twists and truns keep you interested. Acting is top knotch. Faster is just a well made movie and another star making and career stepping movie for Dwayne Johnson's rising star. Your local Movie critic Fee Fee Wang

06 May 2012

WHAT A CRAPFEST!!!!

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS CRAPFEST! THIS WAS THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!!!! Blehhhhhh! the who movie was full of extreme, gritty violence. He just goes around killing all these people. i hated it. if they had given the Rock's character more empathy, it would have been better. But he sure did not bring anything to the role. Even though I hate that sleazebag Billy Bob Thorton, I felt sorry for his character at least. No so with The Rock.

05 May 2012

THE ROCK, GREAT AS EVER.

This review is from: Faster (2010) (Amazon Instant Video) I only looked at this movies because of 'THE ROCK'. I LOVE this man's acting and he is soooooo fine.I don't like prison pictures, but it was a short view of that, and it went to the real action.I had never heard of this movie or seen it before, but I sure love that Amazon had it on the Black (AA) movie list that I searched. I've seen so many I never heard of and have a list of more movies to see.The Rock was fierce in this movie, and he did not care who saw him killing all the people that 'killed his brother'. That was his focus when he got out of jail from a setup by friends, for 10 yrs. He got them back and he had no mercy. I don't like violence in movies but this was well played and I loved it.Saw it for $.99 cents. Can you believe that. Bye, bye Comcast. Hello Amazon. I'm a fan for life, just keep the good movies coming. I love the rental. You will not be disappointed in renting or buying this movie. Guys you will really love this...it's all manly and macho for you. LOLBuy, rent. Just see it. You will not be disappointed. Tell others about it so they can see this movie also on Amazon. No I'm not getting paid to advertise Amazon. When a good thing comes along, I like to pass it on, share. DON'T YOU?Great movie.

05 May 2012

Blu-ray Violent, gritty and high on adrenaline...a solid popcorn action flick!

In 2011, Dwayne Johnson ("The Scorpion King", "The Other Guys", "Race to Witch Mountain") made his action film comeback with "Faster" directed by George Tillman Jr. ("Barbershop" films) and written by Tony and Joe Gayton ("Bulletproof", "Uncommon Valor", "Sweet Jane").Starring alongside Johnson are Billy Bob Thornton ("Sling Blade", "Armageddon", "Monster's Ball"), Carla Gugino ("Watchmen", "Sin City", "Night at the Museum"), Moon Bloodgood ("Terminator Salvation", "Eight Below", "Pathfinder"), Oliver Jackson-Cohen ("Going the Distance"), Maggie Grace ("Lost", "Taken", "Knight and Day"), Tom Berenger ("Platoon", "Inception", "Training Day"), Jennifer Carpenter ("Dexter", "Quarantine") and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ("Lost", "G.I. Joe", "The Bourne Identity").VIDEO:"Faster" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1). The film looks absolutely gorgeous in HD! Plenty of details can be seen throughout this film, from the detail and textures of the skin pores of every character during closeups, facial hair on the guys, detail on the guns, detail on surroundings, what you would expect from a recent film, "Faster" looks awesome! There is detail from the sweat and blood all over Driver, the detail of the firearms, the vehicles, you name it, the detail is what comes through in this Blu-ray release.Outdoor scenes are colorful and vibrant, blacks are nice and deep, I saw no signs of any dust particles, artifacting, banding, DNR, edge enhancement or aliasing whatsoever.AUDIO & SUBTITLES:"Faster" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA and the lossless soundtrack is also awesome! Driver's luger packs a punch and when he and Killer are exchanging fire, audio was well utilized through the surround channels and definitely bringing an immersive soundtrack to the viewer. And this happens quite a bit throughout the film as there is quite a bit of gunfire, cars speeding up and burning rubber and hearing the tires shriek, automobile crashes and hearing the metal crunching, bullets ricocheting off metal.Overall, a pretty good use of surround and LFE. Granted, it's not as active as "Quantum of Solace" but it's still features a solid lossless soundtrack and fans of this film should enjoy hearing it in lossless.Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH and Spanish.SPECIAL FEATURES:"Faster" comes with the following special features (presented in high definition, English stereo and optional English subtitles): * * * PS3 Theme - If you have a PS3 theme, you can get a grayish theme with Dwayne Johnson holding his gun. * movieIQ®+sync - If you're Blu-ray is connected to the Internet, you can pull up info. on the film realtime. * Alternate Ending with Director's Introduction - (12:42) The original ending to "Faster" that didn't do well during the test screening. Some may like this ending more than the final cut, I did like it...but I enjoyed the final cut ending more. There is a different outcome to the ending of the film. Featuring an optional introduction by director George Tillman Jr. * Deleted Scenes with Director's Introductions - (7:54) Featuring five deleted scenes with optional introductions by director George Tillman Jr. * Criminals & Cops: The Cast of Faster - (12:12) Featuring an interview with director George Tillman Jr. and the cast of "Faster". * Weapons and Wheels: The Guns, Cars and Stunts of Faster - (11:54) A featurette featuring the weapons, cars and stunts used on "Faster". * Animatics - (12:22) Featuring the storyboard and pre-rendered CG storyboards for the bank heist, old man, hospital and joust scenes.JUDGMENT CALL:The Rock has come back to action films!And after trying different genres, there is no doubt that Dwayne Johnson doing action films fits perfectly for him. You want to see Johnson in films where he is kicking butt and "Walking Tall" was a perfect example of where Johnson shines as an action film star. It's what many people have seen him do as "The Rock" on WWE and so, his return to action films in "Faster" was expected and if there is one thing that can be positively said about this film is that the Brahma Bull brings it!But unlike his previous films, Johnson's character "Driver" is not a good guy. He's a criminal, he's a murderer and while you are sympathetic for his cause, I feel that the character is one that will easily turn people off and those who will want to see Dwayne Johnson do what he does best, playing a character who wants to kick some ass!For the most part, this action film is an entertaining popcorn action flick that is quite watchable, adrenal and enjoyable but if you try to extract what is deep about satisfying about the movie, that is where "Faster" comes up short.One major positive about the film is its cast. You have an all-star cast and while most of them don't show up for all that long, the storyline's focus on four different characters is quite interesting. Outside of Johnson's "Driver", Billy Bob Thornton can always pull off the Cop-like character. Granted, he's not a likable cop, as his first initial shot shows him to be a drug addict, but Billy Bob knows how to play these type of character roles. Carla Gugino as Detective Cicero was not well utilized in my opinion and possibly the characters that you do find pretty cool and feel they should have their own movie is Oliver Jackson-Cohen's "Killer" and Maggie Grace's "Lily".And that for me lies the problem. We enjoy the characters too much.In some ways, I felt we shouldn't. Sympathetic, I understand but the Driver was fine, playing the man carrying out his revenge. The Killer should have been some deranged, psycho lunatic. The Cop could stay the way he was and for Cicero, a more definitive position of a woman in power, rather one who feels she is getting shortchanged by the Cop.Sure, the concept would fit into the banality of revenge action films but it works. Instead, we are left with plot holes that make no sense. Why was the ordeal videotaped? Why do the police have that videotape?Also, I do believe that there is one crucial deleted scene that should have been included in the film and it deals with the Cop and the character of Marina. I know that George Tillman Jr. didn't want to cut it but he did and I felt it was a mistake. I also feel the "Kill Bill"-esque type of storyline and killing one's parent and then warning their child about if they want to come at him for revenge was just too contrived.But in the end, it all comes down to is the film's writing and execution. The writers made these characters too likable and while the film is focused on the driver, they made the audience supporting the suave Killer and his girlfriend Lily even more (which prompted the change of the original ending of the storyline).I will say that George Tillman Jr. does take a big step forward from his "Barbershop" film years by directing this action film. "Faster" is a visually cool looking film and on Blu-ray, the picture quality and audio quality is great! The special features were also good but it would have helped to have a director's commentary and giving Tillman a chance to reflect on certain scenes and if he would have done anything different.With that being said, I still enjoyed "Faster" as a popcorn action flick that features a good number of stars in the film. On Blu-ray, I felt that the picture quality and lossless audio soundtrack definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the film.But if you enjoy Dwayne Johnson action films and you want to see him in a more violent film and see him ultimately kick some ass, I have no doubt that "Faster" is a film that you will definitely enjoy.

05 May 2012

It isnt revenge when its justified

I think that Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock is a very fine actor because he's versatile. He can kick butt and throw down with the best of the hardcore action hero types but he can also do comedy. This movie ain't no comedy. His character is all about obtaining justice for the one person in his entire life that he could always count on and who always stuck up for him: his brother.Let's be clear, the characters in this entire movie, with the exception of just a few, are all criminals to one degree or another. The brother, who is technically his half brother (mom cheated on the husband and couldn't hide it when she gave birth to a bi-racial son) is a bank robber, just like his old man and his buddies. His kid brother, played by Dwayne/The Rock, knows how to drive like a demon, but his olde brother who loves him and doesn't want him getting caught up in the family business tries to keep him out of the plots and plans that he puts together to take down banks.It was just a fluke that his older brother's regular driver wasn't able to make the gig and Dwayne/The Rock steps up to help his brother out because he's afraid that if he doesn't, something will go wrong and his brother will get caught. The robbery goes off without a hitch... Yes, there is a gritty police chase, but as I mentioned, he drives like a demon and he gets them out of it without leaving a trace for the cops to follow. The problem comes when their group is betrayed and another group shows up to rob them of their ill gotten gains from the bank heist.It is during this robbery that everyone in his older brother's crew gets hit, including the older brother getting his throat slit in front of Dwayne/The Rock, and it's in that last moment between the brothers that you see how much they love each other and how the older brother is still trying to reassure his little brother that everything would be all right...That's why Dwayne/The Rock's character is determined to get justice for his brother and he waits for ten long years while he plots and plans and does everything he can to get money inside prison to fund his plans on the outside. He stays as clean inside as he can and doesn't start trouble, but when the guys on the inside come after him, he leaves them far worse for wear and has gained a serious and significant reputation inside and outside the walls of the prison.When he gets out he has a list of names and everyone on that list has something to answer for, starting with the guys who killed his brother and the crew.It's gritty and raw and perhaps a bit more vigilante than some might like, but this movie has some significant undertones that resonate with you.The love this guy had for his brother, and the love his brother had for him, sticking up for him against his own father who took out his frustration and anger on the innocent kid who came from the wife's infidelity forged a bond between the brothers that was powerful and something nobody should have messed with.That kind of bond can't be replaced and when it was broken by this pack of sleazy jerks, there's only one thing to be done and that was put the rabid dogs down, one at a time until there's nobody left who gained anything from the murder.Then, and only then, is the job done and that's what Dwayne/The Rock does, taking each one off his hit list until he's fulfilled his promise to his brother that they would pay for what they had done to him.Now, as much as I really enjoyed this film, there were parts in it that were exceedingly lame, namely the whole character of the multi millionaire hitman who works for $1 per target, and his blonde bombshell girlfriend over whom he has clear angst and needs to get therapy via cell phone while he's tracking his target, who is the main character. And then he pitches a fit when he's face to face with his target demanding 'a little professional acknowledgement' of his skills as a hitman while he has a gun in Dwayne/The Rock's face... Quite frankly, that whole character and his girlfriend could both have been left out of the story and NOTHING would have been lost.Still, even with that lame story subplot as noted above, this was a great movie where you root for the 'bad' guy because he's doing what needs to be done and you're entertained from start to finish.

Douglas Young

03 May 2012

The real Rock is back in action

(Synopsis) After serving 10 years in prison for bank robbery, Driver(Dwayne Johnson) has only one mission in life, to avenge the murder ofhis older brother who was killed when they were double-crossed afterthe heist. Now a free man with the names and addresses in hand, thereis nothing on earth that can stop him from killing all of them.However, two people are in the hunt to stop him, veteran cop (Billy BobThornton) only days from retiring, and a young hit man (OliverJackson-Cohen), both on Driver's trail. The race is on, and there canbe only one winner.(My Comment) The story is simple and straight to the point, Driverwants revenge. Driver gets out of prison after 10 years, and he startshunting down the criminals who were responsible for killing hisbrother. However, things get complicated when a hit man comes afterhim. Not only does he have to avoid the cops, but now he is also atarget. Physically, the Rock is imposing in this film, but he onlyspeaks about 2 dozen words in the whole movie. The Rock does not havemuch dialog, but his tough mannerisms and cold blooded killer facialexpressions are enough. Billy Bob Thornton's performance as the sleazycop is excellent. If you want to see an action packed revenge flick,this is a good one to see. (CBS Films, Run Time 1:35, Rated R)(8/10)

03 May 2012

Not worthy of the Rock

This review is from: Faster (DVD) Love Dwayne Johnson and action films of all kinds and he's done some great movies--but this isn't one of them. He has so much more to offer than the monosyllabic--executioner presentation he's given to work with here. And the other "stock" characters Billy Bob Thorton as the drug using, dirty cop & Carla Giano as his too tough to be believable partner, don't make the movie any better. The best character in this film? The black Chevy Chevelle Dwayne drives around in killing people--the car Rocks!

FlashCallahan

01 May 2012

Wheres the exit......

After ten years in prison for participating in a bank heist driving thegetaway car, the driver is released.He runs to a junkyard where there is a car and a revolver waiting forhim, then drives to an office and executes a clerk.Detective Cicero is assigned the case but soon a veteran detective nearretirement teams up with her.Meanwhile a hired killer is also chasing the driver. The driver huntsdown and kills two other men and Cicero discovers that his gang hadsuccessfully robbed a bank ten years ago.However, they are double-crossed and another crew steals the money andexecutes the entire gang. The driver miraculously survives and he seeshis brother being executed.Further, Cicero also learns that the victims are former policeinformers and she concludes that the driver is avenging his brotherkilling his executors.....This film could have really been something. The Rock hasn't made a fullon action film in a very long time, so after seeing the trailer, i wasvery excited.And while the film does hark back to gritty films from the seventies,it can be extremely boring at times, and it's none of the casts faultas the three leads are flawless.I could imagine the pitch 'Rock goes and shoots somebody, looks moody,cops investigate crime scene, assassin acts nuts. Repeat six times,let's have a twist as well'.And that pretty much sums the film up, and it makes just over ninetyminutes seem like Schindlers list.The inclusion of an assassin doing his job for kicks is original, buthe is nothing more than a whiny rich boy, with a beautiful wife, and aluxury house, it's hard to sympathise.The ending is predictable and flat, but the film has it's moment, andit's nice to see the rock back in serious mode.

Don Shroyer

01 May 2012

Good - would watch it again sometime.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a 10-year, full term convict who cannot wait to get out of jail to avenge the death of his older brother.The brothers were involved in a robbery where they made a cleanget-a-way, but they were betrayed. Not to the police, but to anothergroup of criminals who then crash their party and relieve them of theirloot. In the process, the older brother is killed, quite unnecessarilyand very brutally.I've seen several (6) movies featuring Johnson and most of them havehim in a light-hearted or light-weight role. "Tooth Fairy" and hisappearances on SNL demonstrate that he has an innate and veryentertaining comedic sense. I suppose as a WWE wrestler/entertainer,you need that. Missing, however, was any demonstration of dramaticacting talent. Until now.This movie shows Johnson in an intense, riveting, and well-acteddramatic role. His facial expressions and mannerisms confirm that histalent as an actor includes drama at its best. He is often cold andruthless in his revenge. But he is also empathetic and forgiving. Afterall, a lot can change in 10 years. Yes, this is an action film, butthanks to Johnson, it is as well a drama, and a drama well done.Kudos also go to Billy Bob Thornton who plays the pretending to berecovered drug addict cop, about to retire, who has one last case tosolve. And that case is Johnson carrying out his revenge. Sauce for thegoose is a yuppie hit man hired to kill Johnson before he reaches theend of his death list, the mastermind of the betrayal. This becomes amatter of ego as Johnson keeps besting him.And there are a couple of sub-plots, Thornton's relationship with hisestranged wife and son, Johnson's issues with his father, and theyuppie's desire to change his life relating to his relationship withhis girl friend. They do not detract from the main theme, but add alittle spice.There are some plot twists that you may not see coming. This is abetter than average action/drama. Well worth seeing.

rydog-919-2172

30 April 2012

Vengeance Belongs to the Rock

Faster is an epic movie of a man taking the law into his own hands,when it does not work for him. The main character Driver, althoughnever identified by name, is ex convict sentenced for a soured bankrobbery. After the job, his brother is murdered, when the group isdoubled crossed. Having served 10 years and replaying that event overand over again the only thing on his mind is vengeance as he walks outthe prison doors.A buddy outside the prison has a list-awaiting Driver containing thenames of the people involved in his brother's murder. Upon obtainingthis list Driver sets out to kill of the names on the list one by one.Furious over the sour loss of his brother, the only real person in hislife, he will stop at nothing until justice is served. However, thejourney has a hitch or two. A cop and contract killer are sent out tobring Driver in or take him down. While Faster is bent on seeking vengeance, it containsthought-provoking, positive elements. The man serving as lookout duringthe robbery has a complete turn around with his life. While hisinvolvement in the robbery is questionable and possibly wrong, he isable to find forgiveness and works to help wayward young men. Driverand his ex-girlfriend supposedly conceived a child together. Uponhearing that his son had been aborted during his sentence, Driver'sex-girlfriend seeks forgiveness and amends for what she had done.Although Driver wants nothing more than vengeance for his brother'sdeath, everything he encounter seems to suggest vengeance is not theright course of action. All he wants is to see justice served butcannot seem to focus exclusively on dishing it out. Through his ex-girlfriend and a preacher on the radio, Driver hears that forgivenessto be the answer over and over again. While his heart's desire is benton serving justice, he is constantly prodded to consider if that iswhat his heart truly wants. When evil crosses our path such as having someone close murdered theeasy solution is to seek vengeance as Driver does. Vengeance in thatmoment seems to be the only means to find peace again. In such momentsone is confronted with the belief that vengeance brings peace and willmake everything right again. However, in such moments one hardly everhears about or considers forgiveness as an option. Why? Forgiveness isoften pushed aside because it does most often does not bring aboutjustice. More importantly how can one who murdered be forgiven withoutconsequence?But for Driver, forgiveness is constantly put in his path to considerits importance. The preacher on the radio knows that vengeance andkilling does not bring peace into one's heart. Rather such measures, asthe preacher knows, only lead one farther away from peace andforgiveness. In the end who is really killed the brother or Driverhimself because any good that what left in him is now gone. With thisin mind the preacher seeks to remind him "God did not put you down hereto be perfect, but to be saved." And if this is not enough the preacherasks for Driver's forgiveness when Driver shows up to kill him. So willDriver find peace with himself in the end? Will he find forgiveness orwill he be destroyed from the inside because he lost all that was good.All in all Faster, is an action packed adventure movie sure toentertain. With the building up of an intense interplay between findingforgiveness and vengeance, the movie leaves one guessing until the endas to what Driver finds.

siderite

30 April 2012

A solid character centered revenge flick

Oh oh, The Rock finally playing in a good movie! He deserved it. Theway I see it, he is disadvantaged as an actor by the fact he was afamous wrestler. They never take him seriously. But in this film he gota break, not because of the complexity of the role, but the one of thescript.About the movie, it is a classic revenge film, in which the maincharacter goes after the people who wronged him, but where it shines isthe character portrayal. There are no cardboard characters (except forCarla Gugino's, which is the most incompetent cop I've seen in awhile), and the actors involved are shown in all of their roles, good,bad and in between.There are some flaws in the film, but mainly the police work and thehorrible title. I've postponed watching the movie because I thought itwas some sort of TripleX meets Gone in 60 Seconds thing. I am happy tosay it was not. It was more like Kill Bill meets Crash, but that's abit of a stretch.Bottom line: a movie worth watching and an excellent accomplishment fora movie of the genre.