By I love Dwayne Johnson. I have been smelling what the Rock has been cooking since I first pulled off a Rock Bottom in the AKI wrestling games on the Nintendo 64. Walking Tall is one of my favorite films, Race to Witch Mountain was a delightfully fresh take on a classic Disney property, his small parts and cameos in movies like The Other Guys and Reno 911 are some of the best parts of those films,and he even made The Tooth Fairy watchable.
When I saw the trailer for Faster, I was instantly intrigued. Seeing Johnson walk into an office, shoot a dude in the head, and walk out caught my attention in an iron grip that wouldn’t let go until several months later as the credits rolled at the end of the movie. However, Faster is by no means a perfect movie, but it was great fun from the word go.
I love Dwayne Johnson. I have been smelling what the Rock has been cooking since I first pulled off a Rock Bottom in the AKI wrestling games on the Nintendo 64. Walking Tall is one of my favorite films, Race to Witch Mountain was a delightfully fresh take on a classic Disney property, his small parts and cameos in movies like The Other Guys and Reno 911 are some of the best parts of those films,and he even made The Tooth Fairy watchable.
When I saw the trailer for Faster, I was instantly intrigued. Seeing Johnson walk into an office, shoot a dude in the head, and walk out caught my attention in an iron grip that wouldn’t let go until several months later as the credits rolled at the end of the movie. However, Faster is by no means a perfect movie, but it was great fun from the word go. {{page_break}}
The story is simple. Johnson plays Driver (they don’t go out of their way to name 95% of the characters in this film), a man fresh off of a ten-year stretch in prison driven by a quest of revenge. He has a car, a revolver, and a list of names. Driver doesn’t mess around, putting a hole in the head of the Telemarketer (Courtney Gains, Malachai from Children of the Corn) in less than ten minutes into the movie. A heroin-addicted cop, Cop (Billy Bob Thorton) is put on the case, and a self-made millionaire/gun-for-hire, Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Going the Distance) is tasked with putting a stop to Driver’s quest for vengeance. It’s all standard fare, but delivered stylistically with impressive performances throughout the duration.
Johnson’s Driver is a man of few words. He is big, imposing, and single-minded, crossing names off his list like a pro. Johnson pulls the role off with ease, and is a delight to watch. Jackson-Cohen’s Killer is a pretty boy bored with being the best at everything, and wonders if his bizarrely-supportive-of-her-boyfriend’s-occupation significant other Lily, played by Lost and Taken hottie Maggie Grace, isn’t his next big challenge. Jackson-Cohen played his part well, giving an entertaining, if not extraneous, subplot to keep us involved when Driver isn’t orphaning children. The weak point of the three main characters is by far Thorton’s Cop. He does heroin, which doesn’t seem to matter, has an ex and a son, who don’t seem to matter, and is partnered to a lady cop (Watchmen’s Carla Gugino) who barely matters. To be fair, Thorton did a good job, but now that I think about it, nobody else really matters since the main focus is on Driver’s mission.
The other people involved in the film all played their parts fine. The creepy Old Man, #2 on Driver’s list, played by John Cirigliano (John’s Walking Tall acting coach) was perfect as a creepy old man. #3 on the list was Bouncer, played well by bit-player Ski Carr. Bouncer was a bouncer, and his portion of the film provided a nice break from the normal guns-blazing approach the rest follows. It also helped set up for a possible sequel, but I don’t want to give anything away. The last of the four men on the list, The Evangelist, was the stand-out character, played expertly by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost). Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter)appeared briefly as Driver’s ex, Woman, and did not stick around long enough to drag the movie down with extraneous romance. The last noteworthy characters to mention are Mike Epps’s Roy, the guy who gives Driver his hit-list and provides an early, brief comedic interlude and Jack Wallace, old man extraordinaire with credits that include Heroes season four and an episode of Parks and Recreation season two, as a bathroom attendant.
The acting was decent, sure. But how was the action? Absolutely brutal. As I mentioned, the first head shot was less than ten minutes into the game, and none of the subplots ever slowed down the pace below ‘breakneck.’ Driver was an effective action movie anti-hero, The Killer kicked ass, and each face-off was awesome. While The Cop was by far my least favorite character, the part where he comes face to face with Driver was one of the highlights. Though to be far, the movie was chock full of highlights.
To the surprise of no one, Faster does not break new ground. It is certainly entertaining, but it’s also very derivative. A cop days away from retirement taking one last case? I think I saw that in Falling Down. Somebody wronged and left for dead? Saw it in Kill Bill. A man being chased by a cop and a killer? No Country For Old Men called. On the bright side, I enjoyed all those movies, and seeing Dwayne Johnson tread familiar ground didn’t hurt. Those of you who love the vengeance sub-genre’s familiar tropes will be tickled pink. For those expecting Faster to break new ground, you may be in the wrong place.
Another thing is the soundtrack. It wasn’t bad by any means, but with a score by Clint Mansell, who’s soundtrack to Requiem For a Dream still remains one of my all-time favorites, I expected a little more. On the bright side, I’m told his score for next week’s Black Swan is absolutely fantastic.
If you’re an observant viewer, you will be able to call most of the twists and turns of the latter half of the film, but it didn’t bother me. Dwayne Johnson led a capable cast through an action-filled revenge thriller with obvious throwbacks to the Grindhouse days, and it was an excellent way to spend an evening. Faster may not bring anything new to the table, but it’s certainly a great take on a familiar meal.
Overall Score: 7.25 – Good. (7s are good, but not great. These films often have a stereotypical plot or are great movies that have a few minor flaws. Fans of this movie’s genre might love it, but others will still enjoy seeing it in theaters.)
On the scale of Dwayne Johnson movies, Faster clocks in right next to Walking Tall; a totally watchable, highly entertaining action movie you don’t need to invest too many brain cells into and can still thoroughly enjoy.