Released worldwide on April 3, 2015 - this ensemble action film from director James Wan
was produced on an over-extended budget of $250 million after the untimely and tragic
death of Paul Walker.
Transitioning from horror to action, Wan does a commendable job with the complicated production
which was hampered by unenviable rewrites and lengthy delays.
There's no doubt though that this picture will rake in a huge profit (I'm personally
predicting about a billion dollars), as well as a few more more sequels.
The crew of racers turned robbers are now being hunted by Jason Statham, the vengeful
brother of "Six"'s bad guy.
Meanwhile, the PG-13 rated plot foolishly incorporates an overly technical MacGuffin
into the mix, as well as Djimon Hounsou as a Somalian terrorist.
It's an unnecessary complication that doesn't amount to much.
Logically, the character motivations don't really make any sense either; the "Furious"
crew band together to help a shadowy government type, played by Kurt Russell for the explicit
purpose of tracking down Statham.
But the British villain routines shows up announced anyway, making the crew's this-for-that
job responsibilities entirely meaningless.
Vin Diesel once again leads the giant cast of meatheads, brawlers, and drivers with what
I can only imagine was the toughest role of his career.
Forced to pretend like your best friend is running alongside you while simultaneously
mourning his death could not have been easy for him, but his performance here lives up
to the challenge.
Mourning a fellow character's death, Diesel paraphrases Scottish poet Thomas Campbell
when he remarks, "We live in the hearts of those we leave behind."
- an inspirational quote that is an excellent fit for the film's more somber theme.
He carries the picture to the best of abilities, but the dual-lead structure common in earlier
installments is definitely missing here.
Plenty of familiar faces return, with Michelle Rodriquez given a heftier romantic sub-plot
alongside Vin.
But an early scene where the two reconnect over a visit to "Race Wars" proved entirely
pointless, and likely should have been cut for time in the already bloated 134-minute
picture, the franchise's longest.
Sidelined for most of the picture, Dwayne Johnson still get a couple great scenes to
really kick ass, like his opening bout with Statham, which sees the two muscled-up dudes
tossing each other through seven separate pieces of glass.
Speaking of Jason, he's awesome as the villain, but similarly is given little to do besides
shout threats and punch people.
Now playing a character literally half his age, Lucas Black returns for a single scene
cameo that nicely connects some of events of "Tokyo Drift" into the "Fast" universe.
Newcomer Ronda Rousey thankfully only has a few short lines, as her delivery is so god-awful
they just might be the worst of the entire series.
As for the elephant in the room...
it's bad enough a series that continually deals with death and car crashes lost one
of its own in that exact situation.
Which makes Walker's inclusion here, in his final ever appearance, so much more tragic.
But thanks to a great deal of care and consideration from his friends and family, it never feels
exploitive.
Impressive camera-trickery, CGI masking, and body-double work from his younger brothers
Caleb and Cody make his character's inclusion near seamless.
Rather than writing him out, Walker remains a presence in nearly every key scene.
But oftentimes it does feel like you're watching a movie filmed entirely with stunt doubles,
as none of his detailed close-ups linger for more than a second or two.
Of the more dramatic moments he did finish prior to his death, an emotional phone call
with his longtime co-star Jordana Brewster, is especially well-acted, and may very well
be one of the best performances of his abbreviated career.
Effortless in these quieter moments, as well as the bullet-dodging destruction, it's easy
to understand why he was such a beloved actor.
Instead of a cheap, and perhaps inappropriate on-screen death, Paul's charismatic and congenial
memory is honored by allowing his character to literally drive off into the sunset.
His co-stars share dialogue that unabashedly alludes to their real life friend's passing
- it's heartfelt and positive, without ever becoming too sappy.
After all the consequence-free destruction and death-defying stunts, this surrogate memorial
that concludes the film is capped off with two simple words on a white background, "For
Paul".
Scored by the haunting Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth original, "See You Again", it's a beautiful
send off that definitely induces tears.
I for one, am going to miss this guy.
As for the action...
"Furious 7" delivers in spades; an insane stunt that sees Diesel and Walker flying a
supercar between three adjacent Abu Dhabi skyscrapers is as amazing as it is unrealistic.
Earlier, a sky-diving car chase along a Colorado mountaintop is rife with nail-biting thrills
and giant collisions, that culminates with a bus teetering on the edge of a cliff in
a suspenseful moment reminiscence of a similar sequence in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park".
Bouncing between these set-pieces though, the movie lacks a definable purpose or direction.
The lack of cohesion is certainly understandable, given the extenuating circumstances of this
film's troubled production - but it doesn't quite make it excusable.
The plot is a bit scattershot, the characters aren't always utilized correctly - but the
impressive stunt work and touching tribute to Walker make this a must-see for all fans
of the series.
Going above and beyond the scope and believability of previous films, "Furious 7" provides fantastic
excitement that poignantly eulogizes its one of its own.
I thought it was AWESOME.